A 15-year-old girl driving a car on Interstate 70 without any adult supervision was involved in a wreck that injured her and three other children last Wednesday, May 8, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Now investigators and prosecutors will have to determine whether the teen or her parents will face criminal charges for the crash that left one passenger seriously injured.
According to the patrol’s crash report, Chassiddy Allen, 15, St. Louis, was driving a 2000 Dodge Neon eastbound on I-70 when she lost control. The car traveled off the left side of the roadway, struck the median cable and overturned. The accident was reported around 11:10 p.m. at the 195-mile marker.
Allen sustained minor injuries in the crash. She was transported by ambulance to St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis, along with two male passengers in the car, ages 8 and 10.
A third passenger, identified as a 5-year-old boy, had serious injuries and was airlifted to St. Louis Children’s Hospital. An update on his status was not immediately known.
The patrol did not know if any of the four occupants, all from St. Louis, were wearing seat belts.
Sgt. Al Nothum, of the highway patrol, said Allen’s parents were driving a second car that was following hers. They were returning home after traveling to Jefferson City to pick up a second vehicle. The parents then allowed Allen to drive one of the vehicles home.
Prior to the accident, Nothum said dispatchers had received complaints about Allen driving recklessly. It was not known why the three children were riding in Allen’s car and not in the car driven by the adults, Nothum said.
Allen had a learner’s permit, but should not have been driving since a parent, grandparent or legal guardian with a valid driver’s license was not present in the car, according to Nothum. He confirmed that a male adult in the vehicle following Allen’s did not have a valid driver’s license.
He added the crash report will be forwarded to Prosecutor Mike Wright to determine whether any tickets should be issued to the teenage driver or whether charges should be filed against her parents.
On Monday afternoon, Wright said no reports had been submitted for his review.
“I’m aware of the situation, but haven’t received any information from the highway patrol,” Wright told The Record.
