I’ve been writing here recently about the issue of guard cables on the Kansas side of Kansas City, which are under consideration after an accident that killed a five-year-old boy and a young man. Now, as a southern Illinois auto accident lawyer, I was interested to read that our neighbors in Illinois are going ahead with median cables on a stretch of Interstate 74 that saw its own fatal accident. According to a May 9 article from the Bloomington Pantagraph, the families of two teenagers who died in a crossover crash in January have succeeded in their push for cables along the interchange between the interstate and County Highway 39. The work will be completed by 2012.
The accident that triggered the push for guard cables killed Michael Honan II and Celene Estes. Honan was driving a pickup along Interstate 74 when he crossed the median, clipped a semi and ran into a school bus carrying the girls’ basketball team from Tremont High School. The accident also injured Briana Estes and Brittany Fair, who were both in the pickup; nine people from the bus were treated at a hospital and released. State troopers said ice on the road contributed to the accident, although Honan also had amphetamines and marijuana in his bloodstream. The campaign got a boost from locals, including friends of the families as well as a woman who lost her father in a crossover accident in the same spot. Local politicians backed it as well.
As a St. Louis car crash attorney, I’m pleased that the campaign for guard cables was successful, although it’s sad that an unnecessary tragedy caused it. After observing Missouri’s experience with guard cables for several years, I believe they are an important safeguard against deadly crossover accidents. Crossovers are especially dangerous because they create head-on crashes, which have a higher death rate than rear-end or sideswipe crashes. That means that even if a driver bounces off a median barrier and hits other cars, the probability of a bad accident is lower. Missouri’s experience has borne this out. In 2010, after our state added guard cables to many roads, we had 7 deaths in crossover accidents. Before their installation in 2003, that number was 53.
At Carey, Danis & Lowe, we represent people from around southern Illinois and Missouri who were seriously injured in car wrecks caused by someone else’s bad decisions. Car crashes are the top cause of death for people ages 3 to 33, and the top cause of accidental death overall. No matter how carefully you drive, however, you are only as safe as the safest driver around you. When someone hurts you or someone you love because of bad decisions, inattention, drunk driving or other negligent choices, our Missouri motor vehicle accident lawyers can help. In a lawsuit, victims can claim fair financial compensation even if the insurance company doesn’t want to pay what it owes. That includes lost wages, the cost of all past and future medical care and compensation for any death in the family or disability.
If your family has been injured by a bad car crash that was no fault of your own, you should call Carey, Danis & Lowe today. For a free, confidential case evaluation, send us an email or call toll-free at 1-877-678-3400.
