Illinois officials are struggling to explain exactly why a man involved in a roadway accident that killed two people still had his license when the November crash occurred.
In September, he’d already caused the death of another man when he failed to yield at an intersection while driving a pick-up. In the most recent accident, he was driving a semi.
That means this particular driver — who had already proven himself to be a liability on the road — held both a regular driver’s license and a commercial driver’s license, neither of which had been revoked.
Officials now say they’ve received the official crash report from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and will revoke both the driver’s regular license and his commercial license due to reckless driving. However, that’s a bit like shutting the barn door after the horses have all run away. Three people still lost their lives.
In cases where vehicle crashes end in serious injuries or death, it’s important for victims (including close surviving family members and heirs) to explore their legal options for recovery.
For example, a wrongful death claim can be filed against the individual driver and his or her company if the driver was using a company vehicle. The law requires an employer to bear responsibility for the negligent actions of its employees when something goes wrong.
In cases like that of this driver’s first victim, who suffered for eight days before dying from his injuries, survival actions are also possible. Those are essentially the personal injury claims that the deceased could have filed had he or she lived, filed by his or her dependents or estate instead.
Source: Herald & Review, “Why did driver in fatal Clinton, Macon crashes still have license?,” Jaylyn Cook, Nov. 17, 2017
