A Chicago area auto accident has claimed the life of a 17-year-old teenager from Winfield, Illinois, according to the Chicago Tribune. The DuPage County crash took place Saturday evening around 9 PM in unincorporated West Chicago. The driver was pronounced dead just after 4 AM on Sunday.
The teenage driver was traveling in a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta eastbound on Garys Mill Road. Just after he passed Indian Knoll Road a 1997 Ford F-150 pickup truck exited a residential driveway and the Volkswagen then struck the rear portion of the truck.
Winfield Fire Department rescue personnel responded to the accident rushed the teen driver to Central DuPage Hospital. There, he was placed on life support and later passed away. The exact nature of the injuries that caused him to die were not reported.
The accident was investigated by the DuPage County Sheriff’s Department. It is not known if citations or other charges were issued to the pickup truck driver.
If the newspaper account of the accident is correct, the victim’s family could have a civil claim against the driver of the pickup truck. A motorist exiting a residential driveway has the duty to yield to vehicles on the roadway and not enter the street until it is safe to do so.
The accident is reportedly still under investigation.
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