A fatal wreck in St. Louis, Missouri claimed the life of a 29-year-old man on a motorcycle after a truck swerved off course and into his vehicle. The wreck is being investigated by the police, but it appears that negligence played a role in the crash. According to the police, the 53-year-old that was driving the pickup that slammed into the motorcycle “attempted to avoid stopped traffic” and crossed over into oncoming traffic. During this maneuver, the 53-year-old hit the 29-year-old, resulting in the fatal accident.
There are few other details available about the crash, but it appears that the 53-year-old simply made an irresponsible and dangerous decision that resulted in the loss of a life. A wrongful death lawsuit could certainly be filed in the coming weeks or months because of this accident.
There are enough motor vehicle accidents out there that happen because they truly are “accidents.” We don’t need to be causing more accidents by negligent, reckless or otherwise lamentable behavior. And yet, sadly, wrecks like this will just keep happening. It doesn’t matter that a motorcycle was involved, per se. What does matter is that the circumstances of this wreck are not uncommon. Too many people die because of terrible driving.
Holding poor drivers accountable for their actions is one thing, but everyone needs to take a step back and think about the simple behaviors we can curb or eliminate to prevent accidents. Staying focused on the road, putting the cellphone away and driving in an appropriate manner are three easy ways to cut back on such wrecks.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Wentzville motorcyclist killed in Lake Saint Louis accident,” Valerie Schremp Hahn, Aug. 1, 2014