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Illinois family involved in SUV rollover crash
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5 of 6 family members not wearing seat belts
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Father dies in car accident, 5 other family members suffer injuries
The simple truth of the matter is that seat belts can and do save lives; however, the harsher reality is that many people fail to wear seat belts when they are riding in motor vehicles. This dangerous decision not to wear seat belts can prove deadly in the event of a car accident. Unfortunately, that was the case for one Illinois family when the vehicle in which they were riding was involved in an SUV rollover crash in another state in June. The father died in the collision and five other family members were injured, including an infant and three other children.
Authorities revealed that five of the individuals in the SUV flew from the vehicle because they were not wearing their seatbelts. They also reported that the accident occurred due to a blown rear tire. The tire blowout resulted in the driver of the SUV losing control, running off the road, and caused the vehicle to roll before stopping at its top. An official with the Department of Transportation’s office in that area stated that 18 percent of people in this state fail to wear seatbelts. Further, he said that resulted in 156 fatalities in 2013 alone.
The family from Illinois was apparently vacationing in Colorado at the time of the collision. Only one of the children in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the serious crash. According to statistics produced by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are one of the primary causes of death for individuals from the age of 1 to 54 in our country. The CDC further reported that choosing to use seat belts when traveling in motor vehicles can reduce the amount of serious accident-related injuries by approximately 50 percent.
In fact, among those teens aged 13 to 20 years who perished in 2012 crashes, nearly 55 percent were not wearing seat belts when they suffered their fatal injuries. Adults who are between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely to forego seat belts than those over the age of 34. These statistics are disturbing, considering that buckling up is a very easy and effective method to dramatically increase one’s safety when traveling in a vehicle.
An SUV rollover crash can be devastating for those who are involved. In the event that a Missouri or Illinois family suffers injury or death in a car accident, whether wearing seat belts or not, they may be able to seek financial restitution in the event that another party’s negligence caused or contributed to the collision. Please contact our St. Louis car crash firm in order to find out more about pursuing a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. We can help you decide whether this is a good option in your case, and we are just a phone call away at 1-888-586-7041.
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Sources: http://kdvr.com/2015/06/18/one-dead-five-injured-in-i-76-rollover-in-brighton/ and http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/seatbelts/facts.html