In the early morning hours of a recent Monday in Missouri, numerous vehicles were traveling along Highway 47. One driver, a 26-year-old woman, decided to pass the vehicle in front of her. The only problem was that she breached a double yellow line to attempt the maneuver, leading to a fatal collision.
The woman had been heading northbound when she switched to the southbound lane to attempt a pass. There was a car heading south in that lane. The woman’s 2006 Toyota Highlander struck the southbound vehicle head-on. She did not survive the forceful impact of the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Driver of the oncoming vehicle also killed
The driver of the southbound vehicle initially survived his injuries when the Highlander struck him head-on. The 67-year-old was transported to a nearby hospital. He was pronounced dead just after 6:30 a.m. Highway 47 was closed to traffic for several hours after the fatal collision while rescue crews and investigators navigated the aftermath.
In cases like this, where a motorist has breached a double yellow line to make an unsafe lane change, a fatal collision that was otherwise preventable may occur. Missouri law allows an immediate family member of a fatally injured victim to seek justice by filing a wrongful death claim in civil court. When the party deemed responsible is killed, a claim may be filed against the decedent’s estate. Wrongful death litigation is stressful, which is why most people prefer to take a backseat in court by asking experienced personal injury attorneys to act on their behalf.
