ILLINOIS MAN KILLED IN COLLISION WITH SEMI
An accident last Thursday involving two vehicles and one semi left one Illinois man dead and four people critically injured. The accident occurred just after noon on I-43 in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.
The two vehicles, a 2006 Ford Escape and a 1995 Cadillac Deville, had slowed to exit on Highway D due to the closure of I-43 for emergency repairs to the freeway shoulder. The semi collided first with the Cadillac, which was carrying a 64-year-old male drive and an 80-year-old female passenger. The Cadillac went into a ditch and overturned. The semi then struck the Ford SUV, which was carrying a 78-year-old male driver and his 75-year-old wife. The SUV became wedged under the semi. Both vehicles went into the ditch, where the semi pushed the SUV another 150 yards.
The driver of the SUV, a 78-year-old man from Stickney, Illinois was killed in the accident. His 75-year-old wife was taken to Columbia St. Mary's Ozaukee Hospital in Mequon, Wisconsin. The two people in the Cadillac also sustained serious injuries and were taken to the Mequon hospital. The driver of the semi sustained minor injuries.
Police are continuing to investigate the accident to determine whether the semi driver should be charged. Police Captain Dave Guss reported that the semi driver, a 36-year-old man from Dexter, Missouri, admitted that he was distracted when he reached for a snack and didn't realize that he was coming up on slowing traffic.
Distracted driving is one of the riskiest behaviors a driver can engage in. Even one second of distraction can lead to catastrophic consequences. My deepest condolences to the families of the people who were injured and killed in this preventable tragedy.
The Law Offices of Jeffrey J. Kroll has extensive experience litigating trucking accident cases, including one case in which a 49-year-old woman was killed in a collision with a semi that ran through a red light. Please contact us if you or a loved one has been involved in an automobile accident.
