Cellphones have greatly impacted the day-to-day lives of the people who own them. With them, people are nearly always able to stay in constant contact with family members, among other benefits. With this, however, comes many negative side effects. For example, some drivers in Illinois become distracted by their electronic devices, ultimately causing serious motor vehicle accidents.
In fact, reports about a recent crash on an Illinois interstate seem to indicate that it was caused by a driver of a commercial vehicle who was using an electronic device. According to reports, several drivers had stopped as a result of road construction. Unfortunately, a driver of a tractor-trailer allegedly failed to stop.
As a result, the truck rammed into the rear of a van, killing the van’s 74-year-old driver. A passenger in the van was transported to the hospital by helicopter as was a 70-year-old man driving a different vehicle. Another driver also required hospital treatment. A total of seven vehicles were involved in the crash. The driver of the tractor-trailer now faces multiple charges, including using an electronic communication device while driving and aggravated reckless driving.
Victims of motor vehicle accidents in Illinois — including surviving family members in the event of a fatality — often face an uncertain future. Those injured must worry about how well they will recover while those who lost a loved one must cope with their grief; both must deal with the financial complications that lost wages, funeral costs and medical expenses can create. As a result, these victims often choose to file a civil lawsuit when injuries were caused by negligence. When an accident was caused by the driver of a commercial vehicle, there may be more than one responsible party. An attorney with experience with such cases can determine who may hold some degree of fault and initiate civil claims for monetary damages.
Source: tribstar.com, “UPDATE: One dead, three injured in 7-vehicle pile-up on I-70 in Illinois“, Aug. 19, 2017