A Kane County, Illinois multi-vehicle crash has severely hurt two teens after their vehicle was struck by a semi-truck on November 9, 2007. The Chicago Area teens were traveling in a Toyota Corolla northbound on Meredith Road at it’s intersection with Route 38 in unincorporated Virgil Township, Illinois when they were struck and injured by an eastbound Mitsubishi Gallant.
The intersection is controlled by stop signs for north and south traffic on Meredith, and vehicles on east and west Route 38 have no stop sign. After the initial impact, a semi-truck was unable to stop in time to avoid a collision with the Toyota.
The Kane County Sheriff’s Department, Illinois State Police and the Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team are investigating the crash. No citations have yet been issued, and it does not appear that drugs or alcohol are an issue. The Toyota Corolla was driven by an 18-year-old female driver and the passenger was a 19-year-old male.
Under Illinois law, it is the duty of a driver leaving a stop sign to yield to oncoming traffic and make sure he or she can cross the intersection safely. While no tickets have been issued, and the investigation in ongoing, it is likely that the teenage Toyota driver was at fault for failing to yield to oncoming traffic. She had the stop sign.