On the afternoon of Sunday, December 25, there was a single vehicle crash in Boone County which left four people injured, two seriously.

According to authorities the accident happened on the Interstate 70 near the Rocheport exit when 31 year old Kelly Garrett of Kansas City was driving eastbound in a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer.

For reasons as yet unknown, the vehicle left the roadway, overturned and then ejected two of the occupants – Garret and 10 year old Sanazjia Kelly, neither of whom were wearing seat belts. They were both taken to the University of Missouri Hospital in a serious condition.

The two other passengers in the vehicle were 11 year old Savaghan Kelly and 12 year old Savannah Odoms. They were also moderately injured and were transported to the same hospital.

The accident is still under investigation.

To learn more about your rights and potential compensation after an accident, please call the Springfield accident attorneys of Protzman Law Firm, at 816.421.5100 or contact us online right away to schedule your free consultation.

On Sunday night, October 16, a woman was fatally shot to death in a road rage incident.

According to authorities, Whitney Gray, aged 22 went shopping at a grocery store at 23rd Street and Sterling Avenue and then drove north out of the parking lot being followed by an minivan at high speed. The SUV continued to drive very closely to her and then the two stopped side by side at a traffic signal at Winner Road.

Then according to witnesses a drink was thrown from the minivan window onto the SUV followed by a loud pop. Both vehicles then traveled north on Sterling and the minivan eventually stopped in the 1600 block of Sterling Avenue as the SUV continued north. When police arrived they found Gray had been shot in the chest and she died at the scene, while her 3 passengers, a 16 year old girl, 3 year old boy and 16 month old boy were uninjured.

Following investigations, the police arrested 39 year old Christopher P. Taylor of Independence and he was charged with second degree murder

To learn more about your rights and potential compensation after an accident, please call the Springfield accident attorneys of Protzman Law Firm, at 816.421.5100 or contact us online right away to schedule your free consultation.

When you have been in a crash in Kansas City there are several things you have to do according to Missouri Laws.

You must never leave the scene of an accident as it is a criminal act in Missouri and if someone was badly hurt it may be a felony. You should call 911 for assistance and warn other road users by using flares or a warning triangle and put the car’s hazard lights on if possible.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says if your car is moveable you should “Steer it and clear it” which is also the law throughout the state.

Once the scene is organized you should exchange all of the information necessary with other drivers, passengers and any witnesses and it is helpful to use a special Motorist Information Exchange Card, which is issued by MoDOT.

Never admit liability as that is for the insurance companies to sort out and try to be polite to all involved.

Remember Missouri Law says you must inform the police immediately if anyone is hurt or if the damage to property is more than $500. If for any reason the police cannot attend then you must write your own report and submit it to the Traffic Investigation Department within five days. In addition in Missouri, if one of the drivers was uninsured and the accident caused more than $500 of damage you must report the uninsured driver within 30 days to the Department of Revenue.

To learn more about your rights and potential compensation after an accident, please call the Springfield accident attorneys of Protzman Law Firm, at 816.421.5100 or contact us online right away to schedule your free consultation.

On Monday, August 22, a crash involving failure to yield claimed the lives of a mother and daughter.

According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, the accident happened around 7.30 a.m. on Mo. 50 Highway near Lone Jack. The highway is known as one of the deadliest n the state.

Alicia McGinnis, aged 47 of Blairstown was trying to cross the westbound lanes of the highway when she drove into the path of a Jeep Liberty. Both she and her 8 year old daughter, Kacee McGinnis both died at the scene. The two occupants of the Jeep were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Police went on to say that not only did Alicia fail to yield but she was also not paying attention and said that when motorists try to cross a highway, given the speed of the vehicles on the highway it is very important to look several times in both directions.

Highway 50 has had several fatal accidents over the years with drivers failing to yield and in March this year, only 4 miles west of this accident, 14 year old Shirley Tran was killed when an inattentive driver pulled out in front of the car she was a passenger in.

To learn more about your rights and potential compensation after an accident, please call the Springfield accident attorneys of Protzman Law Firm, at 816.421.5100 or contact us online right away to schedule your free consultation.

On Wednesday, April 27 there was chaos when a woman lost control of her car and hit a power pole.

According to witnesses the accident happened near 92nd and Askew and the woman was driving exceedingly fast, at more than 80 mph. She hit a power pole and her car flew into the air and hit a tree. The woman was suspended in her car in the tree and neighbors rushed to help her. One was a nurse who made sure that her neck was stabilized so that there was no more trauma in case of head injury.

Kansas City Power and Light crews showed up to cut power before the car could be towed. The woman was taken to hospital in critical condition but was alert when transferred.

Police do not know what caused the woman to be driving at such a high rate of speed but witnesses say a man believed to be her boyfriend showed up and started yelling at her right after the crash. They say he shouted obscenities at her and had to be corralled by others so the victim could be kept calm.

To learn more about your rights and potential compensation after an accident, please call the Springfield accident attorneys of Protzman Law Firm, at 816.421.5100 or contact us online right away to schedule your free consultation.

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), 80% of motor vehicle accidents involve some form of distracted driving. Texting while driving is getting a lot of media attention right now, as it should, but anything that takes your eyes or mind off the road can lead to a deadly accident. In order to prove that a distracted driver caused you accident, you need the help of experienced Springfield accident attorneys.

Distractions

Device use, including texting, is by far one of the most dangerous distractions. Studies have found that texting while driving is more dangerous than drunk driving, but laws and public perception haven’t caught up to the science.

Old school distractions may not carry the statistical punch, but they still cause serious and fatal accidents. Any type of distraction is negligence. Examples of the types of distractions that lead to motor vehicle accidents include:

• Texting
• Talking on the phone, even hands-free
• Watching videos
• Posting to social media
• Taking selfies
• GPS use
• Talking to passengers
• Eating or drinking
• Changing the stereo
• Adjusting climate control and other vehicle settings
• Personal grooming such as shaving or applying makeup
• Reading maps
• Tending to children
• Reaching for objects on the floor or in the backseat
• Rubbernecking
• Daydreaming

Proving Distraction

Technology has created new distractions, but it has also created new ways to discover and prove that distraction was involved in causing an accident. Our experienced Springfield accident attorneys will thoroughly investigate to uncover evidence of distraction such as:

• Phone records
• Surveillance video
• Pictures and videos taken by witnesses
• Pictures and videos taken by the at-fault driver and posted on social media

To learn more about your rights and potential compensation after an accident, please call the Springfield accident attorneys of Protzman Law Firm, at 816.421.5100 or contact us online right away to schedule your free consultation.