Category: Car Accidents

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.

There was a fatal car crash Sunday night (March 11, 2018) in Schaumburg.   The crash led to the death of the driver, a 16-year-old high school student.

An excerpt regarding the crash and the driver, identified as Graham W. Fath, from the March 12, 2018 Daily Herald article (with remembrances) titled “Conant High School junior killed in Schaumburg crash“:

Fath was traveling east on Wiley Road when the 2010 Subaru Outback he was driving crossed into the westbound lane, left the road and struck a utility pole, according to the preliminary investigation. The vehicle caught fire and was extinguished by Schaumburg firefighters.

Police believe speed was a factor in the crash.

Fath was pronounced dead at the accident scene.   During the crash he was ejected from the vehicle.   A fire ensued after the collision.

A subsequent autopsy by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office indicated that he died from multiple accident injuries that occurred during the crash.

The accident investigation is being conducted by the Schaumburg Police Department  with the assistance of the Major Case Assistance Team.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal Cook County car crash can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the article mentioned above as well as the March 12 nbcchicago.com article (with video) titled “Suburban Teen Killed in Crash…“

There was a fatal car crash early Tuesday (March 6, 2018) morning in Berwyn.  According to Berwyn Police the accident involved a car crossing the center line and colliding with another car in a “head-on collision.”

The collision occurred near Ogden and Ridgeland Avenues at approximately 3:00 a.m.  At that time, a Pontiac being driven by Mayra Rivera, 25, was traveling westbound on Ogden.  A Nissan being driven by a 29-year-old man was heading eastbound and the Nissan crossed the center line for a currently undetermined reason.  A collision occurred between the Nissan and Pontiac.

Mayra Rivera died at the accident scene.

An excerpt regarding the fatal crash, from the March 6, 2018 fox32chicago.com article (with video) titled “Single mom killed in violent suburban crash“:

So far, police believe speed was a factor in the crash.

“A horrific accident. Terrible, tragic. I saw the pictures, too. It was definitely a high rate of speed. We have an accident reconstructionist working on reconstructing the accident. Hopefully we’ll have an exact or approximate speed,” said Berwyn Police Chief Michael Cimaglia.

The driver and passenger of the Nissan were taken to hospitals for medical treatment of their accident injuries.

Charges are reported to be pending.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal Berwyn collision can be seen in a variety of articles, including the article mentioned above as well as the March 7 abc7chicago.com article (with video and remembrances) titled “Single mother, 25, killed in head-on crash in Berwyn.”)

There was a fatal car collision Sunday (February 4, 2018) in which a Barrington High School student was killed.  The crash happened on Route 59 in South Barrington.  The accident involved a loss of vehicle control, after which the SUV crossed the center line and struck another SUV in a “head-on collision.”

The person who died as a result of the crash was identified as Cassandra Meadors, 14, of Barrington.  An excerpt regarding the crash, from the February 5 Daily Herald article titled “Barrington High School student killed in Route 59 crash“:

According to South Barrington police, Cassandra was in a 2009 Volvo S60 traveling north on Route 59 about 3:10 p.m. when its driver lost control and crossed into the southbound lane north of Penny Road.

The passenger side of the Volvo, driven by Dana Cibulka, 27, of Chicago, was struck by a 2006 BMW X5 driven by Carol Saldek, 56, of Crystal Lake, police said.