When more than two vehicles are involved in an auto accident in Illinois, the chances of injuries occurring multiply simply because of the increased number of potential vehicle occupants. Sometimes, these injuries can be very serious to one or more of the motorists involved. But whenever this happens, it’s important not to forget about the victims who may not have been injured as severely.
Take the case of a multi-vehicle crash in Elgin last month. Around 8pm on the evening of July 21, a 55-year old woman left an Italian restaurant to deliver a pizza to a customer. She drove her 2007 Kia onto southbound Shady Oaks Drive less than a half mile south of Cobblers Crossing Lake. When she attempted to turn left onto eastbound Summit Avenue, her car was hit by a westbound 2006 Dodge Charger, which was then struck by a westbound 2004 Infiniti G35. The Charger then crossed into oncoming traffic where it collided with a 2001 Infiniti QX4.
The 55-year old woman had to be extricated from her Kia, and was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was reportedly operated on for about eight hours. She remained in the intensive car unit for well over a week. There were other people who were injured in the auto accident as well, all of whom were also transported to nearby hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.
The plight of the 55-year old woman is certainly sad. However, it appears from the information given that the crash was her fault for not yielding the right-of-way before making her left turn. If the subsequent investigation reveals this to be true, then she would not be able to seek financial relief for her injuries in a personal injury lawsuit. On the other hand, the other people who were injured would have grounds to file personal injury lawsuits against the 55-year old woman.