The people of Granby are rightfully proud of their quiet, small community
just 25 miles southeast of Joplin. The quiet was shattered on a recent
Monday morning, however, when a 72-year-old woman walking on Main Street
was struck and killed in a
car accident.
Law enforcement officials said the 22-year-old woman driving a southbound
vehicle fell asleep at the wheel and her car went into the northbound
lane and hit the older woman.
The younger woman had apparently just left work after a night shift.
Drowsydriving.org says on its website that about 60 percent of adult drivers
polled in 2005 admitted that they had driven while drowsy in the past
year. Thirty-seven percent admitted that they had fallen asleep while driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 100,000
motor vehicle accidents per year are caused by fatigued drivers. Those
accidents leave behind a tragic toll, as evidenced by the crash in Granby.
Each year, we lose appoximately 1,500 people in drowsy driving crashes
and more than 70,000 people are injured.
Monetary losses in the wrecks exceed $12 billion annually, the NHTSA estimates.
Interestingly, the driver of the Granby vehicle is in the age group most
at risk for fatigued driving: adults between ages 18 and 29.
Males are more likely than females to drive while they’re tired and
are nearly twice as likely to fall asleep while behind the wheel.
Also from drowsydriving.org: “Shift workers are more likely than
those who work a regular daytime schedule to drive to or from work drowsy…”
Anyone who has lost a loved one or suffered injuries as the result of a
drowsy driver should contact an attorney experienced in helping accident
victims pursue the compensation they deserve.
Source: The Joplin Globe, “Granby woman killed when hit by vehicle,”
Susan Redden, May 21, 2014
