Chicago drunk driver arrested after causing fatal crash on I-80

Drunk driving remains one of most reckless and selfish decisions an individual can make. By choosing to get behind the wheel, drunk drivers show that they have no regard for the lives or safety of others on the road, and car accidents involving drunk drivers are often fatal to the law-abiding motorists involved.

Recently, a 31-year-old Chicago man caused a fatal car accident while driving the wrong direction down Interstate 80 in nearby Morris. Police said the drunk driver entered the eastbound lanes of the highway and began traveling west; ultimately causing a head-on collision that resulted in the death of a 66-year-old driver.

According to news sources, the initial collision sent the drunk driver’s car into the median and triggered a second collision between the victim’s car and a semi-tractor trailer. The impact was hard enough to send the victim’s car 200 feet down the highway where he was later pronounced dead.

It may be hard to believe, but wrong-way crashes are relatively common on busy highways, especially when drunk driving is involved. Most of us could never imagine ourselves making such a dangerous error, but the fact that the driver entered the wrong side of the highway is probably an indication of just how drunk he was. He now faces charges of aggravated DUI.

Criminal charges are appropriate and necessary following a drunk driving accident. But the families of deceased victims killed by a drunk driver deserve more restitution than just the knowledge that the offender will serve prison time. That’s why families facing such a tragedy may wish to purse a wrongful death lawsuit against the at-fault driver.

Source: CBS Chicago, “Bridgeview Man Killed In Wrong-Way Crash On I-80,” Mar. 2, 2013