Any fatal accident is sad, but when it involves a 3-year-old child, it becomes truly tragic. On Oct. 16, the child was killed near Belleville, Illinois, when the van he was riding in went out of control and he was thrown from the vehicle. The woman driving the van was rushing the boy to the hospital after he had sustained a facial injury at home. Besides the accidental death of the child, the accident also injured two other people who were in the van.
According to the Illinois State Police, the woman was operating a 2000 Mercury minivan when she lost control in a turn. The accident occurred a little after noon on North Belt West near Illinois 13. As she lost control, her vehicle went into the oncoming lane and she over-corrected, which caused her vehicle to spin out, cross the eastbound lanes and go off the road. The speed of the van was estimated to be somewhere between 60-65 mph. The posted speed limit for that area is 45 mph.
The boy was in the back seat, being held on the lap of an 18 year-old man. The infant was thrown out of the driver’s side middle passenger window. Neither the child nor the man holding him was wearing a seat belt. The man holding the child and the driver were taken to Memorial Hospital in Belleville with minor injuries. It is not known what, if any, relationship there is between the female driver and the child.
When an accidental death happens, family members want to know the facts surrounding the incident. They have a right to know exactly who or what was responsible and to know if any legal action can be taken to seek monetary damages for negligent conduct. An attorney may be able to offer assistance in finding out the truth of how a loved one died.
Source: The News Democrat, “3-year-old dies in crash near Belleville; woman had been rushing boy to hospital,” Oct. 16, 2011