On behalf of Strom & Associates, Ltd. posted in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents on Monday, November 24, 2014.
On the afternoon of Nov. 7, a 44-year-old Illinois man was pronounced dead at the scene of a three-car crash. The accident occurred in Milan and involved two passenger vehicles and one semitrailer. According to the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office, the crash is still being investigated, and charges are pending.
The car accident took place at about 11:30 a.m. while the victim was attempting to enter the private parking lot of a business on 78th Avenue. While turning left from the eastbound lane, the man’s pickup truck was rear-ended. The impact of the first collision caused the victim’s car to be pushed into the westbound lane where it was quickly hit by a westbound semitrailer. Afterwards, the victim’s pickup truck and the semi both hit a utility pole, and the pickup caught fire.
A group of bystanders removed the victim from his pickup before it became completely engulfed in flames. The Rock Island County Coroner’s Office later pronounced the man dead at the scene. Both of the other drivers who were involved in the accident suffered minor injuries that did not require hospitalization. According to information on the Mid-American Energy website, power was knocked out for more than 500 people as a result of the collision.
The family of someone who was killed in a multi-vehicle accident caused by another driver’s recklessness or negligence may want to speak with an attorney about filing a wrongful death claim for compensation. The attorney may be able to help family members gather important pieces of evidence to establish liability, including subpoenaed police reports and toxicology test results. If criminal charges were filed in connection to the accident, this information may help a family’s effort to prove that a driver was responsible for their loved one’s death. However, criminal charges are not a prerequisite for a civil action.
Source: KWQC, “Victim ID’d After Fatal Milan Crash”, Jeff Whitten, November 14, 2014
