Missouri intersections, like most other crossroads throughout the country, are dangerous stretches of roadway. The average licensed driver knows to pay close attention and be aware of his or her surroundings at an intersection. If another driver is negligent or reckless, however, there may be no way to avoid a collision.
Police say driver did not adhere to traffic laws
At a particular intersection, just after 6 a.m. on a recent Friday, a vehicle is said to have approached a stop sign in a southbound lane. Instead of stopping, however, evidence shows that the driver kept going. Another vehicle driven by a woman who was carrying two children, ages 10 and 4, in her car was navigating the intersection in the eastbound lane. A crash occurred when the driver who failed to stop at the stop sign struck the woman’s vehicle.
It only takes a moment for tragedy to occur
The force of impact with which the southbound vehicle struck the eastbound car caused the driver of the eastbound vehicle to suffer fatal injuries. Police say that the two children survived the collision. Rescuers transported them to a local hospital for treatment. Thankfully, their conditions were not life-threatening.
It is illegal to flee the scene of an accident that resulted in a fatality
Investigators say the driver and a passenger in the vehicle that caused the collision ran away from the scene. In similar cases in Missouri in the past, police have later located drivers who fled the scenes of collisions. Criminal charges were then filed. In a case where someone has lost a loved one because of a reckless driver, an immediate family member of the decedent may file a wrongful death claim against the person deemed responsible.