What should have been a safe ride home for a 42-year-old Chicago resident turned into his final moments of life. After getting into a car accident, the man took shelter in the back of the responding officer's police car. The car was blocking multiple lanes of traffic while the police sorted out the crash scene.

As the 42-year-old sat in the back, a 32-year-old man who was driving while intoxicated smashed into the back of the squad car. The 42-year-old did not survive the car accident and the responding officer received a concussion after his car spun around twice due to the force of the collision.

The at-fault driver had a blood alcohol level measured at 0.249 and the Assistant State Attorney said that the 32-year-old was talking on his cell phone to try and stay awake prior to the fatal car accident. Witnesses also say that the man's car was travelling very quickly as it approached the stopped police car. The 32-year-old has been charged with a pair of aggravated DUI offenses.

There are so many things involved in the build-up to this car accident that seem to indicate a reckless man engaged in negligent acts behind the wheel of a vehicle. Those irresponsible decisions resulted in someone's death, and if all of the factors before the wreck are proven, the victim's family will have more than enough evidence to take the 32-year-old to court with a wrongful death lawsuit.

It is a sad reminder of how dangerous the roads can be, and an even more unfortunate way to lose the presence of a loved one.

Source: Chicago Tribune, "Bond set at $1M for man charged in fatal squad car crash," Becky Schlikerman and Dan Hinkel, Feb. 13, 2012