Paul Teague Dead, Dalton Littleton, Rachel Keeling Hurt in Independence Co, AR, Accident
Independence County, AR -- January 3, 2017, Paule Teague was killed, Dalton Littleton and Rachel Keeling injured, due to a head-on car collision.
67-year-old Teague was driving a 1998 Jeep southbound on US Highway 167 at around 3:00 p.m. In the opposite lane was a 2014 Chevy and 2010 Chevy.
As the vehicles crossed paths with each other, Teague's vehicle and the 2010 Chevy somehow made contact with each other. Following this collision, Teague's vehicle crashed head-on with the 2014 Chevy.
Following the accident, Teague had fatal injuries and was eventually pronounced dead. From the 2014 Chevy, 24-year-old Littleton, the driver, and 24-year-old Keeling, the passenger, were both injured. They were taken to White River Medical Center for treatment. No occupants of the 2010 Chevy were injured.
The Arkansas State Police report did not say what factors contributed to the accident. Weather at the time was cloudy but dry.
Investigations are ongoing.
Map of the Area
Commentary
These State Police reports often given a concise rundown of what occurred in an accident, and they are clearly marked as preliminary investigations. Despite this, a lot of people look at them like definitive evidence of what occurred in a crash. While they tend to be pretty reliable, it is more common than you might think for police investigators to make mistakes.
A lot of times, a police report can either leave out crucial details or make mistakes on details that were included. This can happen for a number of reasons. Sometimes the responding officer simply doesn't have much experience with the type or severity of the accident he or she is investigating. This can mean that the officer might not know all of the possible factors which could be involved in the crash. Sometimes there are few witnesses or evidence at the scene is complex or subtle, and the only details the officer can gather are one-sided or incomplete. Other times, the officer might just make a mistake. It's unfortunate, and it certainly doesn't happen all the time, but mistakes can happen.
Due to this, many people find it difficult to seek compensation for their injuries or neglect to even try because a police report either has mistakes, incomplete information, or wrongly puts them or their loved one at fault for an accident. When someone is hurt or killed in an accident, those affected would be served well to seek out an experienced professional to assist them. It's also best to look into conducting an independent investigation beyond just a police report. That way, victims and their families can ensure that all possible factors have been thoroughly examined and no crucial details get overlooked or discounted.
With a thorough investigation, people give themselves the opportunity to either seek compensation or find a sense of closure following an accident. Either way, the path forward requires the full story.
--Grossman Law Offices
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