Teacher, husband killed in bicycle accident in Illinois

A small community in the Illinois city of Morris is mourning the death of a teacher and her husband who died in a tragic accident on a recent Tuesday evening. The couple was apparently training for a fundraising ride when they were both killed in the bicycle accident. Officers said their bicycles were hit from the rear by an SUV.

According to an accident report, the SUV was driven by a 16-year-old boy who was cited for not reducing speed to avoid the accident. The teen driver reportedly failed to see the cyclists before smashing into them. The husband was killed on impact, but his wife died later at the hospital.

It was later determined that the SUV belonged to a family friend who is also a school principal in the same school district in which the deceased cyclist was a teacher. A witness reported seeing the young driver throwing a package into the nearby woods. Upon investigation, officers discovered a baggie containing what later tested positive to be 15 grams of marijuana. The driver reportedly said he had not smoked marijuana since two days before the crash.

The surviving family members of the deceased victims from this bicycle accident will be entitled to pursue claims for financial relief. Wrongful death lawsuits may be filed against the driver in an Illinois civil court. Also, the principal who was the owner of the SUV may be added as a defendant. After establishing negligence by appropriate proof, the court will adjudicate documented claims for monetary damages.

Source: morrisherald-news.com, “Police report: Teen was driving Morris District 54 principal’s SUV during fatal crash“, Heidi Litchfield, June 27, 2016