Vehicle Crash Injuries And Their Associated Level Of Severity

Vehicle crash injuries can vary significantly depending upon the characteristics of the accident. While some vehicle crash injuries are minor, and the associated pain and other impairments diminish after a short time, other injuries can have lasting effects.

As discussed on the “Injuries Resulting From Various Types Of Vehicle Accidents” page, while serious injuries can occur during many types of crashes, there are certain types of collisions which typically result in serious, if not life-threatening vehicle crash injuries. Among those types of crashes that often lead to critical injuries are “head-on collisions.” An excerpt from the page regarding this type of highly traumatic collisions:

“Head-on collisions” typically are highly physically traumatic to vehicle occupants, as vehicle occupants are subject to physical forces that are both strong and highly unnatural. As seen in many Illinois accidents of this type, it is not uncommon for these crashes to lead to immediate fatalities for some of those involved.
Many aspects of “head-on collisions” are further discussed on the “Will County ‘Head-On Collisions’” page. A high percentage of the Will County “head-on crashes” highlighted on that page led to one or more fatalities.

An Illinois crash, summarized in the August 24, 2016 Madison Record article titled “Woman sues over Granite City collision,” serves to highlight various injuries and the impact they have had, as claimed in a lawsuit. As seen in the article, the accident involved a “chain-reaction” crash that involved three vehicles.

An excerpt from the article, concerning the injuries alleged by the plaintiff, Tonya M. Racelis:

The lawsuit states Racelis sustained injuries to her head, neck, spine and lower back, causing her pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, loss of wages and medical expenses.

Additional discussion concerning vehicle crash injuries, including those that have occurred during Will County accidents, can be seen in the sources mentioned above.

Plainfield Car Crash Near 135th Street and Meadow Lane

A Plainfield car crash involving a failure to yield occurred Friday (November 16, 2018) evening.

According to Plainfield Police, the two-vehicle crash occurred just after 6:15 p.m., near 135th Street and Meadow Lane.

This Plainfield car crash involved one vehicle striking another before striking a tree.

An excerpt regarding the crash and the charges filed against the driver, Max W. Winkelmann, 19, of Plainfield, from the November 20, 2018 Romeoville Patch article titled “Romeoville Teen Faces Weapons Charge After Crash: Cops“:

Winkelmann was charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, failure to yield and an intersection, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving an uninsured vehicle and unlawful use of a weapon.

Additional details regarding this Plainfield car crash can be seen in the article mentioned above.

As discussed on the “Will County Loss Of Control Accidents” page, loss of vehicle control can occur due to many reasons. Common reasons include driver distraction, driver error, driver impaired by alcohol or driver impaired by drug use, and various road hazards.

One factor that often contributes to a loss of vehicle control is driving at an excessive speed. Driving considerably above the speed limit – or driving too fast for conditions – can increase the possibility that the driver will lose control of the vehicle at some point. Driving fast increases the possibility of a crash as well as increases the likelihood of serious resulting injuries.

Injuries that occur during a loss of vehicle control vary considerably both in type and in severity. However, it is common for such injuries to be serious in nature – and possibly life-threatening – as a collision at speed often is highly forceful in nature. If the loss of control involves the vehicle leaving the roadway, it is possible that the vehicle will strike a fixed object. As seen in many Will County accidents, including the Plainfield car crash summarized above, this fixed object often is a tree.

Driving In Snow Safely During The Chicago Winter Season

Driving in snow often requires caution in order to avoid getting into an accident. As seen in many accidents, snow and icy conditions can lead to “slide-offs,” spinouts, “rear-end” accidents, and for trucks, jackknifing. These accidents can be particularly hard to avoid if there is “black ice,” which can be very difficult to see and extremely slick.

On November 15, 2018 driving in snow was addressed in the wgntv.com article (with video) titled “IL transportation officials say be smart, pay attention driving in snow.” The segment discusses various safety tips, including driving slowly near accident scenes as well as avoiding distracted driving.

An excerpt from the article:

As dangerous as conditions can get here in the Great Lakes region, with weather changing in an instant, snow plow drivers and police all too often see people fumbling with their cell phones in winter driving conditions.
And snow plow drivers say they see too many distracted motorist cutting in front of snow plows carrying six-tons of salt.

As discussed on the “Distracted Driving Accidents” page, many accidents that have occurred in Will County as well as the broader Chicago area are caused by drivers who are distracted. While this distraction can involve many actions, the frequent source of distracted driving involves drivers who are texting or otherwise using the cellphone.

However, there are many other circumstances that can lead to a driver being dangerously distracted. Among other actions include trying to operate mobile technologies while driving, such as car navigation systems. Even talking or arguing with another person in the vehicle can lead to the driver being sufficiently distracted to create a dangerous situation. In many cases, such driver distraction causes a loss of vehicle control that often leads to a collision either with another vehicle, pedestrian, or – if the vehicle leaves the roadway – a fixed object like a tree or utility pole.

Additional details regarding driving in snow and distracted driving can be seen in the sources mentioned above.

Bolingbrook Fatal Car Crash On November 8, 2018

A Bolingbrook fatal car crash occurred Thursday (November 8, 2018) night. This single-vehicle Bolingbrook fatal car crash appears to have involved a loss of vehicle control.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Todd DeTamble, 44, of Plainfield. He died at the accident scene.

According to the Bolingbrook Police Department, the crash happened at approximately 8:15 p.m., just to the south of 1701 Remington Boulevard.

An excerpt regarding the accident, from the November 12 Bolingbrook Patch article titled “Funeral Set For Plainfield Man Killed In Bolingbrook“:

“Vehicle driven by victim was (eastbound on) Frontage into (the) curve at Remington,” police said. “Vehicle left roadway from the curve still (eastbound) into the parkway, struck a ComEd electric pole, rolled, and came to rest in the vacant lot which is north of 1701 Remington.”

As further discussed on the “Will County Loss Of Control Accidents” page, there can be many reasons why a driver may lose control of a vehicle. Among the common reasons are driver distraction, driver error, driving while impaired, and road hazards. Another reason may be that there is a mechanical failure in the vehicle, or another type of failure such as a tire blowout.

A factor that may precipitate a loss of vehicle control is driving at high speed. Driving considerably above the speed limit can increase the possibility that the driver will lose control of the vehicle.

Injuries that occur during a loss of vehicle control can vary. However, it is common for such injuries to be serious in nature – and possibly life-threatening – as a collision at speed often occurs. If the vehicle leaves the roadway due to the loss of control, the vehicle can collide with fixed objects such as trees, utility poles, and other items.

Additional details regarding loss of vehicle control accidents, as well as the Bolingbrook fatal car crash mentioned, can be seen in the sources mentioned above.

Drunk Driving Crashes And Efforts Made To Reduce Their Frequency

Drunk driving crashes as well as accidents involving drivers who are impaired by drug use continue to be a traffic safety problem in Will County as well as throughout Illinois.

On this site, Will County drunk driving crashes are discussed in posts found under the “DUI” category. As seen in the various accidents discussed in these posts, these crashes have caused many serious injuries and in some cases fatalities.

Many different types of accidents can occur due to impaired driving. These drunk driving crashes often involve loss of control accidents as impaired drivers frequently have difficulty in adequately driving the vehicle. Often, these loss of control accidents lead to the vehicle leaving the roadway, at which point they are susceptible to hitting a fixed object like a tree.

Drunk driving crashes happen throughout the year. However, they often are more frequent around holiday periods. For this reason, law enforcement often performs special enforcement initiatives – sometimes including checkpoints – in order to try to reduce the amount of drunk driving.

The November 6, 2018 Joliet Patch article titled “Joliet Roadside Checkpoints Are In Place For The Holidays” discusses the Joliet Police Department’s plans for setting up checkpoints during this Thanksgiving holiday period.

An excerpt from the article:

Joliet Police, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation, will enforce the checkpoints in an effort to increase seatbelt usage and crack down on drunk driving and speeding, particularly leading up to Thanksgiving. With Thanksgiving being one of the busiest travel days, there is the potential for more accidents and fatalities.

As mentioned, police officers will also be checking for other violations such as whether vehicle occupants are wearing seat belts, and that children are also in child seats or otherwise using appropriate restraint systems.

As discussed in the “Seat Belts As An Accident Prevention Measure” page, seat belts remain one of the best ways to prevent accident injuries during a crash.

Fatal I-80 Car Crash Just To The East Of Houbolt Avenue

There was a fatal I-80 car crash in Joliet on Monday (November 5, 2018) afternoon. This fatal I-80 car crash appears to have involved a loss of vehicle control.

According to preliminary accident investigation findings from the Illinois State Police, the accident happened as a car was traveling on eastbound I-80. For a currently unknown reason, the car veered off the expressway near mile marker 129.

An excerpt regarding the crash, quoting an Illinois State Police statement, from the November 6, 2018 Channahon Patch article titled “Lockport Motorist Dies On Joliet I-80 Stretch“:

“According to preliminary investigations, the Toyota was traveling eastbound on I-80 just east of Houbolt Avenue when, for unknown reasons, it drove off the right side of the roadway, striking a tree and overturning. The driver, Jeanine Ibrahim, was pronounced deceased on the scene by the Will County Coroner. It was reported that Ibrahim was not wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash,” police said.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal I-80 car crash can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the article mentioned above as well as the November 6 wjol.com article (with accident scene photo) titled “Single Vehicle Fatal Crash On I-80 In Joliet.”