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Car Accidents

Recent Posts in Car Accidents Category

  • Parking Lot Accidents Can Be Severe

    In our last couple of blog posts about car accidents , we have looked at who has the right of way in a parking lot and how common parking lot accidents can be . The general conception of these accidents is that they are trivial. However, that is not always the case. Some of them can be quite significant, especially when the victim is elderly or a child. Unfortunately, these victims are likely the ...
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  • How Common are Car Accidents in Parking Lots?

    In a recent blog post, we looked at who has the right of way in a parking lot . This might seem like a trivial topic for personal injury law . However, parking lot car accidents are more common than you might expect, and can be far more devastating than you would think , given the low speeds of the crash. In this post, we will look at how common these accidents are. In our next post about car ...
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  • Car Accident Fatalities Increase 7 Percent

    A new federal study estimates that fatalities from car accidents increased at some of the highest non-lockdown levels in decades earlier this year, with Missouri seeing a higher increase than the national average. The data paints an alarming picture of roadway safety. Study Estimates a 7 Percent Increase in Accident Fatalities This month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ...
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  • Who Has the Right of Way in a Parking Lot?

    Lots of car accidents happen in parking lots in St. Joseph. Some of them can be surprisingly serious , especially when a pedestrian is involved. Understanding who has the right of way in a parking lot is not always easy, but it can help you avoid making a decision that puts others at risk and let you know when someone else can be held liable if you got hit and hurt. The Three Different Areas of a ...
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  • If a Car Accident Involves a Non-Street-Legal Vehicle, What Happens?

    In our last blog post about car accidents , we looked at two important legal issues raised when a car hit an equipment buggy while trying to pass it . Something that we did not cover in that post was just as important, though: What happens when you crash into a vehicle that is not street legal? What Does it Mean to Be “Street Legal”? A motor vehicle is “street legal” if it: Has all of the legally ...
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  • Car Hits Buggy While Trying to Pass

    A victim was seriously hurt in a car accident involving an SUV and an equipment buggy, also known as a side-by-side all-terrain vehicle. The incident raises two important issues in personal injury law and car crashes: The eggshell skull rule, and Liability for crashes caused while passing other vehicles. Car Hits Buggy While Trying to Pass The incident happened on the evening of July 11, 2022. ...
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  • NHTSA Releases Data on Self-Driving Car Accidents

    Recently, there was a huge development in the regulation of self-driving vehicles: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released information about 392 car accidents involving vehicles with driver-assistance technologies over the span of 10 months. While the information is meant to be used to inform the agency about safety trends, NHTSA officials said that there was not enough ...
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  • Older Motorcycle Accident Victims Protected By the Eggshell Skull Rule

    It is motorcycle season in western Missouri. While it is intuitive and well known that car accidents involving motorcycles are more likely to cause serious injuries to the biker than other types of crashes, one contributing factor is often overlooked: The rising age of the average motorcyclist. Motorcycle Accident Injuries Tend to Be Serious Given the lack of protective equipment that bikers have, ...
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  • What are Loss of Consortium Damages in Missouri?

    Something that many accident victims in Missouri are surprised to learn is that their loved ones may also be entitled to compensation in a personal injury claim. Even though the loved one may not have been hurt in the victim’s car accident , he or she may still suffer from it. Personal injury law aims to compensate everyone for the losses they suffered in the accident. This includes the various ...
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  • NHTSA Releases Fatal Car Accident Data from 2021

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its preliminary estimates about fatal car accidents across the country in 2021. On paper, the results do not look good, with a 16-year high in the number of roadway fatalities and a staggering increase from the year prior. But the data is misleading in several years – sometimes extremely misleading. While the numbers are still ...
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  • What Compensation is Available in Personal Injury Cases?

    In our personal injury blog posts, we have talked a lot about the need for victims to get the compensation that they deserve. But what does that mean? What types of compensation is a victim entitled to receive after, say, a car accident ? What Compensation Can Victims Recover? The short answer is that victims are entitled to financial compensation for all of their losses – be they financial, ...
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  • Who Can I Sue After an Intentional Car Crash?

    A New Jersey man has been arrested and charged with numerous crimes after he appeared to deliberately run over a woman after a car accident . Leaving the criminal aspects of the case aside, the incident raises an important issue in personal injury law: Will the victim be able to recover any compensation for her injuries because the “accident” was intentional? Man Appears to Intentionally Run Over ...
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  • Direct Victims Versus Bystanders for Emotional Distress Claims

    In a couple of our blog posts about car accidents in Missouri, we have delved into when victims and bystanders can recover compensation for their emotional distress . Most recently, we looked at a baseball player’s serious car crash , which was witnessed by his wife. That accident touched on an important issue in Missouri’s personal injury law : When someone is a bystander or a direct victim. ...
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  • Baseball Player’s Car Accident Shows How Emotional Distress Claims Can Work

    A recent car accident involving a baseball player highlights an important issue in how Missouri’s personal injury law handles claims for emotional distress . Mets First Baseman Involved in Serious Car Accident The accident happened on March 13 . Pete Alonso , the first baseman for the New York Mets, was going to spring training in Florida when another driver ran a red light and t-boned his pickup ...
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  • If a Medical Condition Causes a Car Crash, Who is Liable?

    A woman was seriously hurt when she fell asleep at the wheel and caused a single-vehicle car accident in northern Missouri. While falling asleep at the wheel due to fatigue is a strong sign of negligence, what if a driver becomes incapacitated because of a medical condition, like a seizure? The personal injury lawyers at the Smith Law Office in St. Joseph, Missouri, explain what can happen. Driver ...
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  • Why is Missouri’s Texting and Driving Law Controversial?

    Missouri’s law against texting and driving is drawing controversy. Unlike the law in most other states, Missouri’s texting and driving statute does not cover other uses of a cell phone in the car, and only applies to people under the age of 21 and to commercial drivers. As a result, the law is nearly impossible to enforce, and does very little to reduce the number of car accidents in the state. ...
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  • Are Unrestrained Drivers Liable for Their Injuries?

    Many multiple-vehicle car accidents in St. Joseph and the rest of Missouri are not the fault of a single driver. Instead, both drivers share some fault for the resulting injuries. We have covered Missouri’s shared fault rules and comparative negligence in the past in our blog, but what happens when the victim in a crash is hurt because he or she was not wearing a seatbelt? Missouri has a statute ...
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  • Does Insurance Cover Hit-and-Run Accidents?

    The suspect of a robbery and a serious hit-and-run car accident in St. Joseph has been taken into custody. The incident raises a question that no one wants to be in a position to ask: Will insurance cover my expenses after a hit-and-run accident? Hit-and-Run Suspect Arrested The incident happened at Menards early in the afternoon of January 25, 2022. Police say that the suspect stole several items ...
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  • What is the Last Clear Chance Rule?

    The last clear chance doctrine is an aspect of personal injury law that Missouri used to have, before it moved from contributory negligence to comparative negligence rules . While Missouri no longer uses the last clear chance doctrine, it is still a great way to see how the law changes to make things fairer. Shared Fault Rules: Contributory and Comparative Negligence In many situations where ...
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  • How Many Car Accidents Happen at Intersections?

    A recent car accident in St. Joseph shows the relative dangers of intersections. It also raises questions about stop light design. Car Crash Sends Four to Hospital The accident happened on December 24, 2021, at the intersection of Highly Street and North 22nd Street in St. Joseph. According to the initial reports , a driver from Iowa failed to stop at a red light and crashed into a local driver in ...
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  • What is Missouri’s Dram Shop Law?

    Two bars in St. Joseph are facing wrongful death lawsuits for overserving a patron who then caused a fatal car accident . The bars may be held liable under Missouri’s dram shop law, which provides an important opportunity for victims to recover the compensation they deserve. Bars Sued for Fatal 2018 DWI Accident Back in 2018, Roger Moe was driving over 100 miles per hour in the wrong direction on ...
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  • Missouri Personal Injury Laws for Emotional Distress

    The harm that people can suffer in car accidents and other personal injury situations are not limited to physical trauma. Victims can suffer mental and emotional injuries, as well. Missouri’s personal injury law recognizes this, and lets victims recover compensation for any emotional distress that was caused by the accident, even if the victim was not directly involved in it. Victims Can Recover ...
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  • Lost Wages of a New Business Owner Under Wrongful Death Law

    A fatal car accident left a local St. Joseph business owner dead. The incident highlights how it can be difficult to determine lost wages under Missouri’s wrongful death law. Single-Vehicle Car Accident Kills St. Joseph Business Owner According to a report by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Joshua Oliver was heading northbound on U.S. Highway 169 in the afternoon of November 14, 2021. About a ...
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  • Are a Negligent Driver’s Passengers Out of Luck?

    A motorcycle accident in St. Joseph left one dead and one seriously hurt. The crash is an example of how passengers can hold drivers liable for their injuries, even if that driver was in the same vehicle as the passenger. Fatal Motorcycle Accident in St. Joseph The accident happened on the I-229 bridge in downtown St. Joseph. According to the initial reports , a motorcyclist with a passenger was ...
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  • 5 Common Causes of Truck Rollover Accidents

    A recent crash in St. Joseph shows that rollovers are a common cause of truck accidents , not just car accidents . Semi-Truck Rolls Over, Shuts Down Highway The accident happened early in the morning on October 13, in the southbound lanes of Interstate 29 near Frederick Avenue . According to the initial reports , construction on the highway had already limited travel to one lane. The truck driver, ...
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