1 dead, 1 injured in car accident after drinking at local pub

An Illinois officer came upon a crashed passenger vehicle in River Forest in the early morning hours of a recent Friday. The car was abandoned at the scene where it had crashed into a concrete embankment. It was later determined that a second vehicle had transported the injured occupants from the car accident scene.

A preliminary report indicates that the two vehicles were traveling together after the occupants were drinking at a Forest Park pub. After the first car had crashed, the friends in the second car transported one person to a hospital and the other to the home of his family. This victim was reportedly later taken to the hospital.

One of the two injured victims — a 23-year-old man — succumbed to his injuries within hours. The other man was reported to be in an improved condition after undergoing several surgical procedures. Officials said the crash investigation is ongoing, and it was not yet clear which of the two men drove the car at the time of the accident.

In the event of a car accident in which a passenger is injured or killed, the driver may be held accountable if negligence can be established. In this case, it is not clear whether the passenger or the driver was killed. If the driver died, the passenger could pursue compensation by filing a personal injury lawsuit against the driver’s estate in an Illinois civil court. However, if the passenger lost his life, his surviving family members may file a wrongful death claim against the driver.

Source: world.einnews.com, “Man killed, another injured in River Forest crash“, Feb. 19, 2016