The Missouri State Highway Patrol says that a woman driving the wrong way on Highway 21 was involved in a double-fatal accident on Tuesday afternoon in Jefferson County, Missouri. Authorities have not determined why the woman may have been traveling in the wrong direction before the midday fatal collision.

Troopers say that the 82-year-old woman’s Toyota Camry collided with a GMC Sonoma on southbound Highway 21 at around 12:23 Tuesday afternoon. The 82-year-old woman who was traveling in the wrong direction died at the scene. A 25-year-old De Soto, Missouri, man, who had been driving the GMC, was taken to an area hospital where he died a short time later. Authorities say that the man was expecting to join the Jefferson County sheriff’s office to begin a new career, but had not yet started working as a deputy.

Head-on collisions often result in catastrophic or fatal injuries. When a wreck occurs on the highway, the speeds of each vehicle can cause great force, even if both cars are traveling at or below the speed limit.

Wrong-way crashes may suggest that the wrong way driver was negligent. In some cases, additional information may reveal that the driver lost control due to a product failure, or other reason. Discovering the cause of any crash can be important for victims and the families of accident victims.

When a head-on wreck results in both drivers losing their lives, the grief to each of the families can be profound. If a driver who is at-fault in an accident succumbs to injuries, the family of the non-negligent driver may still be able to seek justice for the accident from the estate of the deceased driver.

Car accident stories involving serious injury or death are frequently heartbreaking. But, our civil court system understands that the family of an innocent driver who is killed in an accident should be entitled to seek justice if the negligence of another driver caused the car accident.



Source: KSDK, “Two killed in head-on accident identified,” Brandie Piper, March 25, 2014