Alexias Crider, Children Killed, 1 Injured in Truck Accident in West Plains, MO
West Plains, MO -- May 25, 2022, Alexias Crider and two children were killed, one was hurt, following an accident involving a semi-truck.
According to reports, officials said that the crash happened at around 1:21 p.m. in the area of US Highway 63 and Route 17.
Reports said that 22-year-old Alexias Crider and three children were in a vehicle traveling southbound along US 63. At the intersection, a collision somehow occurred between a semi-truck and an SUV, causing the semi to overturn onto Crider's vehicle.
Due to the collision, Crider and two of the children in the vehicle sustained fatal injuries. A third child was taken from the scene with reportedly critical injuries. It's unclear if anyone else was hurt.
Right now, the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Commentary on Alexias Crider Truck Accident in West Plains
Calling this incident tragic simply can't do it justice. I've been doing this for about 30 years now, and I've helped many families involved in similar situations. It simply does not get any easier. That's why it's important the public understands some of the challenges folks need to prepare for after a deadly truck wreck. Losing loved ones is bad enough; not being able to find out why it happened only makes things worse.
To put it simply, waiting around for authorities may not be the most prudent approach to a deadly truck accident. Officers can be entirely skilled and professional, but they don't always have the tools and experience required for something as complex as a commercial truck wreck. That's how important information slips through the cracks.
Not long ago, for example, I handled truck wreck where a car and a semi crashed at an intersection, and officers just couldn't make heads or tails of it. Once the family brought us on, however, it didn't take long to track down security footage at a nearby business which clearly showed the truck run the red light. Had those steps not been taken, who knows if the facts ever would have seen the light of day.
Maybe authorities here are being more thorough. There could be plenty of witnesses to explain what exactly went wrong here. Did someone run a red light? Was someone on their phone? Was the truck going too fast? Did the SUV make a reckless turn? Do authorities have access to maintenance records and driver histories? What about training documents or safety procedures of the truck driver? What about ECM data from the truck and the SUV? Witness statements alone rarely tell the whole story, which is why a tragedy like this needs to be in the hands of experienced, well-equipped professionals. There's a family out there in need of answers. Who's taking the steps to get them the answers they deserve?
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