Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog
A 36-year-old woman from Chicago was killed Wednesday morning in a van vs. motorcycle accident, according to Oak Park-Leaves.com. The motorcycle crash took place near the Austin Blue Line station in Oak Park, Illinois.
The van driver had just dropped someone off at the CTA train and then made an illegal u-turn. The motorcycle hit the van as it cut across her lane while making the turn. The U-turn was made from the far right southbound lane to get into the northbound lanes.
The motorcycle rider suffered severe head injuries. She was rushed by ambulance to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood where she was pronounced dead at 11:30 a.m.
The Oak Park Police Department handled the crash investigation. The driver of the van was ticketed for improper standing on the roadway, improper U-turn on a hill, and no proof of insurance.
The at fault driver was released on bond and has an October 14 court date. An autopsy for the victim is scheduled for Thursday.
As seen in this collision, being involved in a motorcycle accident can be very dangerous, often resulting in severe injury or death. In 2007 alone, there were around 103,000 motorcycle riders injured in accidents across the United States, and 5,154 riders were killed. 143 of those deaths occurred in Illinois, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Also see the story as reported by the Austin Weekly News and the Chicago Breaking News Center.