Chicago Car Accident Attorneys Blog

A 21-year-old woman who is charged in the Illinois car accident that left two construction workers with minor injuries says she had been using her cell phone while in the construction zone. Megan C. Gates is charged with failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident, using a cell phone in a construction zone, and violating Scott’s Law.

Illinois State Police say that Gates, who was driving her 2006 Honda CR-V SE just after midnight on Interstate 55/70, had entered the construction area when she swerved to avoid hitting an animal. She struck the a parked construction truck on the driver’s side, causing her own vehicle to flip over.

Injured in the Illinois traffic crash was construction worker Timothy R. Ahle, who was struck by debris. Another construction worker, Justin W. McQuarry, was struck by the construction trailer when Gates hit the truck. The two men were taken to a Maryville hospital for treatment of their minor injuries.

Gates admits that she was talking on her cell phone while in the construction zone, but she says that she was not using the phone when she struck the truck.

Distracted Driving
These days, people cannot afford to distract themselves when driving by talking on a phone or text messaging. Studies and accident statistics prove that cell phone and PDA use while driving can prove catastrophic.

Drivers need their eyes on the road, both hands on the steering wheel, and their attention fully at the task at hand and on the traffic around them in order to decrease the chances of causing and/or becoming involved in a Chicago car accident. Cell phone use and text messaging while driving can be cited as negligent acts when someone gets hurt or dies in the process.

Motorist blames animal in accident, The Intelligencer, June 4, 2010

Woman charged after crash that injured construction workers, BND, June 3, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Scott’s Law

Distracted Driving, National Safety Council