One man was killed and four other people injured in a fatal Chatham crash after a red light was disregarded on Chicago’s South Side.
Driver Runs Light in Fatal Chatham Crash
The fatal Chatham crash took place on October 29, 2020. At approximately 1:20 a.m., a 35-year-old man was driving eastbound on 79th Street toward Martin Luther King Drive when he ran a red light and collided with another vehicle in the intersection, according to preliminary information from the Chicago Police Department. There were four people inside the vehicle he struck.
Emergency responders transported a 54-year-old man from the second vehicle to the University of Chicago Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital and later identified as Derrick Reed by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The 35-year-old driver was also transported from the scene of the fatal Chatham crash to the University of Chicago Medical Center, along with both a 43-year-old woman and a 55-year-old woman from the second vehicle. The driver was stabilized, but the women were in serious condition. Additionally, a 51-year-old man was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.
Authorities said that the 35-year-old driver would be issued traffic citations. The Chicago Police Major Accidents Unit is investigating the cause of the fatal Chatham crash.
Troubling Facts About Red Light Violation Accidents
Red light violations can result in significant, sometimes deadly traffic accidents. Each year in the United States, drivers who run red lights kill or injure tens of thousands of people.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that more than 140,000 people suffered minor to severe injuries from red light violation accidents in 2018 alone. These types of crashes typically take place in intersections, where approximately forty percent of all auto accidents occur, with some 7,000 fatalities annually, including over 27 percent of fatal traffic accidents in Illinois. Data from the Illinois Department of Transportation suggests that many of these tragic incidents could be avoided.
Chicago Lawyers Helping Red Light Violation Victims
It is illegal to disregard red lights, and drivers who do so can be subject to traffic citations and other serious penalties. If you are the victim of a driver who runs a red light, you could be eligible to obtain compensation for any injuries you have suffered. However, financial recovery is far from guaranteed. Accidents at intersections, where red light violation collisions typically occur, can sometimes become fiercely disputed, with the at-fault driver’s insurance company insisting that the victim actually disregarded the light. When this happens, success or failure may depend upon how strongly you can build and present your case, sometimes requiring evidence such as:
- Eyewitness Statements
- Photographs and Video Footage
- Official Documentation
- Expert Testimony
- Accident Reconstruction
Given the complexity of this process, consider doing what so many other victims have done before you and retain the knowledgeable car accident attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers LLC.
With more than $2 billion recovered in verdicts and settlements, GWC is one of the leading Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation law firms in Illinois. No other firm in the state is more respected – or more feared – by insurance companies and their attorneys, both inside and outside of the courtroom. Our Chicago car accident lawyers have more than four decades of experience overcoming defense objections in order to get wrongfully injured clients and their families the justice they deserve.
If you have been the victim of a red light violation accident, contact GWC today to schedule a free, no-obligation case evaluation with one of our dedicated attorneys. You may call our office at (312) 464-1234 or click here to chat with a representative at any time.
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