On a recent Saturday evening at about 9:30 p.m., the sheriff’s department of Shelby, fire departments, ambulance services and medical rescue helicopters responded to the scene of a tragic accident on Mo. 168. A 15-year-old boy lost his life in the crash. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says this was one of many fatal motor vehicle accidents that have claimed the lives of 22 people in the Troop B area so far this year.

According to the crash report, four teens — ages 14, 15, 16 and 17 — were traveling on the highway. The reasons for the 17-year-old boy who was driving the vehicle to lose control are yet to be determined. After running off the roadway, he apparently overcorrected. This caused the car to roll over several times before it came to a halt in a field.

All four occupants were reportedly ejected in the crash. The 15-year-old Shelbyville boy was fatally injured, and his death was pronounced at the accident scene. The driver was taken to a regional hospital by ambulance, and the other two boys were both airlifted to a hospital in Columbia. The severity of the injuries to the three boys is not known.

Losing teenage children in fatal motor vehicle accidents will always be particularly traumatizing because the victims are commonly groups of friends traveling together. The parents of the deceased victim may pursue financial relief by filing a wrongful death claim against the driver and the owner of the vehicle. Similarly, personal injury claims may be filed in a Missouri civil court by the boys who were injured in this crash. Recovery of end-of-life and/or medical expenses, other financial losses and emotional damages may be included, as appropriate, in documented claims that will be adjudicated once negligence has been established.

Source: whig.com, “One teen killed, three others injured in Shelby County accident“, Ashley Szatala, Sept. 26, 2016