Pedestrian injured in Chicago-area hit-and-run
Our readers know that Chicago, as one of the most populous cities in America, has quite a few pedestrians near roadways on any given day. In the unfortunate situations in which pedestrians are struck by a motor vehicle, such a case usually does not end well for the pedestrian who has no protection from the force of a motor vehicle that weighs thousands of pounds. It is a sad reality that pedestrian collisions are somewhat common in Chicago and the surrounding metropolitan area.
According to recent reports, a pedestrian hit-and-run occurred on the city’s Near West side. The incident occurred on April 29th during the morning commute hours. Fortunately, there is video surveillance coverage of the collision. The footage shows a Jeep Cherokee make a left turn at an intersection and clip the legs of the pedestrian, who was crossing the street in a designated crosswalk. The video shows that the driver of the Jeep does stop and get out of the vehicle, at which time a brief glimpse of the driver’s face is seen. He drives away after that. Law enforcement officials, as of May 3rd, were still looking for the male driver of the Jeep.
The reports do not indicate the severity of the pedestrian’s injuries and, fortunately, the collision did not appear to occur with the vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. When the driver of the Jeep is finally located, he will likely face criminal charges.
Pedestrians who are injured in collisions with motor vehicles may have legal options to pursue under personal injury law. In such a claim, the victim may be able to recover financial compensation to cover medical expenses, among other damages. These types of claims can be pursued even a criminal conviction is not obtained or charges are not filed. Therefore, those who have suffered harm at the hands of a negligent driver, like the victim mentioned above, should carefully consider how to craft legal arguments that position them well to impose liability and recover the compensation they deserve.