A victim describes her life after a drunk driving accident

The losses for victims of car accidents are often much more than financial. An Illinois woman from Quad City described how a drunk driving accident changed her life. She and her son were traveling in Moline on Airport Road last November when an alleged drunk driver crossed the center line and smashed into them. That driver was subsequently arrested for DUI — his fifth arrest for impaired driving.

From her wheelchair in the nursing home where she has been for the past five months, the woman described the humiliation of having a stranger wash her body and having to call for help to go to the bathroom. Her injuries included a torn rotator cuff, a broken sternum, bilateral fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. Also, the injuries to her legs were extensive — her left knee was dislocated, her ankles were crushed, and she suffered multiple fractures in both legs and broken bones in her feet.

The woman, who is an employee of a Coal Valley meat company, fears she might soon lose her job and health insurance. She says she has no income at the moment, and she is reaching her insurance limit. All the above and the loss of mobility is enough to make her want to see the drunk driver appropriately punished by the court.

Regardless of what happens in the criminal case against the man who allegedly caused the drunk driving accident that destroyed this woman’s life, she retains the right to file a civil lawsuit for personal injury against him. Negligence on his part will have to be established, but a conviction in the criminal court may strengthen the civil case. Once the Illinois civil court has determined financial liability, it will consider documented claims for all the financial and emotional losses this victim has suffered and will suffer in the future.

Source: wqad.com, “Accident victim in alleged drunk driving crash has long road to recovery“, Chris Minor, April 5, 2016