College students hear constantly about the importance of drinking responsibly. For most, this could simply mean ensuring that a designated driver is in place before consuming alcohol. Unfortunately, responsible individuals who choose to ensure their safety and that of others cannot control the actions of other drivers on the road who have not taken similar precautions. One college student was recently killed in a fatal accident in Illinois that involved a driver suspected of driving under the influence.
The accident occurred in the early morning hours of a day in late March. Few details of the accident are known at this time, but it involved two vehicles. In one of the vehicles, three occupants were injured, and a fourth killed as a result of severe head injuries suffered in the motor vehicle accident.
It is unclear if the occupants of the second vehicle were injured. However, the driver of that vehicle now faces criminal charges related to driving under the influence as a result. Because the deceased family felt the deceased victim would want his organs donated, an autopsy will not be conducted until after the donation process is complete.
The deceased was a student at Illinois State University and worked as an assistant baseball coach alongside his father at a high school. The grief the family and the community in general is experiencing is unfathomable. Unfortunately, the family may also face significant financial burdens due to any medical expenses and funeral costs stemming from the fatal accident, and the injured occupants may face similar financial strains while they recover. In order to cope with the bills and other expenses, they all have the option of filing a civil case. If they can prove the accident was caused by the other driver’s negligence, they could be awarded with damages related to the accident to ease one of their stresses during their time of grief.
Source: The Bloomington Pantagraph, “Accident victim dies of head injuries, ISU offers condolences“, , April 3, 2014