Burlington Junction, MO — A semi-truck rear-ended a passenger car in Burlington Junction this past Monday (November 9, 2015) after an accident along Highway 136. Injured in the accident were Heather Young, 42 years old, and her daughter, Devan, 8.
The accident happened just east of town, near the intersection with Eagle Road, according to the news reports.
Young had been driving her vehicle (Ford Fusion) east along Highway 136 when she slowed down to make a left-hand turn onto a private drive. As she did, however, her Ford was rear-ended by a semi-truck driven by 51-year-old Stacy Tudor, who apparently didn’t brake in time.
The accident left Heather Young with only slight injuries, but Devan Young was moderately injured. Both were taken to a hospital.
Tudor, on the other hand, wasn’t harmed at all. The police said that they are still investigating and that they haven’t cited Tudor for anything yet. It’s unclear why she didn’t brake in time when Young’s car was turning.
Map of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary:
This accident caught my eye in the news because I’ve handled cases before where truckers have rear-ended other drivers who had slowed down in front of them — either for traffic, to turn, or some other reason. The main question that we always have is, “Why?” Obviously, the trucker wasn’t paying attention, but why?
Well, most truckers are hard-working, diligent folks who do an excellent job of getting from Point A to Point B so business in American can continue as usual. But there are other truckers on the road who have little to no regard for safety and are only trying to get to their destination ASAP to make more money.
I don’t know which type of driver this one was, but I was a little curious, so I did some research. If the news provided the right information, and this isn’t some other person with the same exact name, age, hometown, etc, then it looks like this truck driver may have had a bit of a rough past when it comes to car accidents.
Normally, I don’t think it’s helpful air people’s dirty laundry, so to speak, but this is particularly relevant. It looks like, in 2007, this driver was involved in a wreck that resulted in her being charged with Operating a Motor Vehiel in a Carless and Imprudent Manner (2 counts), Leaving the Scene of an Accident (2 counts), and 2nd Degree Property Damage (2 counts).
Obviously, this wasn’t a hit-and-run accident, but a past history of accidents may indicate what kind of trucker this is — and whether they ought to be on the road or not. I’m not so sure this is the kind of driver that I’d hire, let’s put it that way.
— Grossman Law Offices
