5 killed in 2 accidents in Illinois

5 killed in 2 accidents in Illinois

Two accidents that took place within minutes of each other on Interstate 55 on July 21 resulted in the death of 5 people and inflicted injuries to 5 others. Both accidents involved semi-trucks.

The first accident happened at about 2:17 p.m. near Elwood just south of Arsenal Road when a semi-truck struck into three other vehicles that were stopped in traffic due to construction. The semi-truck, witnesses report, was traveling at a high rate of speed on the left lane at the time of incident. The driver made a sudden lane change, crashed into the back of one of the vehicles and pushed all three together. Reports suggest that some of the vehicles were unrecognizable after the collision. Four people, including a minor, were killed in the accident. Four others were taken to the hospital for treatment. The 51-year-old male driver of the semi-truck was taken into custody and is facing felony logbook violation charges. He also underwent mandatory blood and urine testing for drugs and alcohol.

In the second accident, which took place at 2:33 p.m. at U.S. Route 6 about three miles south of the first accident, one semi-truck rear-ended another semi-truck. Both drivers were injured in the collision and taken to the hospital for treatment. One of the drivers, a 41-year-old man, succumbed to his injuries. Though not all the details are known for both of these cases, they are both instances where relatives of the deceased victims might consider filing a wrongful death claims.

In fatal accidents such as these, the court would need to decide if the defendant was liable and negligent. If this occurs, the plaintiffs might be awarded compensation for damages stemming from the incident in question.

Source: Chicago Tribune, “Girl, 11, among 5 dead in I-55 wrecks“, Rosemary Regina Sobol, Michelle Manchir and Adam S, July 22, 2014