5 people were hurt and one person was killed in a multi-car accident on Interstate 44 in Phelps County. The crash occurred in the early evening on April 9th. The incident began when a tractor-trailer operated by Tyler Davis, 33, rear ended a Chevrolet Impala driven by Ms. Jan Fenton, of Maryville, Illinois. Ms. Fenton was pronounced dead at the scene by members of the Phelp’s County coroner’s office. Ms. Fenton’s daughter, Lydia Fenton, was also in the vehicle when it was struck. Lydia Fenton was severely wounded, and was rushed by air transport to University Hospital, in Columbia, where she remains in critical condition.
Ms. Fenton’s vehicle, upon impact, struck the car in front of her causing it to flip end over end. That vehicle, a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox, was totaled and it’s occupants–Mary and Julia Fay of Jamesville, WI–were both rushed to the Phelps County Regional Medical Center by the Phelps County EMS.
Ms. Fay’s vehicle in turn struck a Chevrolet Silverado, operated by Ms. Linda Hagen, also of Wisconsin. Ms. Hagen suffered minor injuries and was transported to Phelps Regional Medical Center.
A death on the highway is always a severely traumatic experience. Missouri maintains a thorough and robust–though complex–system of laws by which those injured in an automobile accident may recover for their pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, and any property damage they may have suffered.
Furthermore, Missouri also allows the immediate family of a person killed in an automobile accident to bring a “wrongful death” claim against the party whose negligence occasioned the loss of life. Such a claim will allow those bringing it to recover compensation for lost wages, lost “society and companionship,” along with other possible claims.
Although we at the law office’s of Kevin J. Roach regularly contend with the results of a traumatic accident, no amount of exposure can ever make the loss of a loved one easier to work through or understand. We wish the survivors of April 9th’s accident a swift, speedy, and thorough recovery.
If you or a loved one have been hurt in an auto accident, consider consulting with the personal injury experts at the law offices of Kevin J. Roach, (866) 519-0085, today.
