Head-On Collision in Lyons Kills 2, Seriously Injures 3

Head-on collisions are some of the most horrifying and dangerous crashes that can take place. That's because when you have two cars with momentum and speed that collide head-on, the combined forces of both of the vehicles are transferred to the occupants in either car. So the potential damage, injuries, and deaths in a head-on collision is generally greater than in other kinds of accidents.

Unfortunately, a head-on collision claimed the lives of two people in the Chicago suburb of Lyons last weekend. According to police, a car was traveling the wrong direction down a one-way street early Sunday morning around 4:30am when it crashed into an oncoming sport utility vehicle. The car's 40-year old male driver was killed, and a man in the SUV also lost his life. Three other people were seriously injured, including two who were ejected from their vehicles.

The accident site was on 1st Avenue near West 47th Street, which is a stone's throw west of Illinois 171 and less than two miles away from Interstate 55. The area can be a bit confusing for drivers, since the 171 service road actually turns into 1st Avenue before reaching West 47th. The road actually splits off into one-way streets at a couple of points on 1st Avenue. And if someone is driving in that area during the middle of the night, he may not notice the one-way transition until it is too late.

It's bad enough that the family of the 40-year old driver has to mourn his death. But because he was driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street, it appears that the three injured people and the heirs of the other dead man have strong grounds for personal injury lawsuits and a wrongful death lawsuit, respectively. That means that the 40-year old's estate may have to pay damages to the other accident victims for medical and burial costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering.