The simple act of crossing the street in a big city like Chicago is treacherous, even for those obeying the law and using the designated crosswalks. A car accident can occur in the flash of a light, and it is not always obvious what happened when a pedestrian is mowed down by a motor vehicle. The pedestrian is gravely injured in many instances, or worse, and sometimes the only person with direct knowledge of the incident is the one that police believe caused the tragedy in the first place.

Police have released information about a 76-year-old female Chicago resident who was killed crossing the street on Dec. 3 at about 7:15 a.m. She was in a crosswalk in the 4500 block of Kimball Avenue on the city's north side when the crash happened. A van struck the woman in the Albany Park neighborhood and then fled the scene of the car accident. The woman lived on North Spaulding Avenue and was declared dead at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center just after noon. The van driver was later taken into custody, and formal charges are pending.

The victim's family must now arrange for her burial while trying to understand the cause of the accident. They will want answers and also accountability for the apparent negligent and perhaps even reckless conduct that took the life of their loved one. Illinois law specifically provides for the right of a deceased victim's estate and surviving family to sue for wrongful death in order to recover monetary damages for any negligent or intentional acts which caused or contributed to the death. While the claim cannot bring the victim back to life, it can send a message that the callous acts of others will result in full responsibility for negligent behavior.

Source: My Fox News, "Elderly Chicago Woman Killed in Hit-And-Run Accident," Dec. 3, 2011