Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
An 85-year-old man was killed Thursday night in a Chicago pedestrian accident after being struck by a van in the Albany Park neighborhood, according to The Sun-Times.
The 41-year-old driver was cited for driving without a license and striking a pedestrian in the roadway/failure to exercise due care, the Chicago Breaking News Center reported. He was driving a Chevrolet Astro van west on Lawrence Avenue when he struck the elderly man near the intersection of North Springfield and West Lawrence.
The victim was taken to Advocate Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 7:20 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
The accident was not a hit-and-run and alcohol or drugs are not believed to be involved, according to police. However, unlicensed drivers are increasingly responsible for large numbers of serious and fatal accidents.
As reported earlier this month on Chicago Car Accident Lawyers blog, 1 in 6 fatal accidents involve someone without a valid license, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In Illinois, 202 motorists were killed in accidents involving unlicensed drivers, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Unlicensed drivers are also more likely to be involved in uninsured or underinsured car accidents.
In recent months, Chicago police have targeted motorists who fail to yield to pedestrians. Police are stationing undercover officers near crosswalks at high-risk intersections in an effort to reduce Chicago car accidents involving pedestrians.