3 hospitalized after alleged drunk driving accident in Illinois

As Illinois drivers are approaching the holiday season, the number of car accidents caused by intoxicated drivers will likely increase. For many individuals, this time of the year is a sad reminder of lives lost or severe injuries suffered in accidents caused by drunk drivers. Police in Rock County reported that three people were injured on a recent Tuesday morning in a suspected drunk driving accident.

A preliminary police report indicates that the collision occurred shortly after midnight in the vicinity of the Quad City International Airport. Apparently, an eastbound pickup truck operated by a 62-year-old man crossed into the westbound traffic lanes. It smashed head-on into an oncoming SUV.

The pickup truck driver and the 49-year-old mother in the SUV suffered critical injuries, and they were both rushed to a hospital by helicopter. The 19-year-old son of the SUV driver was also transported to the hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The sheriff’s office reported that a reconstruction team is part of the investigation into this accident, and although alcohol use is suspected to have played a role, charges are still pending further investigation.

When an Illinois resident suffers injuries in a drunk driving accident, he or she may have a viable claim for financial relief in civil court. For successful litigation of a personal injury claim in a civil court, negligence by another party must be established before the court. If the court then determines that the party sued is financially liable, it will consider a monetary judgment to cover documented financial and non-economic losses that were brought about by the crash.

Source: wqad.com, “Alcohol possible factor in head-on crash in Moline“, Eric Sorensen, Jonathan Ketz, Shellie Nelson, Nov. 10, 2015