Cooler fall weather has arrived in the Chicago area, and many motorcyclists are preparing to put away their bikes until next spring. But the bracing autumn air invites some to ride their motorcycles one last time before the onset of winter. Drivers must remain vigilant and look out for these riders.
But one Chicago man was not paying sufficient attention to the road when he collided with a motorcyclist in Long Grove in September. The motorcyclist was fatally injured in the accident. According to the criminal charges filed by police, the driver of the SUV failed to yield the right of way to the motorcycle at an intersection.
The motorcyclist was traveling west on Old Route 53 when the driver of the SUV made a left-hand turn at the intersection to go east on Old Route 53. As the motorcyclist entered the intersection, he was struck by the SUV.
Police had initially filed a DUI charge against the driver of the SUV, but recently released laboratory test results showed that the man did not have drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of the fatal crash. Lake County prosecutors have since dropped the DUI charges, but the failure to yield charge remains, and authorities indicated that charging documents could be amended to add further counts.
Even though the driver of the SUV no longer faces DUI charges, that does not absolve him of responsibility for the accident. In addition to the remaining criminal charges, the driver could be held civilly liable by the surviving family members of the deceased motorcyclist.
Source: Chicago Daily Herald, “DUI charges dropped against Chicago man involved in Long Grove fatal motorcycle crash,” Lee Filas, Oct. 17, 2012