FRANKLIN COUNTY, MO – A semi truck accident Friday morning, May 14, 2010, on a Missouri Highway killed one woman and left five others injured. A passenger minivan rear-ended a semi trailer truck on Interstate 44 by the juncture with Highway 100 near Gray Summit in Franklin County, southwest of the St. Louis, MO metropolitan region. The truck accident area is in the far-east central section of the state, 57 miles west of Belleville, Illinois and 213 miles north of Pocahontas, Arkansas.
Shortly after 3:00 p.m. a semi trailer truck was headed east on Interstate 44 in Franklin County, MO. The 18 wheeler rig encountered a highway work construction zone as he approached the juncture with Highway 100, and the truck driver began to brake and slow down his truck.
Following behind the semi trailer truck on the interstate was a Chevrolet Venture minivan driven by 41 year old Dorlis Germain. Five passengers were also in the van, Sandy Germain, 30 years old and her 8 year old child, Andrea Dubic, 74 years old, and 29 years old Marry Anderson and her 8 year old daughter. The driver and the passengers were all from Evansville, IN.
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When the semi trailer truck began to slow down for the construction site, the Chevy van driver, Mr. Germain, reportedly did not realize the 18 wheeler was braking. He was unable to slow down or maneuver to avoid an accident and plowed into the back of the tractor trailer truck.
The impact of the rear-end truck accident crushed the smaller minivan. Local emergency medical personnel responded to the site of the rear-end collision and administered aid to the accident victims. One of the minivan passengers, Ms. Anderson, suffered fatal injuries in the truck accident and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver and the other four passengers in the Chevy van sustained a variety of injuries, ranging in severity from mild to moderate. They were treated and stabilized at the scene of the interstate accident and then transported to St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur, MO.
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The driver of the semi trailer was not injured in the truck accident.
Because of the truck accident Missouri State Police shut down a section of the interstate surrounding the collision site while rescuers helped the crash victims and highway crews removed the wreckage of the minivan.
Accident investigators also reconstructed the rear-end truck accident to determine the cause.
At this point no charges have been brought and the truck accident remains under investigation.
For more information about Missouri trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact nationwide truck accident lawyers Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP for expert advice. For a free initial consultation, talk to a MO truck accident lawyer at 800.773.6770.