As Illinois residents know, car accidents can happen anytime and anywhere. The majority of car accidents involve at least two vehicles, although single-car accidents are also common. When two cars are involved in a collision, one or both parties involved may have been acting negligently before the collision. Accident investigators routinely try to establish the relative contributions of each party to the crash during their investigation. The party that is found to be wholly or predominantly negligent is most likely to be found liable for the crash.
Just what caused and who might be responsible for a recent fatal late-afternoon crash 130 miles southwest of Chicago has not yet been determined. The accident, which occurred in Tremont, killed two elderly women. According to Tazewell County sheriff’s deputies, an 81-year-old man was driving with his wife, 78, on Illinois Route 9 when their vehicle collided with another vehicle driven by a 78-year-old woman. The two women died at the scene of the crash; the elderly male driver was taken by Life Flight helicopter to a hospital in nearby Peoria. The accident remains under investigation.
Law enforcement officials typically investigate every fatal crash scene, gather witness accounts and work with specialists to determine the most likely cause of the accident. If there are criminal violations involved, law enforcement officers will usually charge the responsible party. This often happens in drunken-driving accidents or where the presumed negligent party committed traffic violations before the accident.
Even if a defendant faces criminal charges, an auto accident victim can still pursue other legal remedies such as filing a personal injury or wrongful death claim to receive compensation. A judge or jury will decide whether enough evidence was gathered to prove the defendant’s negligence before compensation is awarded. A plaintiff can move their case forward by seeking legal advice and representation.
Source: Pekintimes.com, “2 dead, 1 critically injured after 2-car collision on Illinois Route 9 in rural Tremont,” Oct. 26, 2014