Traveling at 4 a.m. does not guarantee safety on Missouri roadways. A 21-year-old college student who was a passenger in a vehicle suffered fatal injuries when the car was involved in a collision in the wee hours of a recent Friday morning. The crash occurred on I-70 in a westbound lane.
A tractor-trailer was involved in the crash
For reasons still unknown to investigators, the driver reportedly slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer. Officials from the university where the decedent was enrolled issued a statement, stating that the young man was a transfer student from another state who was majoring in political science. He was also enrolled in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.
Reenactment teams often brought in for cases like this
When a fatal collision occurs, investigators do their best to piece together evidence that might explain exactly what or who may have caused the collision in question. Reenactment teams study information and evidence from a crash site, then use it to recreate the incident, which often helps determine whether driver negligence may have been a causal factor. It is not uncommon for cases like this one to lead to litigation.
An immediate family member may seek restitution
Learning that a loved one has been killed in a motor vehicle collision is devastating for a family. Such grief is often intensified upon learning that a particular crash was likely avoidable had it not been for driver negligence. An immediate family member of a deceased accident victim may seek restitution in court by filing a wrongful death claim against the person deemed responsible for the collision.
