Category: Car Accidents

There was a fatal Interstate 80 rollover accident Thursday (July 25, 2019) morning. This fatal Interstate 80 rollover accident happened on the ramp from Illinois Route 394 to eastbound I-80.

This fatal Interstate 80 rollover accident is discussed in a variety of media sources, including the July 25, 2019 Chicago Sun-Times article titled “Man killed in I-80 rollover in Lansing.”

An excerpt:

Darryl L. Smith, 48, was driving an 2004 Lincoln SUV on the ramp from northbound Illinois Route 394 to eastbound I-80 when he lost control just before 3 a.m., according to Illinois State Police.

The Lincoln overturned into a ditch and Smith was thrown from the vehicle, state police said. Smith, who lived in Hazel Crest, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Illinois State Police (ISP) says that at the time of the accident Smith was not wearing a seat belt.

On this site, various aspects of vehicle rollover accidents are discussed on the “Cook County Rollover Accidents” page. Rollover accidents are notable in many regards. As seen in the Interstate 80 rollover accident discussed above, many of these rollover accidents lead to serious injuries, and often these injuries lead to fatalities.

Rollover accidents can happen for many reasons. However, there are common factors that increase the possibility of a rollover accident.

An excerpt from the “Rollover Accidents” page mentioned above:

As rollover accidents usually happen at higher speeds, it is not surprising that many Chicago areas rollovers have happened on expressways and other higher-speed roadways, including the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-94), the Edens Spur, I-57, the Kennedy Expressway, the Bishop Ford Expressway, Lake Shore Drive, and Lower Wacker Drive.

One of the best preventative safety measures to take to avoid serious vehicle accident injuries is to wear a seat belt. The wearing of a seat belt during a rollover accident can greatly reduce the possibility of the vehicle occupant being ejected (i.e. partially or fully thrown from the vehicle) during the accident. The seat belt acts as a restraint to keep the vehicle occupant in the vehicle in a secured fashion.

An I-80 fatal accident involved a pickup truck, semi truck and another vehicle. The crash happened just before 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

According to the Illinois State Police, this I-80 fatal accident happened as a pickup truck attempted to change lanes in order to get over to the I-57 exit ramp, and in doing so struck a semi truck that was behind it.

After the initial collision occurred, the pickup truck driver was ejected from the vehicle. He died at the accident scene. He was later identified as Daryl D. Langston, 28, of Bellwood.

The semi truck rolled over in the median, injuring the truck driver.

A light pole fell over during the crash and struck another vehicle. The driver of that vehicle was not injured.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this I-80 fatal accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the April 10, 2019 CBS Chicago article (with video) titled “1 Dead After 3-Vehicle Crash On I-80” as well as the April 10 Arlington Cardinal article (with video) titled “Pickup Truck Driver Dead After 3-Vehicle Crash on I-80 Near I-57.”

Additional commentary about vehicle rollover accidents can be seen on the “Cook County Rollover Accidents” page, which discusses these types of accidents and the typical serious nature of injuries that result. If vehicle occupants are not wearing seat belts at the time of a rollover crash, occupants are at an increased risk of being ejected (partially or fully thrown) from the vehicle. Such ejections are typically very physically traumatic.

An Edens Expressway accident occurred on Friday (January 25, 2019) night. The crash, which involved at least four cars, is being attributed to inclement weather and adverse weather conditions.

The accident is discussed in the January 25, 2019 NBC Chicago article (with video) titled “Multi-Vehicle Crash on Edens Closes All Outbound Lanes Near Bryn Mawr.”

As seen in the article, this Edens Expressway accident happened near Bryn Mawr at approximately 9:40 p.m. At that time area roadways were slick due to snow and ice conditions.

There are a number of steps one can take in order to drive more safely in adverse weather conditions.

The Illinois Department of Transportation, in a January 18, 2019 media release titled “Snow, plummeting temps, strong winds, bring challenging travel conditions this weekend” (pdf), provided various tips with regard to safe driving in adverse weather conditions.

Among the tips discussed in the media release include:

• Use extra caution in areas susceptible to ice, including ramps, bridges, curves and shady areas.
• Always wear a seat belt. It’s the law and your best protection in the event of a crash.
• If you are involved in a crash, remain inside your vehicle. Exiting your vehicle near a busy roadway can have fatal consequences.

There are many benefits of wearing a seat belt. Despite various other safety devices that have been introduced in recent years, wearing a seat belt continues to be one of the primary ways to avoid more serious injuries if you are involved in an accident. The benefits are further discussed on the “Seat Belts And Their Safety Benefits” page. As seen on that page, one of the primary benefits of wearing a seat belt is that the restraint likely prevents the vehicle occupant from being ejected (i.e. thrown from) the vehicle in the event of a crash.

High-speed driving continues to be a traffic hazard in Cook County as well as throughout Illinois. This high-speed driving includes both single vehicles as well as multiple vehicles that are involved in street racing or drag racing. Often, such high-speed driving leads to a loss of vehicle control after which the car or other vehicle leaves the roadway and crashes. Often, after the car or other vehicle leaves the roadway it crashes into a fixed object such as a pole, tree, or other fixed object, which can lead to serious if not life-threatening accident injuries to vehicle occupants. As well as the harm that can occur to vehicle occupants, high-speed driving can pose a threat to other parties such as other motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. There have been many accidents in the Chicago area in which such bystanders have been injured and/or killed because a speeding vehicle has lost control and hit them.

There was a fatal car crash early Saturday (December 15, 2018) morning near Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. The crash led to one fatality and one person being injured and hospitalized. The crash happened in the 1900 block of North Ashland and involved a car hitting a cement pole. Chicago Police say that the northbound car was traveling “at a high rate of speed” before the accident. As seen in accident scene photos, the car was badly damaged.

Additional details regarding this fatal high-speed driving accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the December 15, 2018 NBC Chicago article titled “1 Killed, 1 Injured in High-Speed Car Crash Near Bucktown: Police” as well as the December 15 wgntv.com article titled “1 killed, 1 injured in high-speed crash on North Side.”

[Additional discussion of high-speed driving and the dangers it presents can be seen on the “Speed As An Accident Cause And The Potential For Serious Injuries” page.]

In the last post (“Arlington Heights Car Crash Critically Injures Driver“) a November 11, 2018 Arlington Heights car accident was summarized.   As seen in that post, the driver was driving at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the car, which crashed into the new Arlington Heights police station which is under construction.  The driver was critically injured as a result of the accident.

Since that post, additional information concerning the accident has become available.  Among the charges faced by the driver is driving under the influence of drugs.

An excerpt regarding this Arlington Heights car accident, from the November 16, 2018 Daily Herald article (with video) titled “Authorities release video of crash into Arlington Heights police station, charge driver“:

Police said earlier this week that the black box recovered from the vehicle registered a high speed of 104 mph.

In an interview with police at the hospital, Kerlin said he had taken cocaine and other prescription drugs before the crash, according to police Cmdr. Shawn Gyorke. Prescription drugs were found at the crash scene, he said.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Arlington Heights car accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the article mentioned above as well as the November 16 NBC Chicago article titled “Man Charged With Crashing into Arlington Heights Police Station at 104 MPH.”

Additional commentary regarding drug-impaired driving, and the traffic safety hazard it presents, can be seen on the “Cook County Car Accidents Involving Drivers Under The Influence Of Drugs” page.  As discussed on that page, accidents involving drug-impaired drivers are becoming increasingly common both locally (i.e. Chicago area) as well as nationally.  The level of impairment varies according to many factors, including whether drugs are mixed and whether alcohol is consumed during or after the drug usage.  Drug-impaired driving has caused many serious, and at times fatal, accidents in the Chicago area.

There was an Arlington Heights car crash Sunday (November 11, 2018) night.  The driver of the car crashed into the Arlington Heights Police Department building, and as a result of the crash was critically injured.

According to police, the crash happened just before 5:30 p.m.  The car, a black Volkswagen GTI, was reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed  when the driver lost control of the car.

No one was in the building at the time of the crash, as the building is under construction.

The driver of the car, a 44-year-old man, was trapped in the car and had to be extricated.  He was taken to Northwestern Community Hospital for treatment of his accident injuries.

An excerpt regarding the crash, from the October 13, 2018 Daily Herald article titled “Officials:  Driver who hit Arlington Heights police station was speeding close to 100 mph“:

Arlington Heights police say a Georgia man was driving fast — not triple digits on the speedometer, but close — when he lost control of his car Sunday night and struck a curb, benches, a fire hydrant and a mini-retaining wall before crashing into the new village police station.

The Arlington Heights Police Department is investigating this Arlington Heights car crash.

Additional details and possible updates can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the article mentioned above as well as the November 12 Arlington Heights Patch article titled “Car Crashes Into New Arlington Heights Police Station.”

There was a fatal Skokie car crash late Sunday (September 16, 2018) night.

According to police, they responded to the crash, which involved a Corvette crashing into an empty office building, at 11:43 p.m.

The driver was taken to St. Francis Hospital in critical condition. He remained in critical condition for several days before he died on Wednesday (September 19, 2018) night. The man was later identified as
Arturo Garcia-Martinez, 32, of Evanston.

An excerpt regarding this fatal Skokie car crash, from the September 20, 2018 Skokie Review article titled “Man who crashed Corvette into empty Skokie building dies; speed and alcohol a factor, police say“:

An investigation that involved the North Regional Task Force Major Crash Assistance Team determined that speed and alcohol were factors in the crash, according to Skokie police.

also:

Large skid marks could be seen at the crash site leading from Oakton Street, crossing over the center lane and heading right up to the building.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal Skokie car crash can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the article mentioned above.

Speed as a contributor and/or cause of accidents is discussed on the “Speed As An Accident Cause And The Potential For Serious Injuries” page. As discussed on that page, various statistics indicate that the likelihood of serious injuries and fatal injuries increases with higher speeds. As seen in many Chicago area accidents, including those involving loss of control, driving at excessive speed is a factor in many serious accident injuries.

There was a Buffalo Grove single-vehicle crash early Thursday (August 16, 2018) morning, resulting in the driver being seriously injured.

Details on this Buffalo Grove single-vehicle crash appear to be somewhat limited at this time.

The crash involved a pickup truck – with a trailer – veering off of Route 22 between Buffalo Grove Road and Prairie Road shortly before 4:00 a.m.  It is not publicly disclosed what caused this apparent loss of vehicle control.  The pickup truck crashed into a utility pole, after which the truck caught fire.

The driver, identified only as a 35-year-old man from Elgin, was seriously injured and taken to the hospital for medical treatment.  His injuries were considered to be non-life-threatening in nature.

As seen in accident scene photos –  such as that seen in the August 16, 2018 Daily Herald article (with video) titled “Driver seriously injured in Buffalo Grove crash” –  there was extensive damage to the truck.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Buffalo Grove single-vehicle crash can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the article mentioned above as well as the August 16 Buffalo Grove Patch article titled “Truck Starts On Fire, 1 Seriously Injured In Crash.”

Both during and after a police chase, the vehicle being pursued sometimes crashes.  There are many reasons why these crashes occur.  Often, the vehicle being pursued is traveling at unsafe speeds and/or in a reckless manner.  As well, traffic control devices are often not heeded.  There have been many Chicago crashes which have occurred that have involved drivers who were attempting to elude police.

There was a fatal crash Wednesday (June 20, 2018) night which led to fatal injuries to one person as well as non-fatal injuries to three other people.  The collision involved a taxi and a Jeep Grand Cherokee that had been reported as stolen and was involved in a police chase.

According to Chicago Police, at 10:54 p.m. Chicago Police attempted to pull over a white Jeep Grand Cherokee in the 500 block of North State Street.  The Jeep had been reported as stolen.   The driver of the Jeep then sped off southbound on State Street.

The driver of the Jeep then turned westbound and ran a red light at Dearborn, at which time it struck a northbound taxi.  In turn, the taxi hit two pedestrians who were on a sidewalk.

A passenger in the taxi, identified as Diana J. Lampsa, 66, of Palmyra, Wisconsin, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.  According to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, she was declared dead there.

The two pedestrians who were hit by the taxi, identified as being a 45-year-old man and 48-year-old woman, were taken to hospitals for medical treatment of their accident injuries, which included possibly broken legs.

The driver of the taxi, identified as a 65-year-old man, was taken to a hospital for treatment of his accident injuries, which were considered to be minor injuries.

The occupants of the Jeep were not injured during the crash.

This accident involving a police chase is being investigated by Chicago Police, including the Chicago Police Department Major Accidents Investigation Unit.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal Chicago crash can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the June 21, 2018 Chicago Sun-Times article (with video) titled “Woman killed when stolen vehicle flees cops, strikes taxi on Near North Side” as well as the June 21 abc7chicago.com article (with video) titled “Woman killed in River North after stolen Jeep fleeing police strikes taxi identified.”

Car crashes in which a loss of control happens often result in serious accident injuries.   Often, a loss of vehicle control leads to the vehicle leaving the roadway, at which point it can hit a tree or other fixed object.

As discussed on the “Cook County Loss Of Control Accidents” page,  there are many reasons that a driver can lose control of a vehicle.    One such common reason is that the driver is distracted.   “Distracted driving” – even if done for only a short period of time – can potentially lead to a loss of vehicle control and an accident with injuries.  While there are many actions that can lead to the driver being inattentive while driving, a common reason for such inattentiveness is mobile phone use, especially for texting.

There was a South Lake Shore Drive car crash early Tuesday (April 10, 2018) morning.  Details on the accident appear limited at this time.  The cause of the crash does not appear to be publicly disclosed at this time.

An excerpt regarding the crash, from the April 10, 2018 Chicago Sun-Times article titled “Man injured in crash on Lake Shore in Hyde Park“:

The 25-year-old man was driving a Honda Civic southbound at 2:02 a.m. in the 5300 block of South Lake Shore Drive, according to preliminary information from Chicago Police.

The car struck the median and a light pole.  The driver was taken to Northwestern Hospital for treatment of his accident injuries.  The injuries were not considered to be life-threatening in nature.

Additional details concerning this South Lake Shore Drive car crash can be seen in the sources mentioned above.