Single vehicle Illinois auto accidents that took place this month in the southwest suburbs of Chicago illustrate the need to avoid distracted driving. The Beacon News is reporting that one of the accidents occurred in Aurora and the other in Kendall County. Both accidents occurred due to drivers reaching for devices in their cars instead of watching the road.
One crash occurred back on April 6, 2011 in the afternoon near the intersection of Shorline and Baybrook in Aurora. The driver was looking down trying to locate his ipod and struck a tree. The car then rolled over. There were two passengers in the car, but police have not disclosed if anyone was injured. The driver was charged with failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
The second happened several hours later just after 12:00 a.m. on April 7. It was again a single car accident. It occurred in 400 block of North Johnson Street in Newark, Illinois. Two people were hurt in the crash when a 30-year-old driver lost control of her car after reaching for a CD player and driving off the road.
The car struck a phone pole. The driver and passenger were taken by ambulance to Valley West Community Hospital. The severity of injuries have not been reported. The driver was charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid the collision.
These accidents occurred as a Chicago car accident lawyer at our firm is in the middle of negotiating an injury claim on behalf of a pedestrian that was injured by a distracted driver. The motorist was driving in Chicago when his cell phone rang. He lost control of his vehicle while trying to grab the phone, drove up onto a sidewalk and struck our client.
Illinois drivers need to remember that when they drive while distracted, they are putting their lives and the lives of others at risk.