Teen Killed in Distracted Driving Crash

 Posted on December 00,0000 in Car Accidents

A 15-year-old girl was killed in a Minooka accident in mid-April, and her classmate was left in serious condition, according to the Chicago Tribune. Police are saying that the “tragic incident” was caused by distracted driving, while alcohol and drug use have been ruled out. Elizabeth Daniels, 15, was pronounced dead at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet. She was a backseat passenger in an Infiniti G20 “being driven by 17-year-old Patrick O’Connell,” according to Minooka Police Chief Justin Meyer and as reported in the Tribune. The Infiniti, according to police reports, was “northbound on McLinden Road and its driver disobeyed a stop sign at Route 6.” A Honda Civic, driven by a 26-year-old Minooka woman, T-boned the driver’s side of the Infiniti, “which had two other 15-year-old girl passengers.” The teen seated in the back with Daniels was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood and remains in serious condition after suffering head trauma.  

According to Center for Disease Control (CDC) statistics, “each day in the United States more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,060 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.” There are three main types of distraction, according to the CDC: visual (taking your eyes off the road); manual (taking your hands off the wheel); and cognitive (taking your mind off what you are doing). Cell phone use, eating, and using navigation systems can all be reasons for distracted driving, but the Minooka crash has been blamed on in-car conversation, according to the Tribune. In 2010, according to the CDC, 18 percent of crashes in which someone was injured involved distracted driving. In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in distracted driving crashes, compared to 3,267 in 2010. That’s nearly a 2 percent increase.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a crash in which distracted driving was at fault, you may be eligible for compensation. Don’t go through it alone. Contact a dedicated Chicago-area personal injury attorney today.

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