Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of serious crashes in Missouri and Kansas. When a driver takes their eyes off the road, even for a few seconds, the results can be devastating. At Meyerkord, Russell & Hergott, we regularly represent people injured by distracted drivers. These cases often involve texting while driving, using […]
Summary: Distracted driving causes thousands of crashes each year, and texting is only part of the problem. Many accidents happen when drivers eat, use navigation systems, or reach for objects. Understanding these behaviors can help determine liability after a distracted driving accident. Distracted driving remains a major and persistent safety issue. A distracted driving accident […]
Traffic Fatalities in Missouri: A Growing Concern The Kansas City Star recently published an article about the high number of traffic fatalities in Missouri in 2024. The article cites a statistic from the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety stating that “from January through November 2024, 845 people were killed in Missouri crashes.” As Kansas City […]
We’re currently in the thick of the holiday season. Thanksgiving was last month and Christmas is right around the corner. In Kansas City, the roads are full of students home for the holidays, people taking time off of work, and family members visiting from out of town. To help you navigate the challenges of this […]
Our children are out most precious companions. They are often the people who mean the most to us. We want nothing but the best for them. When they get hurt or killed because of someone else’s negligence, it hurts the most. A recent and horrific semi-truck crash exemplifies this. According to the Kansas City Star, a […]
In a Reddit post from a few months ago, a user posted a dashcam video of a driver looking at his phone. Each time the driver is distracted, the view goes black, representing the driver’s inability to see the road in front of him while looking at his phone. The video, although probably not scientifically accurate, […]
Happy New Year! As is tradition, New Year’s comes with resolutions. In the first half of 2023, there were over 19,000 traffic fatalities in the US. Why not resolve to drive more safely in 2024 and do your part to decrease the chances of a crash? Having been Kansas City personal injury lawyers in the area […]
Senate Bill 398 was recently signed into law in Missouri. The bill, called the “Siddens Bening Hands Free Law”, generally speaking, prohibits drivers from using a mobile device while driving. As a personal injury lawyers handling car crash cases in the Kansas City area for over a decade, Meyerkord, Russell & Hergott would like to explain some of the details of the […]
A common question we get from potential new clients is when should they hire a lawyer to handle their car crash case. If you want a lawyer to handle your claim for compensation after a car crash, then — without a doubt — you should hire one as soon as possible. Here are a few reasons why- […]
In response to the alarming increase in traffic fatalities, the Kansas City Police Department announced it will be stepping up enforcement in high crash areas this weekend. This will no doubt help keep us safe as we drive this weekend. However, if you are one of the hopefully few people who get injured in a […]
An Ohio senator made headlines this week when he was caught Zooming while driving during a committee meeting. He tried to hide the fact he was driving by changing his background to a picture of his office. His ruse was busted by the highly visible seatbelt strapped across his chest and when he looked in his […]
Missouri has a list of jury instructions that contain the most common allegations of negligence in various types of personal injury cases. For car crash cases, the list includes several acts of negligence that a jury can use to decide negligence. Here are some of the most common. 1. Failure to Keep a Careful Lookout. […]
Hyundai released a new advertisement showcasing its lane departure technology by depicting a driver drifting over a lane because she was distracted by her phone. As a personal injury lawyer who handles many distracted driving car crash cases, and as someone who advocates against distracted driving, I wanted to share my perspective on this approach. […]
Summary: In Missouri, careless and imprudent driving generally means operating a vehicle without the careful and prudent manner and highest degree of care required by state law. Missouri drivers must avoid speeds and driving behaviors that endanger another person’s property, life, or safety. What Does Careless and Imprudent Driving Mean in Missouri? Missouri law requires […]
KMBC recently reported that highway traffic deaths are up nearly 20% from last year. The article quotes Sgt. Andy Bell from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, who understandably expresses frustration at the increase. Such a leap in deaths is indeed troubling and Bell believes speeding and lane violations caused by texting and driving are the […]
Key Missouri Traffic Laws That Determine Fault in Car Accident Cases As a Kansas City personal injury lawyer, I vet a lot of potential car crash cases. One of the first things I look into is whether any of Missouri’s rules of the road were broken. Although not an exhaustive list, many of those rules are found […]
The Kansas City Star Editorial Board wrote a piece recently praising an ordinance proposed to ban texting while driving in Kansas City. The board points out, as I did in a recent blog post, that despite the overwhelming evidence of its dangers to our roads, using your phone while driving remains legal in Missouri. What’s more, bills that […]
As I’m writing this, its nasty outside! School was cancelled last night even before a drop of freezing rain came down today. That’s because what the weather brought us today was a sheet of ice. It’s covering everything outside, including our roads (despite our road crews’ best efforts). As a Kansas City personal injury lawyer […]
Happy New Year! Congratulations on making it to 20’s. With the new year and new decade comes the traditional new year’s resolution. This time around, to celebrate the beginning of a new decade, I humbly suggest a resolution that will be easy and will have a huge impact: no phones while driving. Distracted driving is […]
It’s no surprise that teenagers mirror their parents’ driving habits. Whether it’s talking on the phone, texting, or eating while driving, teens are likely to follow suit. However, a study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. reveals that what teens think their parents do behind the wheel has an even […]
Although the dangers of texting while driving have been well documented, a disturbing 77% of adults and 55% of teenagers say they can “easily manage” texting and driving. Unfortunately, even the most coordinated driver is much less adept at multitasking (including texting and driving) than they realize. In the time it takes to send the […]
Although the dangers of texting while driving have been well documented, a disturbing 77% of adults and 55% of teenagers say they can “easily manage” texting and driving. Unfortunately, even the most coordinated driver is much less adept at multitasking (including texting and driving) than they realize. In the time it takes to send the […]
Using technology is second nature to most of us. It’s integrated into every facet of our world, and we appreciate the way it enhances and enriches our lives on a daily basis. It’s so ingrained into our daily routine that it’s almost a guarantee you’ll see the driver next to you glance at their phone; […]
Have you ever answered a phone call while driving? Looked up an address on your phone’s GPS after realizing you were lost? Answered a quick text from a friend on route to your destination? Most people will answer yes to at least one, if not all, of these questions. In fact, nearly 90% of drivers have […]
As a personal injury lawyers in Kansas and Missouri for more than 15 years, we have seen too many cases involving distracted driving — specifically texting and driving. Unfortunately, for more than 40% of texting drivers, they reported texting and driving had become a habit. Drivers also reported feeling a need to stay connected, fear of […]
In January of last year, the Kansas City Star’s editorial board wrote a piece about there being no law prohibiting texting while driving for Missouri drivers over the age of 21. This article is entitled, “Texting while driving can kill. Why is it still allowed on Missouri roads?” It was an excellent article, and I agree with all its […]
Wired magazine published an article recently about patents applied for by Mazda to incentivize attentive driving. It describes a unique approach to the distracted driving problem. Where some car manufacturers are trying to automate driving and take humans out of the equation, the new Mazda tech will encourage humans to drive attentively. The patent spells out several […]
Study Shows Drivers Use Phones On More Than 1/3 of Trips Yet another study was released with some pretty gloomy data on distracted driving. Everqoute, makers of a safe driving app called EverDrive, analyzed data from the app and released it on an online study. The authors concluded that 37% of trips included at least […]
The Kansas City Star reported recently that traffic fatalities spiked last year in the Kansas City region. The article shows that as of the date it was published on December 22, 2017, there were 98 traffic fatalities in the Kansas City area. This number is up 44 percent over the previous year. The article discusses a […]
Meyerkord, Russell & Hergott won a jury verdict for their plaintiff who was rear-ended while sitting at a red stop light. A Kansas City, Kansas jury sided with the plaintiff, represented by Nick Hergott of Meyerkord, Russell & Hergott and co-counsel Brian Russell. The plaintiff, a 30-year old female, was involved in an auto collision […]
The Verge published an article recently about the rise in traffic fatalities caused by people playing the game Pokemon Go. The game is available on smartphones and features elements in real world locations. Players catch pokemon with their phone that are found in actual places. The article suggests that during the height of its popularity, car crashes […]
Distracted driving is an epidemic problem. The nation lost 35,092 people in traffic crashes in 2015 and distracted driving fatalities continue to rise at a greater percentage than those for drunk driving, speeding and failing to wear a seatbelt. The harm it can cause, combined with how widespread it is, presents a serious danger to […]
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving caused 3,477 in 2015 alone. Much of those lives were lost because of mobile phone distraction; texting, emailing, tweeting, or just messing with the phone behind the wheel of a car. To help prevent these deaths, many states have enacted criminal laws to punish and […]
Many people don’t realize that when you get hurt in a car crash, your recovery may not be limited to the negligent driver’s insurance coverage. Generally speaking, the insurance company of the driver responsible for a crash must pay you for your damages up to the negligent driver’s policy limits. But, your own insurance coverage […]
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed several changes to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 5-Star Safety Rating system applied to new vehicles. Car buyers will now be provided with even more information about the safety features of new cars, as the rating system will now use more human-like crash test dummies, adding another […]
Legislation is advancing in the Missouri Senate that would ban texting while driving. The bill would make texting while driving an infraction similar to a speeding ticket in which you would get points on your license. (Click here to read more information about this bill). If passed, this bill could strengthen Missouri car accident cases against negligent […]
I read an interesting article in law journal today about company cell phone use motor vehicle accidents and want to share it with you. But first, a little background. Under a legal theory called respondeat superior, an person’s employer can be responsible for injuries he or she causes to someone else in a motor vehicle […]
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