Chicago Police Recruit Hit By Dozing Driver

October 25, 2010 - A recruit with the Chicago Police Department is battling for his life after he was hit by a car while assisting another driver who had crashed. According to a report at the Chicago Sun-Times, the victim was driving on the Stevenson Expressway, also known as Interstate 55, shortly before 1 a.m. on Friday morning when he witnessed a single-vehicle accident. The driver in that accident lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the median on the southbound side of the freeway.

The victim pulled his car to the side of the road near Damen Avenue and attempted to help the crashed driver when he was hit by a Pontiac Grand Am that was also traveling southbound. The driver of the Pontiac Grand Am, a 26-year-old man from Chicago, had apparently fallen asleep at the wheel and didn't see the victim. He has received a number of citations, including speeding, driving without a license and failure to yield to a pedestrian. The driver has not yet been identified. 

The victim suffered serious personal injuries, including a heady injury, and is receiving treatment at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County. The Chicago Police Department has confirmed that he is a police recruit, but his identity has not been released. Doctors believe that the victim will survive.