NATO Secret Service Agent Detains Lake Shore Drive Hit-and-Run Driver That Injured Pedestrian

 

Life is returning to normal in the city of Chicago now that the NATO summit has finished. Streets that were closed have been reopened, and vehicle and train traffic are flowing as well (or not) as they always do. Chicagoans are debating whether the increased visitors and the heightened police presence was worth it. Whatever you think of this, it is pretty clear that at least one person benefited from having more law enforcement officials in the city.

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That person is a 24-year old woman who is recovering from injuries she sustained after an auto-pedestrian accident. On Tuesday morning around 8am, the woman was crossing Lake Shore Drive near Buckingham Fountain between Balbo Avenue and Jackson Drive when a Saturn struck her and tried to flee the scene. But a U.S. Secret Service agent, who was in Chicago to help make security preparations for the NATO summit, saw the fleeing car and detained the driver. Chicago Police subsequently arrested a 54-year old Evergreen Park man on a charge of felony leaving the scene of an accident causing injury as well as several traffic offenses. The pedestrian was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.

 

Had the NATO summit not been scheduled for Chicago, the Secret Service agent would not have been in town last week - and there's a strong chance that the hit-and-run driver would not have ever been apprehended. But since the suspect was arrested, the injured woman now knows who to name as a defendant in any future personal injury lawsuit. Since the man was charged with (among other things) striking a pedestrian in the roadway, he will probably be held completely responsible for the woman's injuries. A personal injury lawsuit could help her collect reimbursement for medical expenses and lost wages due to work absenteeism, as well as damages for pain and suffering.