Illinois Teen Driving Accident Kills One Teenager and Injures Another
In Illinois, one teenager is dead and another is injured after teen driver Dalton Mittendorf crashed a Jeep Liberty into a utility pole. The 17-year-old teen motorist is accused of driving the vehicle at a high speed when it jumped a hilltop, running off the road before striking the pole and overturning.
17-year-old Kelsey E Glass, a passenger in the Jeep, was pronounced dead at the Illinois motor vehicle accident site. Another teen passenger, 17-year-old Frank E Fortman III, sustained minor injuries.
Mittendorf, who suffered serious injuries, was transported by air to the hospital. According to the Illinois state police, Glass and Mittendorf did not appear to be wearing seat belts when the auto accident happened.
The AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety says that while teen driving accidents can cause serious or deaths among teenage drivers, the occupants of the vehicle, other motorists, and pedestrians are at even higher risk of getting hurt or dying:
• 28,138 people were killed in teen driving accidents from 1998 through 2007.
• About 30% of the victims were the teen motorists.
• The rest of the victims were people who were riding in the vehicles with the teen drivers, occupants of other vehicles, pedestrians, and pedalcyclists.
Risks associated with teen drivers:
• Lack of experience
• Tendency to speed drive
• Drunk driving
• Failure to wear seat belts
• Distracted driving
Unfortunately, motor vehicle crashes tend to be a leading cause of deaths among teenagers. Illinois’s graduated licensing program gives teen drivers the opportunity to gain experience and develop safety skills before they becoming fully licensed.
Belknap teen dies in car crash, KFVS.com, March 3, 2009
Teen crashes more likely to kill others, WIVB.com, March 2, 2009
Graduated Licenser Service, Cyber Drive Illinois
Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Related Web Resources:
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
Beginning Teenage Drivers, NHTSA
If you or someone you love was seriously injured in a Chicago car accident, contact the Law Offices of Steven J. Malman & Associates, PC today. We represent motor vehicle crash victims in Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, and Will County.
