There is more than one way that a driver could end up on the wrong side of a Missouri roadway. In many cases, a driver will merge onto the highway going the wrong-way. These wrong-way drivers are often driving at or near highway speeds by the time they encounter an unsuspecting vehicle heading in the right direction. Many head-on collisions are caused in this manner.

Sadly, a Missouri family heading out of town for the holidays sometime before 5 a.m. on Christmas morning encountered this scenario. The driver, his wife, his daughter and her husband, along with the younger couple’s 1-year-old child, were in the vehicle. As they traveled eastbound on Interstate 70, they had no idea that a westbound vehicle was heading right toward them on their side of the highway.

The impact caused a substantial amount of damage and killed both drivers. The other four occupants of the eastbound vehicle suffered a variety of injuries. Reports indicate that the older couple’s daughter was the most seriously injured of the four. So far, investigators have not been able to ascertain why the westbound driver was on the wrong side of the roadway.

That information is not necessary for the wife of the deceased victim to file wrongful death and personal injury claims. Her daughter’s family may also file personal injury claims as well. All they are required to prove in civil court is that the other driver’s negligence caused or contributed to the injuries — fatal or otherwise — suffered by the victims in this crash. If successful, they could be awarded damages consistent with awards seen in similar head-on collisions.

Source: stltoday.com, “Wrong-way motorist crashes into family on St. Louis highway, killing himself and other driver“, David Hunn, Dec. 25, 2015