A sad story about a preventable accident caught my eye as a St. Louis car accident attorney. As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported June 8, two people were injured on Interstate 270 after a flat tire forced one driver to stop on the inside lane of the highway. The Missouri Highway Patrol said Gwinnell Campbell, 36, was stopped in either the far left lane or the median west of Highway 367, standing behind her disabled van. An approaching motorcyclist, 57-year-old James Annable, slowed down when he saw the disturbance, but a pickup truck behind did not, and hit both Annable and Campbell. Both were hospitalized with serious injuries. The Highway Patrol declined to say whether any of the motorists would be cited or criminally charged.
Campbell, of Florissant, was on her way home from a practice session with her rock band, her boyfriend, Bud Voegtlin, told the newspaper. She told Voegtlin that her tire had blown out at highway speeds and she was going to pull over. The Highway Patrol was not sure whether she was in the far left lane or partly in the median of the highway. Annable, of Worden, slowed when he saw the disabled van, but 30-year-old Joseph Burch, of Lexington, Mo., apparently did not see them and hit both people. Voegtlin, whose phone call with Campbell was unexpectedly cut short, went looking for her in his own truck and came across the accident scene. He said Campbell was conscious when he found her at the hospital, but had two broken bones, a dislocated knee and a bruised lung.
As a Missouri personal injury lawyer, I would be interested in knowing whether Campbell stopped in the left lane or the median. Of course, not everyone with a disabled vehicle is lucky enough to be able to get into a median in time. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, drivers have an obligation to stop when they see a collision risk ahead — that’s what Annable did. If the Highway Patrol eventually determines that Burch failed to stop because he wasn’t paying enough attention to the road, he and his auto insurance company could be held legally liable for the injuries to the other motorists. But if Campbell could have done more to get safely out of the road, it could hurt her chances of getting full compensation. And that matters, because the kinds of injuries she and Annable likely have will be expensive.
If you’ve sustained this kind of serious injury because of someone else’s negligence, you should call Carey, Danis & Lowe for help. From offices in Belleville, Ill. and St. Louis, we represent people throughout the region and all of Missouri who were seriously injured through no fault of their own. Cars are a fact of life in St. Louis and much of the Midwest, but in the wrong hands, they can kill or permanently injure people who were just going about their lives. Our southern Illinois pedestrian accident attorneys help people with these kinds of injuries hold the responsible parties legally liable for their injuries and financial costs. In a lawsuit, victims can claim compensation for all of the financial costs of the crash, including past and future medical bills and time away from work, as well as compensation for their injuries, pain and suffering.
Carey, Danis & Lowe offers free, confidential consultations, so you can speak to us about your case at no further risk or obligation. To get in touch, send us a message online or call us toll-free at 1-877-678-3400 today.
