Collision between car and scooter sends woman to St. Louis Hospital

PARK HILLS -- An 18-year-old Desloge woman suffered potentially serious injuries when the motor scooter on which she was riding was involved in a collision with a car at noon Wednesday.

Corporal Chad Rasnic of the Park Hills Police Department said Staci Bannister suffered a serious fracture of the leg and other possible serious injuries in the collision. Bannister was taken by ambulance to Mineral Area Regional Medical Center in Farmington and was later transferred to St. Louis Children's Hospital for treatment.

Bannister was riding north on St. Joe Drive and making a left turn onto Strauss Drive when the scooter was struck by a car going south through the intersection. The car was being driven by 79-year-old Frances Covington of Desloge.

Police said that while Covington was shaken up by the accident, she refused medical attention at the scene.

A witness told police Bannister had the green light to make a left turn off St. Joe Drive onto Strauss Drive. Covington told the officer the last she saw the signal light for southbound traffic it was green, but said the sun blinded her and she could not tell if the lights changed.

The witness and Bannister told Rasnic, who investigated the accident, it did not appear that Covington slowed down as she went through the intersection. It also appeared that she did not see the oncoming motor scooter making the left turn.

Lt. Doug Bowles said the helmet Bannister was wearing "probably saved her life."

"And at least it spared her from grave injuries," he said.

An accident reconstruction specialist, Bowles pointed to Bannister's helmet which had a large chip in it. That was evidence enough to him that the helmet functioned just as it was designed to do.

Rasnic said Bannister is a student at Mineral Area College and told him she had just left classes at the campus before the accident occurred.