Every day, people take to Illinois’ many roads and highways despite the fact that the threat of a car accident is ever-present. Yet most of the state’s motorists are likely not ignorant of this possibility; rather, they may assume that most of the others on the road around care as much as they do about avoiding accidents (and thus act accordingly while behind the wheel).
While in a majority of cases, this assumption proves true. However, there are instances where one acts blatantly negligent or reckless on the road. Unfortunately, the consequences of such actions are often not limited solely to the irresponsible actor.
Head-on collision on Route 135 produces fatal results
Evidence of this fact again appeared in a recent collision that occurred in Warren County. Per WGIL, state police officials say that a Buick Encore traveling southbound on Illinois Route 135 suddenly crossed over into oncoming traffic and collided with an approaching Toyota Highlander head-on. The driver of the Toyota sustained serious injuries in the accident, while her front-seat passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Sadly, her second passenger died of their injuries, as did the driver of the Buick.
Posthumous liability for a causing injury
While one might hear of cases such as this and question the wisdom of car accident victims in seeking a liability claim (after all, how can a deceased person pay for accident injuries?), this line of thinking overlooks the fact that a cause of action typically survives the person responsible for it. Those impacted by a car accident (either through injuries sustained or property damage) can still seek compensation from a deceased party; such assistance would simply become a liability against the decedent’s estate.