Four dead in three vehicles involved in two crashes not far from Joplin
on one recent Saturday afternoon. The numbers can’t possibly convey
the depth or breadth of the tragedies involved in those fatalities in
those nearly simultaneous motor vehicle accidents.
The crashes took place on Highway 43, just two miles north of Seneca.
The first crash reportedly took place when a 19-year-old Springfield man
driving a Nissan SUV veered across the highway’s center line and
slammed head-on into a Chevrolet Impala driven by a 57-year-old Goodman woman.
She died in the violent crash, as did a 55-year-old Fisk man who was riding
in her car, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
Also dead in the crash were the driver of the SUV and a 24-year-old Springfield
man in the vehicle.
A 39-year-old Goodman man, a passenger in the Impala, was seriously injured
and was transported to a Joplin hospital.
After that initial crash, the SUV struck a Dodge pick-up truck driven by
a 46-year-old Seneca man. He sustained minor injuries.
Law enforcement officials did not describe any possible reasons for the
SUV to have crossed the center line of the road. In many similar cases,
any of a number of factors might be involved in such an accident, including
a drunken driver, distracted driving or speeding. Far too often we see
some of those factors combine in a deadly mix.
For families of
accident fatalities, their grief is sometimes accompanied by unexpected financial burdens
created by the loved one’s death. In those cases, a conversation
with an experienced attorney can help families understand their legal
options and take action if they choose to do so.
Source: Springfield News-Leader,
“Six dead since Friday in three separate accidents,” Steve Pokin, May 4, 2014
