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
