Over a year ago a St. Louis mother pulled over at a gas station to fill her vehicle as she had done hundreds of times before. When she pulled in front of the filling pumps she was careful to follow safety procedures that would prevent injury to herself and others. What she could not predict was the reckless actions of another person resulting in a fatal car accident that claimed her life.

On that September evening in 2010, while the mother was standing beside her car, a 2004 Mazda Tribute left the roadway and barreled towards the station. The vehicle collided with a barrier pole and then continued, striking the woman where she stood.

Emergency vehicles arrived to transport the woman to the hospital where she later died as a result of the injuries sustained when she was hit by the vehicle. The 38-year-old mother left behind a loving husband and two toddler daughters.

After the accident, St. Louis police began an investigation into the cause of the accident and charged the 28-year-old man this week with first-degree involuntary manslaughter. The victim's husband also gathered information during investigation for a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the driver.

During the investigations, it was determined that the driver had been high at the time of the crash. A Freon tank was found in the vehicle and police concluded that the driver was high off of oxycodone, marijuana and Freon at the time of the crash. Witnesses reported seeing the driver on his cellphone immediately prior to the crash, but those claims have yet to be officially substantiated.

Source: St. Louis Today, "Police: Driver high before crash that killed St. Louis mother," Jennifer Mann, Jan. 23, 2012