One of the terrible elements of a fatal car accident is that of a life cut short. A person heads out to work in the morning, or off to school. And they never come back. There is no goodbye. For their family, there is no preparation, just empty silence and an empty garage stall.

Last week, three residents of Sullivan, Missouri where killed in a head-on collision on Highway 185. They were traveling in a Mazda 626 heading south when a Dodge pickup truck attempted to pass another vehicle, when it struck their Mazda. The driver and two passengers were apparently killed at the car accident scene. The driver of the pickup was flown in serious condition to a local hospital.

The pictures that accompany the story of the two vehicles shows the horrific damage caused by the head-on crash. The entire front of the Mazda is unrecognizable, while the pickup is crumpled from the force of the collision and charred, having caught fire after the crash.

Three families mourn the loss of those killed. The pain of receiving that phone call from the Missouri State Highway Patrol is indescribable. Family and friends, left in shock and disbelief. Numbed by pain. How could it have happened?

They will always ask why the pickup driver tried to pass at that point. Was he distracted? Drunk? Texting on a phone?

Maybe an investigation by the Highway Patrol or during a wrongful death lawsuit will produce more information. The other driver, if he recovers, may never remember what he was doing right before the accident.

Whatever the reason, it is a painful reminder that driving is deadly serious business, and we need to devote all of our attention to that and that alone when we are behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Source: Sullivanjournal.com, “3 Sullivan residents killed in crash,” April 12, 2014