A fatal crash occurred on Edgar Petty Road in Clay County, Missouri, just north of NE 116th Street, on April 13. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office responded shortly after 7 a.m. after a semi driver on Interstate 35 saw a person on the ground on Edgar Petty Road, which runs beside I-35. Deputies found 37-year-old Steven Notari, of Wisconsin, deceased. The sheriff’s office said its investigation determined that a Ford Focus struck Notari and left the area. Months later, Matthew Lavigne, 35, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. He entered a not guilty plea. A criminal charge is an allegation, not a determination of civil responsibility, and the evidence will determine what occurred. What Makes This Incident Different This reported incident involves a pedestrian fatality and an allegation that the driver did not remain at the crash location. When a person is struck outside a vehicle, the physical evidence can be especially important because there may be limited direct accounts of the moments before impact. The reported location also matters. Edgar Petty Road is adjacent to Interstate 35, and the initial report came from a semi driver traveling on the interstate. That may mean investigators must carefully distinguish what a witness observed from I-35 from what happened on Edgar Petty Road itself. The sheriff’s office reported collecting vehicle parts, blood evidence from the vehicle identified by investigators, license-plate-reader images, cellphone data, and surveillance footage from nearby businesses. The reported range of material means the investigation may depend on how multiple sources are evaluated together rather than on any single piece of evidence. Questions Investigators May Examine Investigators may examine conditional questions such as: - What do the vehicle parts recovered at the location indicate about the vehicle involved? - Can license-plate-reader images, cellphone information, and business video help establish a reliable timeline? - What might available video or physical evidence show about the Ford Focus’s movements before and after the collision? - Can the evidence clarify where Notari was located and what occurred on Edgar Petty Road? - What did the semi driver observe from Interstate 35, and how does that observation fit with the other available information? These are questions for the investigation and, if applicable, the legal process. They should not be treated as conclusions about fault. Evidence That May Need to Be Preserved In a fatal pedestrian crash in which authorities report a vehicle left the scene, families and their representatives may need to act promptly to identify and preserve information. Depending on the circumstances, potentially relevant materials may include: - Photographs, measurements, debris documentation, and other scene records - The involved vehicle and records of any inspection, repair, towing, storage, or transfer - Available vehicle parts collected from the roadway - Surveillance video from nearby businesses, including original recordings and retention information - License-plate-reader images and the records describing when and where images were captured - Cellphone data that authorities reported collecting, subject to lawful procedures - Witness accounts, including the account of the semi driver who reported seeing a person on the road - Dispatch recordings, law-enforcement reports, and documentation of the response Some evidence, particularly video and digital information, can be overwritten or become harder to obtain with time. A request to preserve relevant material does not establish that another person is legally responsible; it is a step that can help protect information while the facts are assessed. What Families Should Know A criminal case and a civil wrongful-death claim serve different purposes. Prosecutors decide whether to bring and pursue criminal charges. Separately, Missouri law may allow certain surviving family members to pursue a wrongful-death claim when a death is caused by another party’s conduct. Whether a claim exists, who may bring it, and what damages may be available depend on the facts and the family’s circumstances. Missouri generally provides a three-year deadline for wrongful-death actions, but deadlines can be complicated and should be evaluated promptly by a qualified attorney. Waiting may also make it more difficult to preserve footage, obtain records, or locate witnesses. Families should be careful with insurance communications and should avoid feeling pressured to make decisions before they understand the available evidence and their legal options. They may seek guidance while the criminal matter remains pending; a civil review does not require them to assume the outcome of the criminal case. How Dunk Law Can Help Dunk Law can help families affected by a fatal Missouri pedestrian crash evaluate potential civil wrongful-death issues. Our attorneys can review the reported evidence, work to preserve records that may be time-sensitive, communicate with insurers, and explain how a civil claim may differ from the criminal proceeding. For families facing the loss of a loved one, the immediate focus should be on getting clear answers and protecting their rights. Dunk Law offers a compassionate, fact-focused review of serious crash cases and can discuss the next appropriate steps based on the information available. Related Dunk Law Resources - Wrongful death claims - Catastrophic injury claims - All practice areas This post is based on publicly available news reports and is provided for general information only. It is not legal advice.