Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
A Friday morning crash on Interstate 57 sent nine children and at least one adult to the hospital for treatment of injuries, according to local police. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on the highway near 99th Street and involved only one car, a Chevrolet Suburban. Police report that nine children between the ages of three and 14 were in the car at the time of the crash as well as two adults, one of whom was driving. Suburbans typically seat eight individuals.
Police state that the 30-year-old female driver was drunk at the time of the crash, which caused the Suburban to roll over and leave the roadway. Seven of the nine children were not wearing seat belts or other child restraints in violation of Illinois law, and seven of the nine children were eight years old or younger.
Emergency crews transported all of the children and the driver to area hospitals. It is not clear if the other adult was injured in the accident and whether that passenger needed medical treatment. The driver reportedly is the mother of several of the children in the car and has been charged with driving under the influence and nine counts of child endangerment. The driver remained under police guard while receiving treatment at the hospital.
If the facts alleged so far are proved correct, this is a very troubling accident where nine children were placed at serious risk of death just because a driver chose to get behind the wheel after drinking. Drunk driving is a serious threat to safety across the nation and here in Illinois as drunk drivers continue to ignore the risks of their behaviors. Studies continue to show that a drunk driver is less able to make appropriate decisions and takes longer to respond to threats in the road than a sober driver, greatly increasing the risk of an accident.
In 2010, there were over 10,000 deaths caused by drunk drivers across the nation and over 200 of those deaths were children. More than half of the children that were killed by drunk drivers were in the same car as the drunk driver at the time of the crash.
When a driver is drunk, everyone on the road is at risk. The law recognizes that and allows those injured by drunk drivers to make a financial recovery for their losses. If you have been hurt through the actions of a drunk driver, you have rights and may be entitled to a monetary recovery.
The Chicago drunk driving injury lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C. know how devastating it can be to be injured in any accident. When the accident is caused by a driver’s reckless conduct, like drinking and driving, it can seem even worse. After an injury, your focus should be on your physical recovery and should not be concerned with how you will pay your bills. If you have been hurt in an accident, call us today at (312) 924-7575 and let us provide you with a free, no obligation consultation on your case. At Abels & Annes, we never charge a fee unless we make a recovery on your behalf, so please call us today and let us help you.
Prior Blog Entries:
Water Tank Near Belmont Harbor Falls From Rooftop, Injures 3, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published August 2, 2013.
Driver of Spanish Train Charged with 79 Counts of Homicide After Fatal Crash, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published July 31, 2013.
Resources:
Woman Charged With DUI In Crash That Injured 9 Kids, CBS Chicago, published August 2, 2013.