Personal Injury Law

Four-car crash seriously injures two in St. Louis

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Steven Messenger, 31, and Matthew Alexander, 18, were both seriously injured Monday after being involved in a four-car injury crash on I-55 near Reavis Barracks Road.

The accident began when Juanita Roberson, 43, attempted to change lanes on the highway in her 1998 Oldsmobile Bravada. As she did so, she crossed behind Messenger?s 2001 Chevrolet Blazer and rear-ended his vehicle. Messenger?s car was forced into a 2005 Dodge Ram, driven by Jeffrey Orf, 28, that was just in front of him. The chain reaction continued as Orf was unable to avoid crashing into Alexander?s 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix.

Messenger and Alexander were the only two that suffered any injury according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Their injuries were listed as serious, however, and both were rushed to local hospitals for treatment.

Those involved would be wise to contact a St. Louis injury accident lawyer as soon as possible. This could be a complicated case since there were multiple collisions and injuries in different vehicles. Often in chain reaction type accidents like these, each driver is responsible for the damages to the vehicle in front of him that he hit. This is due to the rear end collision doctrine. A personal injury attorney would need only to prove that the doctrine applies. There may be extenuating circumstances not detailed in the initial crash report, however, and that is why the case should be thoroughly investigated by a legal professional as soon as possible.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on August 10, 2009 (boomark / email).