Lawmaker using cell phone involved in wreck

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The No. 2 leader in the Missouri House said technology was partly to blame for a two-vehicle accident in which he was involved.

House Speaker Pro Tem Rod Jetton told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he was talking on his cell phone and looking up a phone number on his personal digital assistant when he rear-ended another car last Friday.

"The road curved and I didn't," said Jetton, R-Marble Hill. "I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been."

Jetton said he was on his cell phone trying to reach another lawmaker to talk about budget cuts, which are the focus of a special legislative session called by Gov. Bob Holden.

Collided on U.S. 54

The accident happened on U.S. 54 in Callaway County. Jetton, 35, was eastbound in his 1998 Buick when he drifted from the passing lane into the right lane. His car struck an eastbound 1994 Chevy driven by Melissa Walley, 31, of Centertown.

Walley was treated and released. Jetton was unhurt.

Jetton was given a warning instead of a ticket. The state trooper who worked the accident said the decision was based on factors such as the extent of damage and injury, said patrol Lt. Vernon Dougan.

"It happens every day, whether it's a representative or not," Dougan said. "We leave it to the officer's discretion."

In 2001, Rep. Marsha Campbell, D-Kansas City, proposed a law banning the use of cell phones while driving, but the measure never came to a vote.