Nearly every driver in Missouri knows that some days, highway speed limits are more of a suggestion than a rule. Construction, weather and other road conditions can require traffic to slow down or even stop. If a driver becomes impatient or does not conform to the traffic pattern for another reason, it jeopardizes the lives of everyone on the highway. This seems to have contributed to a car vs. truck accident on Interstate 70 that killed a driver and seriously injured his passenger.
Initial reports regarding the crash indicate that the crash occurred on a recent Wednesday at around 4:20 p.m. A vehicle was weaving in and out of Interstate 70’s westbound traffic. As it approached a stopped 18-wheeler, the driver was unable to stop the vehicle in time and slammed into the truck. It ended up coming to a rest underneath the back end of the trailer.
The 46-year-old driver of the car suffered fatal injuries to which he succumbed at the scene. The passenger, an 18-year-old man, suffered serious injuries and was transported to a hospital in the area. The westbound lanes of the interstate did not reopen until about 8 p.m. while officials investigated and cleared the roadway.
The current condition of the passenger injured in this car vs. truck accident is not known. However, it is likely that he is incurring — and will incur — a significant amount of expenses, damages and other monetary losses while he recovers from his injuries. He retains the right to file a personal injury claim against the estate of the deceased driver. If he establishes that negligence led to his injuries, a Missouri court could award him damages.
Source: stltoday.com, “St. Charles driver killed after slamming into back of tractor-trailer on I-70“, Feb. 18, 2016
