An 11-year-old girl was attempting to cross the street in her neighborhood when she was hit and killed by a car on Saturday afternoon. The accident took place in the 15200 block of Wood Street in suburban Harvey shortly after 2:00 p.m. and was just one block away from the girl’s home.
The area of the crash is residential with two lanes of traffic in each direction along Wood Street. A school is in the area and there is a reduced speed zone surrounding the school along with several visible signs indicating pedestrian crossings. At least one intersection has a designated pedestrian crosswalk for those who want to cross from one side of Wood to the other. At this point in time, it is not clear exactly where the girl was walking at the time of the crash.
A 29-year-old woman driving a Chrysler Accord was traveling on Wood Street when she came upon and struck the victim. Police and paramedics arrived at the scene and performed emergency treatment on the girl but due to severe injuries, she died and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
The driver of the car has been cited with failing to reduce her speed to avoid a collision, driving on an expired driver’s license, and driving without insurance. All of these charges are in violation of Illinois laws. The charge of driving without insurance becomes a more significant charge when an accident is involved that leaves someone injured or killed.
In Illinois, all drivers are required to carry insurance for any accidents they cause, commonly known as liability insurance. The state minimum liability insurance limits is currently $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident, meaning that in the case of an accident involving death where the driver carried the bare minimum insurance, there will only be up to $20,000 in compensation to a victim’s family. Many drivers recognize that this low amount is not enough to protect their interests and others and therefore drivers may, and often do, choose to have more than the minimum insurance.
In cases where a negligent driver does not have insurance in violation of Illinois law or carries too little to properly cover damages, the law provides another avenue for recovery so that a victim can be adequately compensated. By going through a victim’s own insurance policy, there may be an uninsured or underinsured claim available to provide a victim or a victim’s family with additional funds.
In the case of an uninsured or underinsured motorist claim, a victim’s own automobile insurance company or the insurance company of someone who lives in the victim’s household will “step into the shoes” of the at-fault driver. This means that the insurance company will look at a claim and provide appropriate compensation when the negligent driver does not have any or has too little.
Often, in tragic cases where a child is killed, even if there is insurance available, there is not enough to cover the catastrophic loss. That is where a personal injury attorney can help you in establishing not only a claim against the at-fault driver but also a claim against your own insurance company to get your family the maximum recovery available.
At Abels & Annes, P.C., we focus our practice on fighting for accident victim’s rights and we have significant experience representing children who have lost their lives due to the negligence of another. If your child has been hurt or killed in an accident, call the Chicago car accident injury lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C. today for a free consultation. We are standing by now to take your call at (312) 924-7575 and when you work with Abels & Annes, P.C., there is never a fee unless we make a recovery for you. Call us now and let us help you.
Prior Blog Entries:
Chicago Car Crash Leaves 3-Year-Old Boy Dead, Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, published July 22, 2013.
Speeding Hit-And-Run Driver Kills Gresham Man, Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, published July 19, 2013.
Resources:
11-year-old Harvey girl hit, killed by car, by Liam Ford, Chicago Tribune, published July 20, 2013.