Every city and county in Missouri has its own political structure with elected officials such as mayors, city council members and county commissioners. Like everyone else in the communities they serve, these elected officials also travel the state’s roadways. Of course, they are as much at risk of being the victims of head-on collisions as others on the road are.
Sadly, this was the fate of one mayor of a city here in Missouri. The 67-year-old man — who was serving his first term as mayor — was on Route E heading east shortly after 7 a.m. on a recent Friday morning. At the same time, another vehicle was traveling west toward his vehicle. For some reason, the westbound vehicle abruptly veered into the opposing lane of travel.
The Silex mayor did not have time to avoid the resulting head-on collision. Emergency medical personnel rushed him to a hospital in the area. Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe, and he succumbed to them less than two hours later.
His passenger, a 71-year-old woman, suffered serious injuries. The 17-year-old driver of the westbound vehicle also suffered serious injuries. Both were transported to hospitals for treatment, but there was no word on their current conditions at last report.
It is not yet known whether any charges will be filed against the teenage driver in connection with the accident. However, a wrongful death claim from the mayor’s surviving family members and a personal injury claim from the injured passenger could be forthcoming. Establishing that the teenager’s negligence led to the injuries — fatal or otherwise — suffered by the victims could lead to monetary judgments for damages often awarded in claims involving head-on collisions.
Source: ksdk.com, “Silex mayor killed in two-car accident”, Sam Clancy, Nov. 27, 2015
