ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO – A 21-year-old female passenger from Wentzville was killed in a two-vehicle crash on eastbound I-70 on Thursday morning.
According to Missouri State Highway Patrol, 22-year-old Victor C. Russo was traveling east on I-70 in a 1998 Ford Ranger when he made an unsafe lane change. The front of the Ford hit the rear of a 2016 Chevrolet Impala driven by 79-year-old Thomas J. Pichler. This impact caused the Ford to travel off the right side of the road, hit a guardrail, travel back across the interstate, and hit a concrete median. MSHP reports the accident happened west of Highway Z around 11:41 a.m.
Abigail E. Layton, a passenger in the Ford, was ejected from the vehicle. She was not wearing a seat belt. Police report Layton was transported to SSM Health St. Joseph Lake St. Louis where she was pronounced dead at 12:38 p.m.
Russo was not wearing a seat belt, but Pichler was wearing one.
The Ford was totaled and the Chevrolet sustained minor damages.
This article is one in a series presented by OnderLaw to inform our neighbors about car accidents and traffic news across our city. It should not be interpreted as legal advice. However, if you or someone you love has been injured in a car crash, we would like to discuss your case in detail. Depending on the circumstances, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your medical bills, your lost income, and other expenses. More importantly, the only way to prevent unnecessary deaths or fix the root cause of many accidents is to enlist the help of an experienced attorney that has the possibility to effect change and can prevent this from happening to another family. Contact us today to speak to one of our compassionate St. Louis car accident attorneys.
