The victims and their family in a fatal car accident outside St. Joseph are collecting donations to help their recovery. The need to collect money from others, however, showcases the frequent need for a personal injury attorney after a serious car crash.
Fatal Car Accident Outside St. Joseph
As we covered in our blog earlier, freezing fog caused a fatal car accident just outside of St. Joseph on December 5, 2016. That morning, 17-year-old Cierra Waitt, of Wathena, Kansas, was driving a 2003 Jeep with her two teenage siblings and 11-year-old Kay-Lynn Drinkert in the car, as well. With temperatures at the freezing mark and fog rolling in, the road conditions were terrible. When her car came to the intersection of Randolph Road and U.S. Route 36 in Wathena, these dangerous road conditions caused Waitt to lose control. Her car spun out, coming to a rest on Route 36 directly in the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer.
All three of the Waitts suffered serious injuries in the truck accident. Kay-Lynn Drinkert, however, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
Fundraiser to Benefit Victims of Crash
Since the accident, expenses have piled up for the young victims and their families. Two of the Waitts remain in the hospital more than a week after the accident. The injuries that Cierra suffered were referred to as “disabling” in reports of the accident, suggesting that she would be dealing with her injuries deep into the future.
The Drinkert family, on the other hand, has to deal with funeral expenses for their 11-year-old daughter.
These expenses are significant in both a financial and emotional sense. Now, the community is stepping in to help out. A fundraiser is being held to benefit both of the families and the victims of the crash by covering some of the medical bills and funeral expenses that have accumulated. Donations can be sent to the Riverside High School, Wathena, KS 66080.
Car Accident Attorneys in St. Joseph
It is always refreshing to see a community rally around victims of a serious car accident. However, it is bothering to see victims have to rely on the community’s contributions to cover the costs of medical treatment or a funeral. It means that the unfortunate victims are beset with expenses that they can’t keep up with, even though they were not responsible for their injuries.
This is where personal injury attorneys can help. By representing those who were hurt in a car accident both in and out of court, personal injury attorneys like those at the Smith Law Office fight for your right to receive compensation to cover the cost of your injuries. After all, these are expenses that should be covered by insurance companies or those who were ultimately responsible for the accident. Putting the cost onto innocent victims is unfair.
The attorneys at the Smith Law Office represent clients who have been hurt in car accidents in the St. Joseph area. Contact our law office online or at (816) 875-9373 to get the legal representation you need to get the compensation you deserve.