Lawsuit Filed Regarding Fatal I-55 Truck Accident

There has been a lawsuit filed in Will County Circuit Court regarding the fatal truck accident that happened on July 21, 2014 on I-55 near Elwood. That accident resulted in the initial deaths of four people, followed by another death, and was further described in the July 22, 2014 post titled “Fatal I-55 Truck Accidents In Will County.”

The August 28, 2014 mysuburbanlife.com article titled “Husband of I-55 crash victim sues truck driver” discusses the lawsuit that has been filed regarding the death of one of the accident victims, Ulrike Blopleh, of Channahon, as well as the injuries sustained by various children of the family who were also in the car at the time of the accident.

The lawsuit has been filed against the driver of the truck (Francisco Espinal-Quiroz) that caused the collision, as well as the truck company, Espinal Trucking.

An excerpt from the article:

The lawsuit claims that Espinal-Quiroz was speeding, failed to reduce speed and didn’t safely change lanes. The lawsuit points out that Espinal-Quiroz appeared to have impaired vision, suggesting he was not fit to operate the truck he was driving.
The suit also claims Espinal-Quiroz drove more hours than allowed by federal law and was exhausted to the point that he was a safety hazard.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Will County truck accident lawsuit can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the mysuburbanlife.com article mentioned above.

Fatal Hit & Run Accident In Rockdale, Illinois

There was a fatal Will County hit & run accident on Monday night (August 25, 2014) in Rockdale, Illinois.

An excerpt from the August 26, 2014 Romeoville Patch article titled “Alcohol Played ‘Major Role’ in Fatal Hit & Run: Police“:

Will County Sheriff’s police said a 31-year-old Lockport man spent hours drinking with a friend before intentionally lying down in the roadway, where he was struck and killed late Monday night in Rockdale.

The Lockport man who was killed was identified as Daniel Lietke.

The driver of the car that struck Lietke was identified as Vernon Howard, 37.

Additional details regarding this fatal Will County hit & run accident can be seen in the Romeoville Patch article mentioned above, as well as the August 26 mysuburbanlife.com article titled “Man dies when hit by vehicle in Rockdale.”

Fatal Car Accident On Driveway In Joliet, Illinois

There was a fatal Will County vehicle accident Saturday afternoon (August 16, 2014) in Joliet, Illinois.

The fatal car accident happened at a residence just after 3:00 p.m., as a 15-year-old boy fatally struck his 2-year-old brother as the boy was moving the SUV forward before attempting to back the SUV out of the driveway.

According to Joliet Police, the boy was unaware of his brother’s presence near the SUV.

The Will County Coroner says the 2-year-old brother, identified as Alex Marivilla, was pronounced dead at 3:41 p.m. at Presence St. Joseph Medical Center.

This fatal Will County car accident remains under investigation.

Additional details and possible updates can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the August 17, 2014 Chicago Tribune article titled “Authorities: Joliet toddler accidentally ran over” as well as the August 17 Joliet Patch article titled “Toddler Struck, Killed in Driveway: Police.”

Woman Charged With DUI After Joliet CarAccident

There was a car accident in Joliet, Illinois early Thursday morning (August 14, 2014) for which a woman was charged with driving under the influence as well as other charges.

The accident, in which the woman and her passenger were injured, happened at approximately 1:00 a.m. on Raynor Avenue just north of Moran.

An excerpt from the Joliet Patch article of August 15, 2014, titled “Drunken Joliet Woman Tears Through Yards, Slams Into Raynor Ave. Stoop: Cops“:

A Joliet woman drunkenly careened through a pair of North Raynor Avenue yards before slamming her car into a front stoop early Thursday.

The woman was identified as Veronikka Hernandez, 25, of Joliet.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Will County car accident can be seen in a variety of media sources including the Joliet Patch article mentioned above, as well as the August 15 thetimesweekly.com article titled “Police blotter…“

I-57 Vehicle Accident Injures Seven People

There was a vehicle accident early this morning on Interstate 57 (I-57) near Matteson, Illinois.

According to the Illinois State Police (ISP), this accident involved two vehicles, a car and a van, that collided at approximately 2:15 a.m. The accident happened on southbound I-55 at Route 30.

Seven people were injured in this vehicle accident, including six people in the van and one in the car.

A woman was ejected from the van during the accident. She was taken to Franciscan St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields, and was in critical condition. Her five children were also taken to this same hospital.

The driver of the car, a 22-year-old, was also taken to Franciscan St. James Hospital in critical condition.

This accident remains under investigation.

Additional details and possible updates can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the August 12, 2014 Chicago Tribune article titled “Mom, 5 kids hurt in I-57 crash near Matteson” as well as the August 12 NBC Chicago article titled “Seven Injured in I-57 Crash.”

Fatal Will County Bicycle Accident

There was a fatal bicycling accident in Will County on Saturday, August 9, 2014.

According to Will County Forest Preserve Police, the accident happened just before 11:00 a.m. on the Hickory Street Junction Trail (Will County Forest Preserve) trail. At that time, a man riding a bicycle went to pass a jogger, then swerved to avoid hitting an oncoming bicyclist. In doing so, the man fell off his bicycle and hit the back of his head on the pavement. At the time of the accident the man was not wearing a helmet.

The man was identified as Vaidas Varpucanskis, 42, of Mokena.

According to the Will County Coroner’s Office, he was pronounced dead at 11:38 a.m. at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox.

An excerpt from the Chicago Tribune article of August 11, 2014, titled “Mokena man dies after bike crash on Will County trail” quoting Will County Forest Preserve Police Lt. Tracy Chapman:

“We recommend everybody wears their helmets while riding bikes,” Chapman said, adding that others have died while biking on forest preserve trails without helmets.

Additional details and possible updates can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the Chicago Tribune article mentioned above as well as the August 11 Mokena Patch article titled “Mokena Man Crashes Bike on Will County Trail, Dies.”

Channahon Fatal Motorcycle Accident

There was a fatal motorcycle accident in Will County early Friday morning (August 8, 2014) in Channahon, Illinois.

According to Channahon Police, the motorcycle accident happened at approximately 1:40 a.m. as the motorcyclist and passenger were riding on Center Street near Route 6.

An excerpt from the August 8, 2014 Morris Daily Herald article titled “Motorcyclist killed in Channahon crash,” quoting Channahon Police Chief Jeff Wold:

“It appears he was traveling at a high rate of speed and lost control where the road curves and went into the ditch,” Wold said.

The motorcyclist was identified as Timothy J. Connolly, 41, of Channahon. He was taken to Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, where he was pronounced dead at 2:04 a.m.

The motorcycle’s female passenger was listed in serious condition as of Friday morning.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Will County motorcycle accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the Morris Daily Herald article mentioned above, as well as the August 8 Channahon-Minooka Patch article titled “Channahon Man Killed in Motorcycle Crash.”

Fatal I-55 Motorcycle Accident In Unincorporated Will County

There was a fatal motorcycle accident Wednesday night (August 6, 2014) on I-55 in unincorporated Will County.

According to the Illinois State Police (ISP), the motorcycle accident happened at approximately 9:35 p.m. For an unknown reason, the motorcyclist lost control of the bike while on southbound I-55 near I-355. The bike crashed onto the pavement, struck the median, and continued until it stopped along the left shoulder.

The motorcycle’s passenger, Ashley Wilson, 14, of Naperville, was pronounced dead at the accident scene.

The rider of the motorcycle, her 54-year-old father, was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital with injuries considered to be non-life-threatening.

An excerpt from the August 7, 2014 abc7chicago.com article titled “14-year-old girl killed after motorcycle crash with father” :

The driver was cited for having an invalid driver’s license, which expired in 2010, as well as no insurance, police said.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal Illinois motorcycle accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the abc7chicago.com article mentioned above, as well as the August 7 Naperville Sun article titled “Naperville teenage girl killed in motorcycle crash.”

Single-Vehicle Crash In Bolingbrook, Illinois

There was a Will County single-car accident Monday morning (August 4, 2014) in Bolingbrook.

According to Bolingbrook Police, this crash happened at approximately 6:40 a.m. on East Frontage Road. The accident involved a westbound SUV whose driver struck a curb, lost control of the vehicle, and then struck a tree “head on.”

The driver had to be extricated from the vehicle, and then was taken via helicopter to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment of injuries.

Additional details and possible updates can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the August 4, 2014 TribLocal Bolingbrook article titled “Driver critical after Bolingbrook crash” as well as the August 4, 2014 thetimesweekly.com article titled “Driver in critical after plowing into tree, police said.”