Police officer injured in hit-and-run car accident in Chicago

A Chicago police officer is recovering from injuries he suffered when a car struck him as he was in the process of conducting a traffic stop early last Thursday. The person who hit him could not be found after the accident, however. The car fled the scene and there was not enough information about the vehicle to allow police to track it down immediately.

As the investigation into the car crash was ongoing, a woman came forward and admitted to being behind the wheel that night and hitting the police officer. She has since been charged with a substantial list of crimes, including leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury, damage to public property, driving without a license, failing to render aid or give information, driving without insurance and failing to report an accident.

At times, people have occasion to be on the shoulder of the road, exposed to traffic. Sometimes there is no other place to change a flat tire. Police officers are there because their job requires them to make traffic stops. In either case, drivers have a responsibility to use caution when approaching a pedestrian in the road.

Failure to follow that responsibility can result in liability when the pedestrian suffers injury in a car crash. Depending on the severity of the accident, victims can face a long road back to health, incurring extensive medical bills and missing wages while away from work. A civil suit can help them recover the compensation needed to defray those financial losses.

Source: Chicago Tribune, “Lynwood woman charged in hit-and-run that injured cop held on $75K bond,” Sept. 15, 2012