A Cook County Resident, Lester Cooperwood, 48, died on Sunday night when the car he was riding in as a passenger lost control and struck a steel CTA viaduct near 4600 West Lake Street in Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune. Cooperwood was riding in the front seat of a Dodge Stratus that was being driven by a 41 year old man who lives at the same address as the victim in the 1700 Block of North Lorel Avenue.
The driver suffered lacerations and bruising and was taken to a Chicago area hospital. The driver was also charged by the Chicago Police Department with with DUI, improper lane usage, driving without a license and no insurance.
From a Chicago personal injury lawyer’s perspective, the family of the Cook County passenger has a right to bring a wrongful death claim against the driver of the car, but here it appears the at fault party had no liability insurance. If the victim, or a household family member had a valid auto insurance policy, then the family should be able to make an uninsured motorist claim.
These comments were posted by David Abels & Associates, P.C., an injury law firm that represents clients throughout the Chicago area and the entire State of Illinois. Many of our clients come from Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County, McHenry County, Kane County, and Will County, as well as nearby towns and neighborhoods such as Hyde Park, Jackson Park, Arlington Heights, Joliet, Naperville, Rockford, Schaumburg, Springfield, Waukegan and Wheaton.
Accident lawyers from our firm handle all kinds of injuries resulting from car crashes, including broken bones (some that require surgical repair), spinal injuries, severe burns, and head injuries. They also handle wrongful death cases for families who have lost loved ones because another person was negligent and caused a fatal motor vehicle accident.