A closer look at an Illinois highway crash
If you drive south of Edwardsville for about 100 miles, you will come to the small town of De Soto which sits just north of Carbondale. The village was recently the site of a violent, head-on motor vehicle crash on U.S. 51.
A man was killed Monday morning after his southbound vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic and slammed head-on into a northbound vehicle, law enforcement officials said.
The fatal wreck took place shortly before 10 in the morning, a news report stated.
The name of the man killed in the crash was withheld by authorities until his next of kin had been notified. The 31-year-old driver of the other vehicle sustained injuries, though the brief news report did state that deputies who responded to the collision reported that his injuries were relatively minor.
We do not yet know why this tragedy took place, but we know that in similar circumstances, any one of several factors is typically involved, including:
- Drunk or drugged driving
- Distracted driving
- Excess speed
The federal government’s Center for Disease Control says that about one out of every three traffic deaths in the United States involves a drunk driver. The CDC also says that in Illinois, about 400 people are killed each in crashes caused by drivers impaired by alcohol.
The Illinois State Police says that distracted driving is increasingly a factor in crashes across the nation, now a factor in more than a million traffic wrecks annually in North America.
Of course, speed is almost always a factor in crashes on highways that result in injuries and fatalities.
If you or a loved one has been harmed by a speeding, distracted or drunk driver, contact an attorney experienced in obtaining maximum compensation and justice in personal injury litigation.