fatal accident

Older Teen Drivers More Likely To Have A Fatal Crash

Oct 13, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

By Nick Gale, WLS-AM 890 News

(CHICAGO) A new report shows bigger safety gains for younger drivers, but 18 to 20-year old’s are more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than other drivers.

A new report from the Governor’ Highway Safety Association shows much progress has been made in reducing teen traffic deaths over the past decade, but teens are still 1.6 times more likely than an adult to die in a crash. Teen driver deaths actually spiked 10 percent in 2015.

Jim Graham, global manager with the Ford Driving Skills for Life program, says teens are waiting to get their drivers licenses, in part because less schools are offering drivers education.

“If you break down teens, the young teens, 15 – 17, have had a significant decrease in crashes and fatalities. A 56-percent decrease over the last 10 years whereas older teens, 18, 19 and 20 have had a smaller decline,” Graham said.

Graham says parents should look for resources to help their teen drivers and also encourage more supervised drive time.

80-year-old homeless man fatally struck by Jaguar in Joliet

Oct 12, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

(JOLIET) An 80-year-old man was fatally struck by a car Tuesday afternoon in southwest suburban Joliet.

The pedestrian crossed Jefferson Street from the northwest corner at the intersection with Reed Street at 12:42 p.m. against the traffic light, according to Joliet police.

The man stepped off the curb into the street, and the driver of a pickup in the outside lane saw him and slammed on his brakes, avoiding striking him, police said.

The black 2004 Jaguar was in an inside lane about one car-length behind the pickup when the 80-year-old man suddenly appeared, police said.

The driver of the Jaguar, a 19-year-old Joliet man, slammed on the brakes but was unable to avoid striking him, police said. The man was thrown into the hood and windshield of the car, and fell to the ground.

A surveillance video from a nearby business captured the crash, police said.

The pedestrian, who was homeless, suffered two broken legs, a fractured left arm and bruising on the brain, police said.

He was taken to Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, where he was pronounced dead at 2:57 p.m., according to the Will County coroner’s office. His name has not yet been released pending notification of family.

Police said there was no evidence of drug or alcohol use by the driver or the pedestrian. The driver will not be charged.

Man dead after SUV crashes into Hegewisch home

Apr 16, 2015 | WLSAM Staff

(CHICAGO) A man was killed when the SUV he was driving crashed into a home less than a block of from his own Wednesday afternoon in the Hegewisch neighborhood on the Far South Side, police said.

The SUV, driven by 34-year-old Walid T. Haddad, struck the home in the 12800 block of South Muskegon at 12:22 p.m., according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

A man was killed when the SUV he was driving crashed into a home in the 12800 block of South Muskegon Wednesday afternoon in the Hegewisch neighborhood on the Far South Side, police said. | Devlin Brown/for Sun-Times Media

Haddad, who lived in the 12900 block of South Muskegon, was taken to Advocate Trinity Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:06 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

No other injuries were reported.