Car accidents: Icy patch on roadway may have caused fatal crash

Missouri roads pose multiple threats during the cold winter months. Patches of ice often go unnoticed, and many car accidents result from drivers losing control after sudden braking or accelerating on an icy, slippery road. One such tragic incident on a recent Thursday morning took the lives of three people.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a northbound driver on Highway 61 rear-ended another car that was occupied by a 36-year-old mother and two small children. The impact apparently caused her car to careen across the center median and into the southbound traffic lanes. There, her car was struck by another vehicle that was traveling south.

The driver who rear-ended the woman’s car reportedly claimed to have lost control of his vehicle after hitting an icy patch on the roadway. The crash resulted in the death of the mother and her two daughters. One was only 7 months old, and the other one was 6 years old. Understandably, their 16-year-old sister — who was not in traveling with them — is finding it it difficult to cope with the tragedy.

As is often the case with fatal car accidents, this Missouri family is struggling to deal with end-of-life expenses of three loved ones. Claims for financial relief may be pursued through the civil court. Wrongful death claims for the three lives that were lost may be filed against the driver who appears to have caused the rear-end crash. Such claims typically require proof of negligence on the part of the party or parties sued.

Source: fox2now.com, “Mother, young daughters killed in multi-car collision in Wentzville“, Kelley Hoskins, Jan. 21, 2016