A 16 year old junior at St. Francis Borgia Regional High School died in a Friday night car accident in Warren County. The young girl, from Washington, Missouri was loved by her fellow students and best known as a soccer player, basketball player, and music lover. Following a high school football game, the Missouri driver went to a friend’s house. When she was late, her father became worried and set out to find her. He traveled down Augusta Bottom Road, knowing it was her usual route home. Unfortunately, her father found tire tracks leaving the gravel road, leading to a pond. Her car was in the water.
Another young individual was killed in a separate accident in Independence, Missouri. The driver was killed early Saturday when the car he was driving veered off the road and hit a tree at Cogan Drive and 28th Terrace Court. The Independence Police Department Traffic Safety Unit reported that there was a passenger in the car – a 21 year old, also from Independence. While the passenger survived the crash, he was taken to the hospital with life threatening injuries. The initial investigation reveals that the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed just prior to crashing into the tree.
Independence, Missouri has been hit hard by tragic automobile accidents recently. Two lives were claimed in separate accidents last week – one was an automobile accident and one was a motorcycle accident. Missouri automobile crashes have claimed the lives of six Independence residents this year.
Automobile accidents can cause significant trauma to the human body and I see this all the time as a St. Louis accident attorney. Automobile manufacturers continue to strive to develop vehicles that can withstand a reasonable amount of force safely. But no matter how sound the vehicle is, the force of any impact can be damaging to the body. While our bodies are built in a way that provides for flexibility, the swift movement inside a vehicle following impact is typically too much for the body to withstand without injury. It is not at all uncommon for accident victims to suffer whiplash, herniated discs, muscle tightness, ligament damage, or broken bones.
St. Francis Borgia student killed in crash, KSDK, October 23, 2010