When Missouri drivers get in their car to travel or commute, they are taking a risk. No one ever knows when another driver might pull out in front of them or swerve into their lane. Sometimes, there is just not enough time to react, and even defensive driving cannot always keep another driver’s negligence from causing a car accident.

On a recent Friday afternoon in McDonald County, a four-vehicle accident left several injured and one dead. A 16-year-old girl was driving a sedan eastbound on a local roadway. She then made a right turn onto the southbound lane of Business 71. As she did so, she came into the path of another vehicle driven by a 46-year-old male. The man swerved into the northbound lanes to avoid colliding with the sedan but, in turn, hit two northbound SUVs.

The 16-year-old was transported by helicopter to a hospital where she was pronounced dead just over an hour after the accident. Two passengers in her sedan were both injured. The driver and passenger of the second SUV that was struck in the accident also suffered injuries. All four were taken to a nearby hospital via ambulance.

Car accidents can have devastating consequences. In Missouri, victims who are injured in an accident because of the negligence of another driver typically have the right to pursue a civil lawsuit against the individual. If the driver deemed negligent dies in the accident, the injured victims may sue the driver’s estate and/or anyone with an ownership interest in the driver’s vehicle. If, for instance, the car operated by the teenager who apparently caused this accident was owned by her parents, they could also be named as defendants in any civil claims for financial damages pursued as a result of the tragedy.

Source: neoshodailynews.com, “Car accident claims life of Goodman girl, 16“, Aug. 22, 2015