Category: Car Accidents

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.

Car crashes that occur on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive often lead to serious accident injuries.  As seen in various accidents – including those discussed on this site – these accidents often involve speeding or loss of vehicle control.

There was a crash on Lake Shore Drive Monday night (January 22, 2018) in which a driver was critically injured.

Details on the appear appear limited at this time.

As seen in the January 23, 2018 Chicago Sun-Times article titled “Person critically injured in Lake Shore Drive crash on South Side,”a person was critically injured on Lake Shore Drive near the Kenwood neighborhood.

According to Chicago Police, the accident happened at approximately 11:00 p.m., in the 4700 block of South Lake Shore Drive.  The crash involved a car crashing into a wall.

The man who was driving was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment of his accident injuries.  He was in critical condition.

The cause of the crash does not appear to be publicly disclosed at this time.

Additional details and possible updates can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the article mentioned above.

There was a fatal single-car accident early Friday morning (January 12, 2018) on Chicago’s Far South Side.  Three people died as a result of the accident.  The accident appears to have involved a loss of vehicle control, possibly involving a curve in the roadway.

According to Chicago Police, police officers went to the accident scene, which was in the 3300 block of East 100th Street near the Chicago Skyway, at approximately 1:00 a.m.

An excerpt regarding the crash from the January 12, 2018 abc7chicago.com article (with video) titled “3 cousins killed in fiery Far South Side crash“:

Police said they were heading west in a 2016 Chevy Malibu at a high-rate of speed when the sedan struck a light pole. The car flipped on its roof and caught fire. The vehicle was soon engulfed by flames.

All three men in the car died at the accident scene.  They were cousins.  The men were identified as Michael Battista, 48; Anthony Flores, 30; and Ralph Quiroz, 47.

The Chicago Police Department’s Major Accidents Unit is conducting an accident investigation.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal Chicago single-car accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the article mentioned above as well as the January 12 CBS Chicago article titled “3 Killed In Fiery Crash On Southeast Side.”

As discussed on the “Seat Belts And Their Safety Benefits” page, there are various benefits to wearing a seat belt.  Wearing a seat belt is beneficial even if the vehicle has other safety features such as anti-lock brakes, stability control, crash avoidance systems, air bags, and other related safety systems.

One of the benefits of wearing a seat belt is that it restrains vehicle occupants during a crash, so the possibility of an occupant ejection during a crash is significantly reduced.  An occupant ejection is when an occupant is partially or fully thrown from the vehicle during an accident.  When these ejections occur, often the person’s injuries are far worse than if the ejection did not occur.

A New Year’s Day crash on the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) led to the ejection of two people from a vehicle.  As seen in the Chicago Sun-Times article of January 1, 2018, titled “Pregnant woman injured in Stevenson Expressway crash,” according to the Illinois State Police the crash happened at 6:55 a.m. in the northbound lanes of I-55 south of Pulaski.

Additional details can be seen in the sources mentioned above.

There was a fatal rollover accident Friday night (December 8, 2017) on I-57 near Matteson.  According to the Illinois State Police the crash happened near Flossmoor Road at 8:53 p.m.

An excerpt from the Mokena Patch article of December 10, 2017, titled “Speeding Lamborghini Crash Kills 2 On I-57“:

Police said the Lamborghini was speeding on southbound I-57 when it left the road, rolled over and struck several trees on the west side of the roadway.

Both occupants of the Lamborghini died at the accident scene, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.  The driver was identified as Jacob Dochee, 45, of Frankfort.  The passenger was identified as Samieh Jawdat, 26, of Crete.  Both were ejected from the car during the crash.

An autopsy revealed that both men died from blunt force injuries sustained during the accident.

The accident remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal car accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the article mentioned above as well as the December 10, 2017 fox32chicago.com article titled “Two men killed when speeding Lamborghini crashes in Chicago suburb.”