One teenage girl recently died in a vehicle accident in Illinois. The car accident took place on a Thursday evening and involved just one vehicle. It reportedly happened in the area of Route 81 in Henry County.
Police said they received word of a car that might have been involved in a crash and was off of the road. They responded to the scene, where they spotted a vehicle that matched the description they were given. They say the car was parked on a street, and the 19-year-old driver sped off when police approached it.
Police indicated that the car then turned onto another street and sped up. The driver lost control, went through the lane going east and hit a tree. A girl, said to be 14, was riding in the car. The two car occupants were taken to the hospital, where the girl died. The driver was arrested on charges of reckless homicide, and his bond was set at $250,000; police continued to investigate the accident.
The man who is deemed to have caused the accident not only faces criminal charges but also might face a civil lawsuit filed by the family of the deceased girl. This is because her family has the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the man. If the man ends up being convicted, proof of this criminal conviction may be furnished in an Illinois civil court in an effort to prove his financial responsibility for her death. A successful outcome may result in a financial award that can help the family to move on from the tragic car accident.
Source: starcourier.com, “Girl, 14, killed in traffic accident near Kewanee”, Nov. 21, 2014