Richard Keck Dead, Daniel McGuire Hurt in Madison Co., AR, Accident
Madison County, AR -- February 4, 2017, Richard Keck was killed, Daniel McGuire injured, following an accident where two vehicles crashed on the highway.
The fatal crash occurred around 11:30 p.m. just north of the Madison/Franklin County line.
According to an Arkansas State Police report, 30-year-old Keck was driving a Chevrolet vehicle southbound along Highway 23. His passenger was 32-year-old McGuire. The report claims that their vehicle and a northbound Ford F-650 crossed paths with one another and collided. This collision caused the Chevy to run off the side of the road where it crashed and caught fire.
As a result of the incident, Keck sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. McGuire was transported to Washington Regional Medical Center with unspecified injuries. No additional injuries were reported.
At this time, authorities have yet to suggest what factors led to the crash. They say the incident remains under investigation.
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Commentary
The police report for this case is saying that the Chevy crossed over the center line, leading to the accident. An unfortunate reality of the personal injury and wrongful death world is that this kind of thing is all too common. It certainly is common for people to die in this kind of crash. However, any experienced accident attorney will also tell you that preliminary accident reports aren't always the best source for accurate information.
Preliminary police reports have been known to gloss over important details, miss evidence entirely, or even report facts inaccurately. I've seen plenty of these kinds of reports where a simple typo can change the entire landscape of the accident report. A lot of police investigators out there are very good at their job and ensure accuracy in their reports. However, in general, police are not looking for liability in the sense that personal injury or wrongful death claim requires. They're typically searching for a general fact pattern and any criminal wrongdoing. Beyond that, these reports are often insufficient.
Because of this, I and many other experienced car accident attorneys depend on the use of 3rd Party Investigators. These are professionals with years of experience investigating all kinds of car accidents. In doing so, they ensure that any and all possible factors involved in an accident are thoroughly examined. Facts that a police report may be vague on or simply miss can be brought to light and examined more closely. This article goes more in-depth about the advantages of 3rd Party Investigators.
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After an independent investigation, it may come out that important information was overlooked in the initial report. It might come out that the police report was right all along. My point is not to say that police reports are always inaccurate or misleading; my point is that when someone is hurt or killed, an independent investigation is a valuable resource for ensuring the full story is brought to light. No what ifs, no being left in the dark. Once all of the facts have been uncovered, then the next steps forward toward a resolution can begin.
--Grossman Law Offices
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