Chicago rang in the New Year with several serious expressway car accidents. CBS News reports that at least seven people were injured one highway car accident during the early hours of Tuesday morning. The Dan Ryan Expressway crash happened near Roosevelt Road around 2:30 a.m. and the Illinois State Police say that alcohol was likely a contributing cause in this crash.
Four people are listed in critical condition, two others were in stable, but serious condition and one person suffered minor personal injuries in the Dan Ryan Expressway crash. Authorities say that the driver who caused the crash tried to flee the scene but was apprehended by University of Illinois police officers a short time later.
CBS News reports that two other crashes happened around the same time on Chicagoland expressways. One crash happened on the Kennedy Expressway around 2:40 a.m. and sent one person to the hospital. Another rollover crash happened shortly before 2 a.m. on I-94 by West 147th Street. Details on that accident are scant.
New Years’ Day is one of the most dangerous holidays in terms of car accident injuries. Drunk driving, fatigue and icy road conditions are typically contributing factors to NYE crashes. Many cities around Illinois boost the number of patrol officers on DUI patrol during New Years’ Day and other holidays such as Christmas and Labor Day. Some cities around the country also offer free public transit on major holidays to reduce the likelihood of drunk driving crashes.
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