Father of unborn child dies in high speed Illinois car accident
Any Illinois driver who is involved in an auto accident involving injury or property damage is required to remain at the crash scene. A 24-year-old man was recently detained after he left the scene of a car accident that caused critical injuries to his passenger. Police reported that the incident occurred in the early morning hours of a recent Sunday.
An accident report indicates that the man was operating a compact sports car at a high rate of speed when he failed to maintain control, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway. Police say the car hit a tree after clearing the curb. It then struck a transformer box and a larger tree before rolling several times and coming to a halt behind a residence. It was reported that an Uber driver saw the accident, and residents in the area who were woken up by the crash saw the driver running off after checking on his passenger.
The passenger, who was reportedly a 24-year-old soon-to-be father, was rushed to a medical center where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Police soon located the fleeing driver and transported him to a hospital. He remained there until the next day. Upon his release, he was arrested and booked into the Will County jail where he was awaiting a bond hearing.
The loved ones of the young man who lost his life in this car accident are surely devastated. At this difficult time, they will have the additional stress of having to cope with end-of-life arrangements. To confront the financial burden, they will be entitled to pursue recovery of damages by filing a wrongful death claim in an Illinois civil court. Once negligence by the driver is established by appropriate proof, the court will consider the documented claims of the surviving family members for financial and other losses sustained.
Source: Joliet, IL Patch, “Young Man Killed in Rollover Wreck Leaves Behind Unborn Child“, Joseph Hosey, Feb. 1, 2016