St. Louis Injury Lawyer Blog

Most St. Louis personal injury attorneys have had auto accident cases involving injuries to pedestrians. These cases are particularly troubling when the pedestrians are children. Earlier today, KSDK news reported that two pedestrian children were struck at a bus stop in Jefferson County while crossing the street to board a school bus.

According to DeSoto, Missouri police, the children were crossing the street to board a school bus when a driver failed to stop for the bus stop sign arm. Missouri law requires that the driver of a vehicle, upon meeting from either direction any school bus which has stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging school children and whose driver has given the signal to stop, shall stop the vehicle before reaching the school bus and shall not proceed until the school bus resumes motion, or until signaled by its driver to proceed. For the text of this Missouri law click here.

The news article mentioned certain mitigating factors such as glare from the sun, but the need for extreme caution around a stopped school bus can never be underestimated. School bus accidents cause serious and devastating injuries and the need for extreme vigilance should always be present.

The latest news reports indicate that at least one of the young pedestrians from this school bus accident was released from the hospital soon after the accident. We can only hope that the second victim of this accident makes a quick hospital exit as well.

2 Children struck at bus stop, KSDK.com, October 5, 2011.

Four students in south St. Louis County were struck by a vehicle while walking in the Bayless School District. According to KMOV in St. Louis, the driver of an SUV lost control of his vehicle on Weber Road and struck the students who were pedestrians on the sidewalk. Four students were treated by EMT personnel before being transported to a local hospital. The St. Louis County police report indicated that no one was seriously injured.

As a Missouri personal injury attorney, it is always troubling to hear about young people injured in car or truck accidents, especially pedestrian accidents. Automobile accidents involving pedestrians can lead to life-changing injuries. Fortunately, no one appears to have sustained serious injuries in this pedestrian accident.

Both the federal government and the State of Missouri have implemented programs to increase safety for pedestrians on our roadways. For more information on Missouri's program to increase pedestrian safety click here.

Car accidents involving injuries to minors (those under 18 years old) also involve special legal consideration in Missouri. Most Missouri personal injury settlements on behalf of minors will require a Missouri court to consider the facts of the case and determine whether a proposed settlement is in the best interest of the minor. Many times a Missouri court will require that any settlement be placed in a restricted bank account for the minor until the minor turns 18. Lawsuits in Missouri to approve minors' personal injury settlements may require the intervention of a Missouri lawyer.

Students Struck on Their Way to School, KMOV.com, March 14, 2011