Truck Accident Lawyer News

SAUK VILLAGE, IL – A woman was killed early Wednesday morning, November 3, in a truck accident on a highway in Will County, Illinois. The semi driver was later charged in the deadly collision which occurred at the intersection of Illinois State Route 394 and Steger Road just south of the suburb of Sauk Village, IL. The accident area is in the far south part of the Chicago metro region near the border with Indiana, about 15 miles west of Crown Point, Indiana.

On Wednesday morning 33 year old truck driver Glenn A. Friesen of Goshen, Indiana  was driving a semi trailer truck south on Route 394, traveling through Cook and Will counties. Route 394 is also known as the Calumet Expressway. The semi driver was carrying live stock in the trailer section of his truck. The name of the trucking company that owns the tractor trailer and the destination of the driver are not known at this time.

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At the same time 32 year old Kelle R.  Ill of St. John, Indiana was driving a Chrysler sedan passenger car east on Steger Road. There were no passengers in Ms. Ill’s car.

The truck accident happened when the two vehicles approached the intersection of Route 394 and Steger Road at about 5:40 a.m. Wednesday morning. According to Illinois State Police, Ms. Ill had reached the juncture of Steger and Route 394 and had the right of way. She entered into the intersection and attempted to turn right onto southbound Route 394.

The driver of the semi trailer reportedly had a red light at the juncture but allegedly ignored the traffic signal and drove into the intersection, slamming broadside into the smaller passenger car. The impact of the truck accident crushed the left side of the car, trapping Ms. Ill inside the vehicle.

No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.

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Will County rescue teams rushed to the scene of the collision. They worked to extricate Ms. Ill from her vehicle, using tools to cut through the metal of her crumpled car. Unfortunately when they finally reached her they found that Ms. Ill had suffered fatal injuries in the truck accident and may have died upon impact. The Will County Coroner’s Office pronounced her dead shortly after 7:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.
The driver of the semi tractor trailer was not injured in the truck accident and did not require treatment.

Illinois State Police officers and Will County deputies descended upon the deadly truck accident scene. Officials shut down the southbound lanes of Route 394 and the intersection with Steger Road while investigators reconstructed the crash site and highway crews worked to clear the traffic lanes. The closures lasted throughout the morning commuter rush. The southbound lanes of Route 394 reopened about 5 hours later at around 11:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Authorities investigating the truck accident interviewed witnesses who claim that the driver of the semi, Mr. Friesen, went through a red light and T-boned the passenger car. The driver of the semi was charged with Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident and Disobeying a Traffic Control Light.

Additional charges could be brought pending completion of the truck accident investigation.

When a truck accident occurs, if a lawsuit is filed, the selection of where it is filed is called “choice of venue”. Generally, the laws governing venue are:

(1) The county wherein the accident occurred;
(2) The county wherein the defendant company’s principle place of business is: and
(3) The county wherein the defendant truck driver resides.

Often times the truck company and the truck driver will be from other states other than where the accident occurred. Truck accident lawyers often times have relationships with other experienced truck accident lawyers licensed in other states. Gordon, Elias & Seely LLP are licensed in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Washington, DC and have informal relationships with other truck accident lawyers.

For more information about Illinois trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims’ rights, contact truck accident lawyers Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP for expert truck accident advice. Visit our IL truck accident lawyer page for more information about Illinois truck accidents. For a free initial consultation, talk to a truck accident attorney at 1.800.773.6770.

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