Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

In Kane County, Illinois a motor vehicle accident where a car hit a house has resulted in the death of a passenger, according to the Kane County Chronicle. The car accident occurred just before 1:30 am last Friday morning in the 600 block of East Chicago Street in Elgin.

Both the driver and passenger were taken to Sherman Hospital in Elgin. The passenger, Marcelo Martinez-Ayala, 26, of Carpentersville, was pronounced dead at the hospital. The driver was not seriously injured.

The accident is being investigated by the Elgin Police Department. The cause of the accident has not been reported.

In Chicago Heights, Illinois a man was killed by a crane accident at a steel plant, according to the Chicago Tribune. The victim, Heladio Ramirez, 32, a Calumet City resident, was operating a crane on Monday at Highway Steel Inc., when part of the crane fell and hit him. He was taken to St. James Hospital and Health Center in Chicago Heights, Illinois and he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The cause of the accident has not been reported. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.

According to the United States Department of Labor, 5,488 workers were killed on the job last year throughout the country. 392 workers were killed in manufacturing jobs, and 20 of those workers were killed in primary metal manufacturing jobs, such as iron and steel mill occupations.

In Chicago, Illinois a Monday night motorcycle accident resulted in the death of a Richton Park resident, according to the Southtown Star. The accident happened on the North Side of Chicago on Lake Shore Drive near Belmont Avenue and it involved a car and a motorcycle.

The accident backed up traffic for miles and northbound vehicles were diverted at Belmont for an hour. The Chicago Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Unit is handling the crash investigation. It has not been reported what caused the accident.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, motorcycle fatalities have greatly increased in the United States from 2,161, fatalities in 1996 to 4,810 fatalities in 2006. The NHTSA also states that there were 88,000 people injured in cycle accidents in 2006, as compared to only 55,000 in 1996.

On Saturday afternoon a woman was killed in an auto accident on the Southwest Side of Chicago, according to the Southtown Star. The woman, a 73 year old Chicago resident, was riding as a passenger in a vehicle that was involved in a collision with another vehicle at 43rd and Cicero Ave just before 3:30 p.m. One of the vehicles overturned in the accident.

She was taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn and was pronounced dead shortly after the crash. Others involved in the accident were not seriously injured.

While it has not been reported who was at fault in the car accident, due to the fact that the Chicago woman was a passenger, her family will have a good claim against the driver that caused the collision.

In Chicago, Illinois a woman was killed under her stalled car when it was hit from behind while she was looking under the hood, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The auto accident happened on South Lake Shore Drive, just a few miles south of Soldier Field during the Bears game today.

The car stalled around 2 p.m. When the woman went to lift up the hood, the vehicle behind her slowed, and that slowing vehicle was rear-ended and knocked into the stalled car. The woman was pinned under the car, and she was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Part of Lake Shore Drive was shut down and traffic was diverted during the police investigation.

In Chicago, Illinois a pedestrian was fatally struck by a hit & run driver early this morning, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The pedestrian vs. auto accident happened on the West Side as a 43 year old woman was crossing the street at 4700 W. Chicago Avenue just after 1:30 a.m.

The pedestrian was hit by a blue and white conversion van. The vehicle continued eastbound on Chicago Ave. after the accident and did not stop.

She was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital and pronounced dead a short time later.

In West Chicago, Illinois one person was killed and four others were injured in a car crash Thursday afternoon, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, Inc. The accident happened in the 1200 block of West North Avenue near it’s intersection with Conte Parkway. The person who died was reportedly ejected from a vehicle.

The crash involved four vehicles and the injured parties were taken to Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. Three of the injured only had minor injuries, and one person suffered more severe injuries.

North Avenue was closed for several hours due to the accident. The West Chicago Police Department is investigating the collision. The cause of the accident has not been reported.

In the Chicago suburb of Burbank, Illinois a bicyclist has been killed in a hit-and-run accident. The accident happened on September 28, 2008 at about 3 a.m. in the 6300 block of West 87th Street.

The victim, Richard Horvath, 53, was struck while riding his bike just 3 doors away from his residence. A witness thought the offender was driving a white Chrysler, however, Burbank police have recovered pieces of what they believe is part of a white Dodge Ram pickup truck at the scene.

Horvath was rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and when he arrived he had no vital signs. He was resuscitated and lived about 23 hours before passing away.

In Chicago, Illinois a woman lost control of her car, drove over a curb, and stuck and killed her sister who was standing on a nearby sidewalk, according to NBC news. The accident happened late Thursday night just after she started her car and tried to shift gears without removing a Club theft deterring device from the steering wheel, causing her to lose control of the vehicle.

The deadly collision happened in the 5400 block of West Ferdinand in front of the victim’s home. The woman was pinned and dragged over 15 feet.

She was taken by ambulance to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead a short time later. An autopsy is scheduled.

A 19 year old SIU college student from the West Side of Chicago has been killed in a downstate auto accident on Interstate 57, according to the Chicago Tribune. The crash occurred when the driver for the VH1 reality show “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels” allegedly fell asleep, crossed the highway median, and struck the student’s SUV.

A passenger in the SUV, who was also a 19 year old student at Southern Illinois, and a Belleville resident, was also killed in the crash. The Illinois State Police are handling the crash investigation. The driver for the TV show was reportedly ticketed for driving with a suspended license and other traffic violations.

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