On the way to her own bachelorette party, Missouri woman Collette Moreno was tragically killed in a car accident just moments after her and her friends had taken a “selfie” picture on their phone. A selfie is when you take a photograph of yourself.
As a personal injury attorney, we are always keeping a close eye on auto accidents. This story definitely caught the attention of lawyers throughout the country! It was one of the most interesting auto accident cases that we have seen in recent years.
Moreno was sitting shotgun with her best friend Ashley Theobald while they were on their way to Moreno’s bachelorette party at the Lake of Ozarks. They were listening to Taylor Swift, getting them amped up for the fun filled weekend ahead. They were traveling in a 2013 Chevy Malibu.
Eight minutes before the fatal crash occurred, Moreno who was sitting shotgun took one last selfie with her best friend since 7th grade. After the photo, they then got stuck behind a big truck whose fumes reportedly bothered Moreno who suffered from asthma. After Moreno started coughing, Theobald decided to pass the truck on the two-lane road. Theobald thought she had a clear path as she was approaching a hill.
As Theobald tried to pass, a 1999 Dodge Ram was coming the other way, right at them. Both of the vehicles tried to swerve to avoid one another, but the Ram struck the girls passenger side. Although Theobald and the driver of the Dodge Ram only suffered minor injuries, Moreno however was rushed to the University Hospital in Columbia, where the injuries eventually became too much. Moreno had been wearing a seatbelt.
Theobald says, “I was talking to her. She couldn’t talk back but she was nodding at me. I didn’t know it was as bad as it was because she wasn’t physically super beaten-up.” Theobald will face traffic charges for careless and imprudent driving, although no criminal charges have been filed.
We never expect these kind of things to happen to us. It takes just a few seconds of taking your eyes off of the road, or being distracted by something else, that can turn your whole life upside down. Remember to drive defensively.