{"disclaimer":"This is a summary of public court records and is not legal advice. Missouri slip opinions may be modified or withdrawn; consult the official source.","party":{"slug":"kac-by-and-through-ashley-acosta-next-friend-and-michael-crites-jr","displayName":"K.A.C. by and through, ASHLEY ACOSTA, NEXT FRIEND, and MICHAEL CRITES, JR.","totalCases":1},"cases":[{"caseId":"moappsd:sd38943:2026-01-12","opinionId":"86c3bbfe-b6a8-5c30-96cb-abc609e0ae93","slug":"kac-by-and-through-ashley-acosta-next-friend-and-michael-crites-jr-appell-d38943","caseName":"K.A.C. by and through, ASHLEY ACOSTA, NEXT FRIEND, and MICHAEL CRITES, JR., Appellants\nv.\nMISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL, ET AL., Respondents","caseNumber":"SD38943","court":"moappsd","courtLabel":"Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District","decisionDate":"2026-01-12","year":2026,"display_summary":"Appellants K.A.C. and Michael Crites, Jr. sued the Missouri State Highway Patrol for wrongful death after a pursued driver collided with and killed Connor Crites. The trial court granted summary judgment for MSHP, finding Appellants failed to establish proximate cause. The appellate court affirmed, holding that Appellants did not produce sufficient facts to prove MSHP's actions were the proximate cause of the collision, consistent with Supreme Court precedent that proximate cause cannot be based on speculation in police pursuit cases.","primaryTopic":"negligence","topicSlugs":["negligence","summary-judgment","wrongful-death","governmental-immunity","auto-accident"],"outcomeNorm":"mixed","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=229813","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/kac-by-and-through-ashley-acosta-next-friend-and-michael-crites-jr-appell-d38943","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"personal-injury","label":"Personal Injury","href":"/practice-areas/personal-injury","score":32,"source":"tag","evidence":["tag: personal-injury","topic: negligence"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/personal-injury"},{"slug":"car-accidents","label":"Car Accidents","href":"/practice-areas/car-accidents","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: auto-accident"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/car-accidents"},{"slug":"wrongful-death","label":"Wrongful Death","href":"/practice-areas/wrongful-death","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: wrongful-death"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/wrongful-death"}],"role":"appellant"}]}