Over the long holiday weekend, I found myself reading old articles on the St. Louis Post Dispatch’s website. I came across the one cited below from January of last year. The article discusses a tragic fatal accident on Highway 40 near the 270 interbelt in Missouri. The driver of a tractor trailer ran into a line of 10 cars while going an estimated 75 miles per hour. One of the drivers injured in the accident, a 53 year-old male, came away with a serious brain injury. The man cannot speak or eat. Another man, 55 years-old, was a copier salesman traveling for business. He was in the first car struck by the semi truck driver and died instantly. Two others killed were from the Amish community on their way to a funeral.
Witnesses to this crash have reported that the truck driver admitted to reaching for his cell phone, thereby causing the Missouri car crash. As a St. Louis accident attorney, I know that oftentimes, accidents like this lead to criminal charges being filed against the driver. Truck drivers can become tired from being overworked, running late, or given incentives for arriving early. Sometimes, however, the drivers are simply distracted by their cell phones. This isn’t a problem affecting only semi truck drivers. Drivers of passenger cars frequently use their cell phones to talk or text while driving. Illinois recently passed legistlation making it illegal to text while driving and illegal to talk on a cell phone in a school or construction zone. Missouri, however, even with all of the accidents resulting from cell phone usage, still does not have a “hands free” law. Many residents have expressed a desire for Missouri to enact legislation that would require hands free driving.
Phone distracted driver, report says, stltoday.com, January 13, 2009.