Two young Missouri motorists were killed last night around 7:30 on Highway 54, roughly 6 miles south of Nevada Missouri in a catastrophic car crash.  17 year-old Corey Martin and 15 year-old Emily Debrine were riding in a 1993 Chevy pick-up when there truck was hit head-on by another car attempting to pass.  74 year-old Gale Pelser of Eldridge Missouri was attempting to pass another vehicle when he struck the young teenagers head-on.  Authorities pronounced Martin and Debrine dead at the scene and thus they were transported directly to Ferry's Funeral Home in Nevada Missouri.

This incident makes me sick to my stomach.  Two young lives taken when this incident was likely one that was completly preventable.  The lives of the survivors of both Corey Martin and Emily Debrine will forever be changed, as this Thanksgiving will mark tragedy for them indefinitely.  Attempting to pass on a two-lane highway is dangerous and the utmost care must be exercised in doing so.  Clearly Mr. Pelser failed to exercise the due care required by Missouri law.  I suspect we have all been in a similar situation as these two young kids, where an oncoming car is passing another vehicle and 'cutting it close'.  I personally have been forced to pull off into the shoulder of the highway to avoid potential contact with such a car. 

The surviving families of Martin and Debrine should contact an experienced Missouri Wrongful Death Lawyer to discuss potential civil recovery for the negligence of the other driver.  Missouri State Highway Patrol officers report that Pelser did not have car insurance.  While this certainly presents a potential hurdle to recovery in a civil claim, it doesn't necessarily preclude recovery all together.  Visit the Schultz Legal Group injury victim help center for more information.