Tragic Illinois car accident kills five before holiday

It’s no secret that the days and weeks surrounding major holidays see an increase in vehicle crashes. More people are travelling, and they could be distracted by festivities and other thoughts. Whether or not such distractions were involved in causing the catastrophic injuries that resulted from a single-vehicle car accident during the weekend before Thanksgiving remains to be seen.

According to reports, a man was driving on a road in southeastern Illinois. He was carrying five passengers, including a 35-year-old woman, a 23-year-old woman, a 42-year-old woman, a 49-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl.

The driver lost control of his vehicle, though causes for the accident and loss of control are still under investigation. The loss of control caused the vehicle to roll over multiple times. Four of the passengers and the driver were thrown from the vehicle as a result of the accident.

According to reports, only one passenger in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt. The 49-year-old man was trapped in the vehicle for over an hour. Emergency responders were able to remove him from the vehicle, but he died before they could move him from the scene. The driver of the vehicle was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

Three of the adults who were thrown from the car were pronounced dead by emergency responders on the scene. The 16-year-old girl, who was one the passengers thrown from the vehicle, was rushed to the hospital and authorities report she died Sunday afternoon.

It’s difficult to image the feelings of friends and family members regarding this accident. With five people in the car, it’s likely the driver was related to or friends with the deceased passengers. Even with such a tragic turn of events, there are insurance and compensation measures to consider. When a driver is at fault for a single-vehicle accident that harms or kills his passengers, he may be deemed responsible for compensation in the case.

Source:  5KSDK.com, “Five people killed in southeastern Ill. Accident” No Author Given, Nov. 25, 2013