Wrong-Way Driver on Lake Shore Drive Critically Injures 2

Lake Shore Drive is one of the more popular attractions in the city of Chicago. The scenic stretch of road gives drivers beautiful views of Lake Michigan and takes them past plenty of landmarks and memorable places of interest in the Windy City. Regrettably, two people may very well remember Lake Shore Drive as the place where they were injured in an auto accident by a wrong-way driver.

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On Thursday morning around 2am, a red Nissan was driving the wrong way in the southbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive in the South Loop. At the intersection of Roosevelt Road near the Field Museum (and a stone's throw from Soldier Field), the Nissan slammed head-on into a white Toyota Corolla and a van which were traveling in the correct direction. The female driver of the Nissan and her male passenger were taken to a nearby hospital, as was the female driver of the Corolla. Two of the victims suffered critical injuries.

It is not clear how the Nissan's driver came to be driving north in the southbound lanes. Lake Shore Drive is divided by a median in this area, with three lanes of traffic flowing in each direction. It is possible that the woman made a sharp left from Roosevelt onto Lake Shore Drive, instead of making a wide left turn which would have taken the Nissan into the correct lanes.

In any case, the wrong-way driver of the Nissan will almost certainly be held liable for the injuries to her passenger as well as those of the woman behind the wheel of the Corolla. That means that she could be named as the defendant in any personal injury lawsuits which may be filed by the two victims. These lawsuits could force the wrong-way driver to pay damages related to medical expenses, lost wages from work absenteeism, and even emotional distress.

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UPDATE: The woman in the Toyota needed surgery to repair facial fractures - and the Nissan driver was charged with aggravated DUI.

February has been a tough month for alcohol realted accidents.