The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported nine fatalities during the New Year’s Even holiday counting period from 6 p.m. December 31, 2014 to 11:59, Sunday, January 4, 2015. Troopers investigated 344 traffic crashes with 116 injuries. As well, troopers made 90 arrests for driving while intoxicated during the 102-hour counting period.
Comparatively, during a 30-hour counting period in 2014, troopers investigated 116 traffic crashes with 42 injuries and there were no fatalities reported. Last year was a significantly shorter holiday counting period. During the 2014 NYE holiday period, troopers arrested 47 people for driving while intoxicated.
NYE Roadway Fatalities
Five of the nine traffic fatalities occurred in the St Louis area, two in the St. Joseph area and one in Lee’s Summit and one in the Poplar Bluff area.
Two people died on New Year’s Eve: A 54 year-old Columbia man died in a car- pedestrian accident when he was struck by two vehicles as he tried to walk across Stadium just south of Worley in Columbia, MO.
As well, a 20 year-old man was killed when another vehicle violated a red electric signal and struck the vehicle he was driving. The striking vehicle also struck two additional vehicles. The crash occurred at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Chouteau Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis County Police are investigating the crash. The driver of the car that hit the young man fled the scene. In addition, a 16 year-old girl who was a passenger with the deceased was critically injured and taken to Saint Louis University Hospital. The fleeing driver was later arrested and released.
New Year’s Day
A 24 year-old Kansas City, MO man died when the vehicle he was a passenger in the 2004 Toyota Corolla which was headed north on U.S. Highway 169 and traveled off the left side of the roadway. After the driver overcorrected, the vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway, overturned, and came to rest on it’s wheels in a pasture. The young man was pronounced dead at the scene and the crash occurred around 7:45 a.m. in Buchanan County south of St. Joseph, Missouri. The driver of the vehicle was taken to a St. Joseph hospital where his injuries were listed as moderate. According to reports, both were wearing seatbelts.
A 31 year-old Park Hill, MO man died when the vehicle he was driving crossed a low point in the roadway and the undercarriage struck the roadway. The driver then lost control of the vehicle and it traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck an embankment before overturning. The victim was reported as wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred in Ste Genevieve County on Straughn Road north of Missouri Route EE.
A 22 year Troy, MO man and a 20 year old St. Charles, MO man died when the 22 year-old’s 1994 Dodge Ram pickup attempted to pass a second vehicle and then lost control. The vehicle traveled off the left side of the roadway, struck an embankment, and overturned. It was reported that neither of the occupants were wearing their seatbelts and were ejected from the vehicle. The crash occurred on Missouri Route C north of Silvers Road in St. Charles County. The vehicle they were trying to pass wasn’t involved in the crash, according to police. Police also indicated the road was a narrow two-lane highway.
A 61 year-old man was killed in a car crash and another man, age 35 was seriously injured on Saturday. According to a St. Joseph newspaper, the crash occurred at 12th and Church streets around 12:30 a.m. Saturday. According to police, the 61 year-old man and 35 year-old man of St. Joseph were going north on 12th Street in a 2006 Chevrolet Cavalier when the pair failed to stop at a posted stop sign at the intersection. It was not immediately clear who was driving. As the vehicle went through the intersection, a 41 year-year old Kansas City driver struck the Chevy in a 2003 Toyota Matrix. Both the driver and the passenger in the Chevy were ejected from the vehicle and the 61 year old man was pronounced dead at the scene. The 35 year old St Joseph man was transported to Mosaic Life Center with serious injuries. The accident continues to be under investigation.
Two Fatalities on Sunday
A 19 year-old man of Lawson, MO died when the vehicle he was driving crossed the center line, ran off the left side of the road, struck a drain culvert, and overturned. The young man was reported as wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash in Ray County on Missouri Route M north of Clevenger Road
A 26 year old Ste. Genevieve, MO man died when the1999 Ford Escort he was driving failed to negotiate a curve to the right around 12:50 p.m. The vehicle traveled off the left side of the roadway, struck and embankment and overturned. The crash occurred in Ste. Genevieve County on Missouri Route C west of Sprott Road and it was reported he was not wearing a seatbelt.
Missouri Highway Patrol- Recommendations
The superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Colonel Roanld K. Replodgle encourages motorist to adopt an attitude of “safety first” whenever they are behind the wheel. This year, before the NYE holiday, approximately 63 percent of those killed in road fatalities were not wearing a seatbelt. According to MSHP, the chance of being in a traffic crash in your lifetime is virtually 100 percent. In Missouri, one person is killed in a traffic crash every 11.1 hours. A Missouri driver’s chance of being killed in a traffic crash if not wearing a seatbelt is 42 times greater than that of a driver buckled up. Using the lap/shoulder belts cuts your chances of being killed or seriously injured in a crash 45-50 percent. For drivers involved in traffic crashes not killed or injured 97.5 percent were wearing their seat belt at the time of the crash.
No matter how safe you are, you cannot control other drivers and a seat belt does not guarantee that you will not be injured or killed. At The Cagle Law Firm, we represent victims of serious car crashes and we see daily the serious injuries caused by car crashes when victims are properly restrained. There are not guarantees traveling down the roadway, but increase your chances for safety by wearing a seatbelt and properly restraining all of those in your vehicle.
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, more likely than not, you will need legal representation. If you have been injured, the medical bills alone can be staggering. Our attorneys are available seven days a week to answer your questions and give free consultations. Call locally, (314) 276-1681 or toll free (800) 685-3302.
