Teen dies days after car accident

A teen from Chillicothe died last week at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, approximately a week after a single vehicle accident that happened when a car left the roadway and struck a utility pole.  The car crash also resulted in the death of one other passengers and injuries to the driver and another passengers.  The accident was serious enough that all of the vehicle occupants that survived the accident were life-flighted from the scene.

As an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer, there are a few points to make about this Illinois car accident:

1.  When you are a passenger in a single vehicle car accident in Illinois, you can make a claim against the driver of the car.  This is not true in every state.

2.  The fact that the one teen lived for a week before passing away from injuries from the accident emphasizes the differences between the wrongful death and survival aspects of a wrongful death suit.  The family of this young man can seek compensation for everything that he experienced prior to his passing as part of the survival aspect of the case.  Further, they can seek damages for their own losses resulting from his passing as part of the wrongful death aspect of the case.

3.  Accidents such as this where there are multiple victims demonstrate the need for underinsured motorist coverage.  There were three passengers in the vehicle: two died and the other suffered serious injuries.  There is a strong chance that there will not be sufficient automobile liability insurance coverage to fairly compensate all of the victims from this accident.  Underinsured motorist coverage will allow the family of this young man to obtain the maximum compensation possible, not that it will ever really be enough.

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