Deadly Auto Accident Involving Semi-Truck - Chicago

Deadly Auto Accident Involving Semi-Truck

By James Allegretti

Chicago Woman Killed in Dangerous Truck Accident

Auto accidents often result in fatal injuries, and large truck crashes can be especially dangerous in Illinois.  According to a recent article in the Northwest Indiana Times, a car accident on Interstate 65 left one woman dead and three other people seriously injured.  The driver of the automobile, Jacqueline Brown, 53, sustained fatal injuries after a semi-truck collided with her passenger car.

Brown had been a resident of Chicago.  According to state police reports, officers pronounced Brown dead at the scene of the crash.  Two other passengers had been inside the car, and emergency medical responders took them to local hospitals where they received treatment for a possible concussion, broken femur, and broken ribs.  EMTs also took the semi-truck driver, David Lee Westra, 26, to a nearby hospital after he complained of pain following the crash.

What happened?  Based on reports, Brown had a flat tire and pulled onto the shoulder.  She turned on her emergency flashers.  However, Westra was “unable to stop” when he saw Brown’s car, and he “ran over the top of her Hyundai” in his 1994 Volvo semi tractor.  Police reported that Brown’s vehicle was totaled, and Westra’s big rig sustained about $10,000 in physical damage.  The officers at the scene didn’t issue any citations, but authorities planned to administer a toxicology test to determine whether Westra had been driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Truck Accident Severity and Statistics

Dangerous traffic collisions can occur anywhere in Park Ridge, and Illinois residents can experience catastrophic and even fatal injuries like those reported in the recent truck crash.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), crashes involving large trucks often result in passenger deaths.

In 2012 alone, nearly 4,000 people died in accidents with large trucks, and more than 100,000 suffered serious injuries.  What constitutes a large truck?  When the NHTSA collects data about large truck accidents, they’re referring to those that weigh more than 10,000 pounds.  We often know these vehicles by colloquial names like “tractor trailers,” “18 wheelers,” or “big rigs.”

 Based on NHTSA statistics, the number of fatal accidents involving large trucks has been rising in recent years.  And a large majority of those who sustain catastrophic or fatal injuries aren’t people in the trucks—they’re passengers in smaller vehicles.  Indeed, passengers in other vehicles accounted for nearly 75 percent of all large-truck fatalities.

A high number of these crashes actually occur each year in Illinois.  In 2012, the NHTSA reported the following statistics:

• 1,324 vehicles in Illinois were involved in fatal accidents 
• Of those vehicles, 115 were identified as large trucks 
•  Large trucks accounted for nearly 9 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes in Illinois. 
• Large truck accidents in Illinois accounted for about 3 percent of all fatal truck crashes in the country

While it’s difficult to predict a truck accident or car crash, we do know the following information about fatal collisions involve large trucks:

• 63 percent occur in rural areas 
• Nearly 80 percent occur on weekdays 
• 64 percent happen during daytime hours

 If you have been involved in a serious automobile accident or have lost a loved one in a deadly truck crash, it’s important to speak to an experienced Park Ridge auto accident attorney at Allegretti & Associates.  We serve clients throughout the state of Illinois, including residents of Park Ridge, Evanston, Des Plaines, Mt. Prospect, Arlington Heights, and Schaumburg.  Contact us today to learn more about how we can help.