A Chicago area pedestrian accident has resulted in the death of a construction worker in southwest suburban Forest View, Illinois, according to CBS News. The accident occurred on Friday afternoon when a semi-truck exiting the Stevenson Expressway (Interstate 55) made an illegal right turn and struck the worker on the Harlem Avenue off-ramp.
The construction worker was employed by Midwest Fencing, who was working a project for IDOT. The victim was making repairs to a barrier fence at the time of the accident, according to IDOT spokesman Guy Tridgell.
Because of the construction, there were reportedly no right turn signs for trucks at the bottom of the off-ramp, but for reasons unknown, the trucker still made the right turn.
The semi was southbound on I 55 and turning north on to Harlem. The worker that was killed, Aurelio Rosales, was a Chicago resident. He was rushed to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The Illinois truck vs. pedestrian accident is being investigated by the Forest View Police Department with the help of an Illinois State Police reconstruction officer.
It has not been reported if the truck driver was being issued any traffic tickets, or if a Chicago pedestrian accident attorney is involved in the case. However, NBC News is reporting that citations against the driver are pending.
In a case like this, the family of the victim could have two separate claims to pursue. First, the worker was killed while on the job, so there is an Illinois workers’ compensation claim. Second and more significantly, there is negligence claim to investigate against the truck driver and trucking company.