No one plans to be the person who gets hurt in a serious collision. Most people think that it will never happen to them or anyone they care about. Unfortunately, crashes happen every day in Missouri, many of which are caused by drunk drivers, speeding drivers and young drivers.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol keeps track of statistics for the state. In the latest reported year, 2014, there were 248 fatal crashes linked to speeding. In those crashes, 276 people were killed that year. It is notable that this was a decrease from the previous 10 years and was the lowest number of fatal crashes in that timeframe.
Fatalities aren’t all there are, though. Personal injury crashes rose that year to 6,911, and 10,080 people were hurt. Those victims may have a range of injuries from minor to acute.
Alcohol is another leading cause of collisions in the state. There were 2,424 alcohol-related crashes resulting in personal injuries in 2014.
Fatal crashes continue to climb in 2020
How is Missouri doing today? News reports haven’t been good. As of June 2020, the state had seen 402 traffic deaths from multiple causes. That was 43 more than in 2019. The spike in 2020 came during the peak of the summer travel season, which could mean that a mixture of tourists to St. Louis and other areas of the state led to the uptick in crashes.
Crash victims deserve the opportunity to seek compensation
Whether that’s a young driver, drunk driver or someone who was distracted by the cellphone, it’s vital that they’re held accountable for their actions. Victims and their families may have the right to a personal injury or wrongful death claim if they are hurt or lose a loved one in a crash with another driver.
People know that what they do can have an impact on others, so they should think more carefully before getting behind the wheel while intoxicated, tired or distracted. Driving is a privilege, and it is one that can be taken away if drivers are not cautious about how they act on the roads.