Personal Injury Law

Rear-end collision injures three in Jefferson County

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Three people were injured in a Tuesday evening Missouri car accident on Highway 21 in Jefferson County, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol.

The accident occurred around 6:15 when Joey Holmes, 47, slowed his northbound 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee to turn into a private driveway. Behind Holmes was Darrell Hasty, 26, who was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Aveo northbound on Highway 21 as well. Hasty failed to see Holmes' Jeep slowing down and was unable to avoid smashing into the back of the Jeep.

Holmes was injured and taken to Jefferson Regional Medical Center for treatment. Hasty and a passenger in his car, Hayden Hasty, 2, were also injured and taken to Jefferson Regional.

The initial crash report did not give a reason why Hasty failed to see Holmes' Jeep slowing down.

Unless further investigation reveals extenuating circumstances in this Missouri rear-end collision injury accident, the case would probably fall under the rear impact collision doctrine which states that negligence is assumed on the part of the at-fault driver in all accidents of this type. The rationale behind this rule is that all drivers should be in control of where their vehicles are heading and leave plenty of space between themselves and the car ahead of them. That way if there is a sudden stop or turn, the rear driver will have time to avoid an accident.

While these types of cases may seem pretty straight forward, there may be complications not readily apparent, especially once insurance companies get involved. To ensure that your rights as an accident victim are upheld, it is usually a good idea to contact a St. Louis based personal injury lawyer for a consultation after any injury. Often they will provide the consultation for free with no obligation to hire.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on March 23, 2010 (boomark / email).