Two people are dead and six were hospitalized early Sunday morning as a result of a rear-end collision that happened on westbound 270 in St. Louis County.  20-year-old Patrick D. Walsh (St. Charles) was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck on I-270 at approximately 1:00 AM Sunday when he collided with the rear of a Chevrolet Tahoe in front of him being driven by 36-year old Nicole Stanner (O'Fallon).  The impact of the large vehicles at a the high interstate level of speed caused the Tahoe to roll multiple times, eventually traveling off of the roadway.  As a St. Louis county car accident lawyer, this story will continue to unfold as the major crash investigation team reviews forensic evidence. 

Ms. Stanner had 6 passengers in her vehicle: Michael McLemore (37, O'Fallon), Kevin Leahy (48, St. Charles), Judy Hart (38, St. Charles), John Hart (37, St. Charles), Kenneth Frederick (38, St. Charles), and Steven Brueggen (38, Florissant).  Michael McLemore and Steven Brueggen were pronounced dead at the scene.  Nicole Stanner and passengers Kevin Leahy and Judy Hart were rushed to St. John's Hospital for their injuries; passengers John Hart and Kenneth Frederick were taken by ambulance to Depaul Hospital. At fault driver Patrick Walsh was taken to Christian Northwest Hospital by members of the Ferguson Police Department.  Walsh allegedly exhibited signs of intoxication at the crash scene and was subsequently arrested on multiple charges.

The current medical condition of the injured parties remains unknown, though a lengthy and difficult recovery can be expected for each individual involved.  Physical, mental, and emotional trauma will be a devastating effect on everyone involved.  The sheer negligence of Mr. Walsh caused the loss of 2 lives and overwhelming damage to the lives of countless others.  Mr. Walsh carelessly chose to consume alcohol and operate a motor vehicle.  In addition, Walsh took his vehicle to a busy interstate, traveled at a high rate of speed, and recklessly crashed in to the rear of another motorist in front of him.  He violated several of Missouri's driving laws in a matter of minutes.  The men and women that sustained injury as a result of Walsh's poor decisions are faced with physical, emotional, and economical damages to their previous lifestyle. 

The surviving family members and friends of the two fatalities are undoubtedly experiencing a great deal of emotion as a result of this crash. Experienced St. Louis attorneys have handled multi-situational motor vehicle crashes such as this in the past.  Vehicles carrying a number of occupants are most likely going to face a variety of injury and levels of medical treatment - both short and long term.  Regardless, all individuals involved are entitled to the same degree of compensation from an at-fault party. 

Our St. Louis injury and wrongful death attorneys are veterans at handling such claims to obtain the best possible outcome for everyone involved.  Take advantage of a free consultation option to speak with an accident injury lawyer regarding your case.  Asking your lawyer about his experience in handling complex injury cases is important, as well as obtaining answers to all of your questions and concerns.

Our Eureka Missouri Semi-Truck Accident Lawyers are following a story unfolding in St. Louis this afternoon.  Authorities closed the westbound lanes of I-44 in Eureka as three semi-trucks and numerous passenger cars were involved in the pileup.  We do not have reports of any serious injuries as of yet, but that does not mean folks were not injured in the accident.  Electronic safety signs on the westbound lanes of I-44 before Antire Road were urging motorists to find alternate routes of travel and avoid the crash scene as evidence was being collected.

Tractor-trailer accidents are unbelievably complex and involve aspects of personal injury law that most Missouri lawyers are just not qualified to handle.  From the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to Missouri laws involving commercial motor carriers, the laws and regulations that govern the trucking industry are so detailed and voluminous that most attorneys just avoid them entirely, even when the fate of a client's truck accident injury lawsuit is in the balance. 

The first thing that a trucking company will do when it is notified that one of its drivers has been involved in a semi-truck accident is notify its liability insurance carrier.  The insurance carrier will then immediately dispatch a insurance defense crash investigation team to the scene.  The job of the immediate response team is to secure evidence interview witnesses, and immediately begin the process of 'circling the wagons' in defense of any injury claim or lawsuit that is filed by a innocent victim of the crash.  Our Missouri truck accident injury lawyers have seen this happen on many, many occasions.

The worst thing a truck accident injury victim can do is wait to contact an attorney.  Why?  Because if a lawyer does not work immediately to keep evidence from being tampered with or destroyed by the defense insurance company, then the potential for a successful resolution to a personal injury claim is compromised.  Evidence like truck driver log books, which can prove evidence of a tired and fatigued truck driver, will be lost, altered, or destroyed by an insurance company unless your lawyer files for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to preserve these vital bits of forensic evidence.

If you are involved in an accident with an 18-wheeler (commercial motor vehicle), contact an experienced Missouri semi-truck injury lawyer immediately by calling (866) 840-3636. 

 

Folks injured in automobile accidents, by defective products, or at work have a right to fair compensation if someone else is legally responsible for causing those injuries.  That is where the role of a Missouri injury lawyer comes into play.  A lawyer can help maximize your compensation from a claim by providing a variety of services, which include 1) help obtaining the best medical treatment possible, even if you do not have health insurance 2) investigating and discovering all forms of compensation and insurance applicable to your injury 3) maintaining your right of privacy from probing insurance questions, and 4) negotiating an injury settlement that is satisfactory to your case.

Medical treatment is one of the most important aspects of any injury claim.  And breaking that down further into two components, 1) quality and 2) timeframe.  If you don't obtain the right type of treatment it can be just as damaging to your case as not getting treatment at all.  So if you have a spine injury, go see an orthopedist or neurologist that specializes in spine trauma.  Just like the law, medicine is broken into many, many specialties.  Second, getting the right treatment in the right timeframe is critical.  If you wait too long to get medical care, or have long "gaps in treatment" the insurance adjuster will likely lowball your case or deny it all together.  A personal injury lawyer can offer more advice on this important aspect of your case.

Investigating and discovering all insurance policies that apply your case is vital to maximizing settlement value.  Claims adjusters do their best to conceal available coverage, or mislead as to the 'policy limits' available to compensate an injury victim.  An injury attorney ends these games and ascertains all available insurance coverage, and determines what applies and what doesn't.  Sometimes insurance can be "stacked" to provide even additional compensation.  This aspect of the law is evolving in Missouri and predominantly determined by caselaw and policy language. 

Insurance companies love to uncover all your prior medical history, even if it bears no relevance to the case at hand.  They do this through the use of unrestricted medical record release authorizations that they will demand that you sign in order to present a claim for injury.  An accident injury lawyer would never permit this type of invasion of privacy to take place.   Prior health history can devalue your claim and ultimately lead to poor compensation when it comes time to negotiation of a settlement.  Rely on your lawyer to present only the evidence necessary to prevail in your accident injury claim, nothing more.  For more information, contact Missouri injury lawyer Stephen Schultz.  Mr. Schultz is AV-Rated and a Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Missouri for the 4th consecutive year.  He can be reached at (866) 840-3636 or locally at (314) 448-0934