When Chicago drivers are involved in a car accident, the protection of the vehicle sometimes saves them from serious injury or death. Unfortunately, there have been many cases where people have ended up on the side of the road and were killed by drivers who weren't paying attention. In those instances, the victims do not have the protection of their motor vehicle and the crash often results in a fatality.

That unfortunate scenario played out in early December on Interstate 290, when a 49-year-old victim was struck as he stood outside of his pickup truck along the freeway. Police did not explain why the man was outside of his truck at the time of the crash. A box truck driver traveling on the Chicago roadway veered into the shoulder and struck the standing victim and his truck at about 6 a.m. The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead about 20 minutes after the crash.

No specific reason for the box truck driver's swerve onto the shoulder was provided, though authorities in the local area did note there were several additional accidents locally due to slick road conditions. No additional factors have been listed as a cause of the accident. As authorities review the causes of this fatal Chicago crash, negligence of the box truck driver will surely be considered. Each time a driver gets behind the wheel of a vehicle in Illinois, he or she assumes a duty of reasonable care to others on or near the roadway.

Even in snowy or slick conditions, drivers are expected to maintain a safe driving speed, distance from other cars, and focus on the road. If the box truck driver was distracted or under the influence, he will likely be held responsible for the fatal car accident. The surviving family may wish to pursue a wrongful death action against all negligent parties to recover monetary damages for the fatal highway collision.

Source: My Fox News, "One Killed in Crash on Eisenhower Expressway near Cicero," Dec. 9, 2011