The average drunk driver in Illinois is male, age 34, and has a blood alcohol content of .16 – twice the legal limit in the state. But drunk drivers and drivers under the influence of drugs can take any form and can vary widely from this typical scenario as compiled by the Illinois Secretary of State. Regardless, the victims of drunk driving accidents in Chicago likely are not concerned with the age or gender of the offender who caused their crash. Instead, it becomes a reality that anyone who chooses to drink and drive poses a risk to others and is more likely to cause a collision than those who drive sober.
Drunk driving collisions are the cause of thousands of injuries in Chicago and across Illinois every year and account for millions of dollars’ worth of damages in the form of medical and surgical expenses, lost wages, damage to vehicles, and pain and suffering. The damages are most severe when a victim loses his or her life in these collisions, though the toll enacted in these situations falls heavily on those left behind, whether they are family members or loved ones.
Though no actions can turn back the hands of time and prevent a crash once one has occurred, victims may be entitled to seek financial compensation to help them recover monetarily. This relief can be sought by a victim through the use of a civil claim for damages, a type of relief that is separate and distinct from any traffic or criminal charges brought against a drunk driver. Speaking with a personal injury lawyer in the Chicago area may help you understand your legal options if you have been involved in a collision or if a crash otherwise has affected your life.
Early Sunday morning, police learned of a two-vehicle crash on the Kennedy Expressway in the northbound lanes. According to these officials, a suspected drunk driver was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes and collided head-on with a northbound vehicle. The suspected at-fault driver was seriously injured in the crash and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment. That driver has since been charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and may face additional charges pending the investigation currently underway by local authorities.
Additionally, two people were seriously injured in the second vehicle involved in the crash, a driver and one passenger. Though the nature of their injuries has not been disclosed, both are expected to survive this ordeal.
Too often, drunk drivers in Chicago cause innocent victims to suffer because of the choices they make to operate a vehicle while impaired, even though it is a crime to do so. Police may bring criminal charges in these cases but any punishments that may issue will not benefit a victim directly. Instead, to get the help these victims deserve, they can pursue a civil claim to compensate them for their injuries.
The lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C. have extensive experience representing those who have been hurt by Chicago drunk drivers as well as the family members of these victims, and if a crash has affected your life, we want to help you. We offer a free case consultation without any obligation to those who call us toll free at (855) 529-2442 or locally at (312) 924-7575 and we provide it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
If you have been injured, do not continue to suffer in silence. Call Abels & Annes, P.C. today and let us fight for the relief you deserve.
Prior Blog Entry:
Driver Fleeing Traffic Stop Blamed for Chicago Car Crash, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published November 13, 2014.
Resource:
Wrong-way crash on Kennedy Expressway leaves 3 seriously hurt, by Alexandra Chachkevitch, Chicago Tribune, published November 16, 2014.