Residents of St. Clair County know that, when the level of traffic increases during the holiday season, more car accidents tend to occur. The greater frequency of crashes may be due to the increased number of vehicles on the road, or it may also be due to other reasons, such as driver inattention or increased alcohol consumption. Indeed, sometimes the cause of a car accident is not initially apparent, requiring a closer investigation by police and other concerned parties. Such would seem to be the case in a crash that occurred on Dec. 20.According to Belleville Police, two women had to be taken to a hospital after being involved in a two-vehicle collision. The car accident took place around 6:30 in the evening and happened at the intersection of Illinois 161 and Frank Scott Parkway in Belleville. Police reported that one of the women was pregnant, but no information was released on her or the other woman's current condition.
Belleville car accident totals school bus, devastation avoided
Car accidents come in all shapes and sizes, and those involving a school bus are particularly frightening. One such collision occurred in St. Clair County on the afternoon of Dec.15 on Highway 161 between North County Road and Silver Creek Bridge, sending one of the drivers to a Belleville hospital.A 19-year-old boy driving a 1995 Honda Prelude lost control of his vehicle and struck a school bus coming in the opposite direction. The car accident happened about 4 p.m., and fortunately there were no students on the school bus. While the 51-year-old bus driver emerged from the crash uninjured, the young driver of the Prelude was banged up and taken to a Belleville hospital for treatment. After an investigation, the cause of the accident was initially said to be attributed to a mechanical error in the Honda, and police did not issue any traffic citations at the scene. Both the school bus, which ended up in a ditch, and the Honda Prelude were totaled.
Collinsville man sentenced for causing fatal car accident
Every fatal car accident in St. Clair County is a tragedy. But every once in a while, a car accident occurs that is especially difficult to fathom from any perspective. As Illinois readers know, when an individual gets behind the wheel of a vehicle, he or she owes a reasonable degree of care to others in or near the roadway. However, when someone is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, it becomes far more difficult to argue that due care and caution were exercised while driving, and when that failure occurs, too often it results in catastrophe.Last April, a 20-year-old Collinsville man caused a car accident in Fairview Heights that claimed the life of a 12-year-old victim and seriously injured the young girl's mother. The man, said by police to be under the influence of heroin at the time of the collision, lost control of his Jeep Grand Cherokee on Illinois 159 near Stonewolf Trail. His vehicle struck a northbound 2002 Ford Taurus. The young man has now pled guilty to aggravated driving under the influence. As a result of his plea on Dec. 6, the man will serve seven years in state prison.
Illinois car accident injures 1, claims another's life
Many residents of St. Clair County rise early each day of the week and head to jobs or school. The story is the same for people in every state and every town. For most, the commute to work is typically mundane and uneventful. Unfortunately, however, what starts as a normal commute can end in tragedy. Recently, a 62-year-old Prairie du Roacher woman was injured, and a 59-year-old man from Baldwin, Illinois, was killed in a car accident during just such a morning commute.The accident took place shortly after 6 a.m. when the 59-year-old man had completed his job delivering newspapers for the Belleville News-Democrat. Police have confirmed that the man drifted across the center line, colliding head-on with the 62-year-old woman's SUV. The car accident occurred just south of Route 3 in Monroe County on Kaskaskia Road. The woman was taken to an area hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash. Emergency rescuers made attempts to free the man from his vehicle, but he was pronounced dead on the scene.
Alton man's life taken in wood chipper accident
In a tragic case of workplace fatality, a 54-year-old Alton man was killed recently when he became entangled in a wood chipper. Exactly what caused the man to become trapped by the machine is not yet known. However, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is conducting a fatality investigation.
