Accident victim dies after three weeks in hospital

Accident victim dies after three weeks in hospital

A 26-year-old woman died in an Illinois hospital about three weeks after she was struck by a cab in Chicago’s North Side. An autopsy indicated that she died from complications due to injuries sustained in the accident. The cab driver was cited for two traffic violations in the incident.

Witnesses reportedly saw the woman run into traffic in North LaSalle around 2 a.m. on Aug. 30. According to authorities, she was hit in the roadway by the northbound cab and then transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she remained until her death on Sept. 19.

Police say the 51-year-old cab driver was given citations for failure to reduce speed to avoid a traffic accident and failure to exercise due care with a pedestrian in the road. In a case like this, where a driver is cited for one or more traffic violations in connection with a crash that kills another person, these traffic citations or criminal convictions may help to establish liability with regard to a wrongful death claim in civil court.

If the family of the victim in such a case chooses to pursue a wrongful death claim, they may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, burial expenses, pain and suffering and other accident-related damages. In a case where the at-fault driver is working for another person or business at the time of the crash, the driver’s employer may also have liability and will often be named as a defendant in the civil complaint.

Source: CBS Chicago, “Woman Dies Three Weeks After Being Hit By Cab“, September 21, 2014