Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog
Two different drivers were charged in two different accidents taking place in the same part of the Edens Expressway early on Thanksgiving. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, an Evanston man was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after he swerved into oncoming traffic at around 3:30 a.m., forcing another driver to swerve into a ditch. Both were hospitalized and not believed to be seriously injured.
Just an hour and a half later, a Chicago man fell asleep at the wheel and hit a parked vehicle belonging to an Illinois State Police trooper. Fortunately, nobody was killed, but the driver was cited for failure to yield and improper lane usage, as well as failure to drive cautiously around an emergency vehicle. The last citation stems from Scott’s Law, also known as the “move over law,” which requires drivers to slow down, change lanes if possible and drive with caution when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with its lights on. The maximum penalty for breaking this law is a $10,000 fine and loss of a driver’s license for up to two years.
These drivers may not feel lucky, but considering what could have happened in both cases, I think they’re lucky. A DUI constitutes major legal trouble, but if this driver had killed someone, he would have had to live the rest of his life with that fact. And even if authorities chose not to charge him with vehicular homicide, the driver would still be liable in an Illinois drunk driving lawsuit brought by the victim’s family.