Highway 50 Car Crash Claims Lives of Mother and Daughter in Mid MO

Fatal Crash on Highway 50 Near Lone Jack, Missouri

“Missouri State Highway 50 is a deadly highway”, stated Colin Stosberg of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. So much so, that it is considered one of the most dangerous highways in their troop.  In Monday’s tragic crash, the MSHP said inattention and failure to yield to oncoming traffic were factors in the fatal crash taking the life of a 47 year-old mother and her 8 year-old daughter around 7:30 a.m.

If you’ve driven Highway 50 across mid-Missouri to Kansas City, then you are familiar with the crossings on Hwy 50 and how dangerous it can be.  According to reports, the Blairstown, Missouri mother was attempting to cross the westbound lanes of Highway 50 when she traveled into the path of a Jeep Liberty.  Trooper Stosberg pointed out that traffic on that highway can be traveling between 65-70 miles per hour so it is imperative to look both directions several times to be sure you are clear to proceed.

The two 20 year-old occupants of the Jeep went to the hospital with minor injuries.

Missouri-Home to Four of Nation’s Deadliest Highways

When examining fatal crash data from 2004-2008, the National Highway Safety Administration came up with its ranking of “America’s 100 Deadliest Highways”. In Missouri, Interstate 64 ranked number 17 as the state’s deadliest road with 16 fatal accidents, 17 total fatalities and 1.07 fatal incident per mile.  Interstate 70 was number 42.  In state miles on I-70 are 251.66 and 201 fatal accidents occurred between 2004-2008, totaling 226 fatalities. Also, no surprise, Interstate 44 was listed as number 56 with 290.49 miles in state and 190 fatal incidents for a total of 233 fatalities.

Lastly, number 85 was Interstate 55 covering 210.45 miles resulting in 108 fatal incidents for a total of 124 fatalities. While these number focus on interstates, highways such as Highway 50 don’t generally make the national list but can still very dangerous.

Fatal Crash in the Spring

Sadly, this crash reminds us of the March crash that killed a 15 year old Warrensburg girl at the intersection of Missouri Highway 131 and Highway 50. The fatal crash occurred when she was a passenger in a vehicle and another driver failed to yield and turned in front of the car in which she was riding.  The crash also injured occupants of both vehicles.

MODOT Changes

Rich Shipley, an engineer with the Missouri Department of Transportation said that in 2011, MoDOT made changes to the intersection of 50-Highway and Route Z to make it safer. He said, ” It was a traditional crossover, then they went to what’s called a left turn movement, better visibility, able to make a safer crossing. Highway 50 between Warrensburg and Kansas City has been a particularly deadly highway in the last year.

If Involved in a Serious Missouri Motor Vehicle Crash

If you or a loved one has been involved in a motor vehicle crash, you should seek immediate medical attention and legal representation.  In general, we advise injured persons to not engage in conversations with any insurance company right after they have been injured. For obvious reasons, you should not give statements of any kind while you are taking any medication that may impact your memory or your ability to think clearly.  Typically, those injured do have to take pain medication following a crash and you should not talk about your injuries with any insurance companies. See 5 Mistakes to Avoid After a Car Accident in Missouri

Negotiating with insurance companies can be complex if you have serious injuries.  Hiring a personal injury attorney to represent your interests above those of the insurance companies is looking out for yourself and your family so that you are not left with crippling medical bills. Our attorneys understand how difficult the days and weeks following a car crash can be.

Call us at (314) 276-1681.