Many of the car accident stories that Chicago residents read about note that accident victims died instantly or that they died shortly after arriving at the hospital. However, some victims of auto accidents hold onto life under the care of trained medical professionals and must fight to avoid losing their lives to injury.
This was just the case for a 102-year-old Chicago woman who recently passed away from injuries she received in a car accident. The elderly victim was a passenger in her daughter’s car when the vehicle was hit by another automobile. The victim died around a week after the initial accident and her death was attributed to the blunt force trauma injuries she received in the crash.
While her death is tragic, this victim’s story highlights that the repercussions of automobile accidents often extend long after a negligent driver causes a driving incident. Individuals who cause car accidents can hold liability for the proximate and remote damages that result from their actions, even when those damages do not arise immediately after the accident.
This victim was a true matriarch and actively involved in making her community better. Those who knew her will experience this loss with sadness and her family will have to make difficult decisions about her final arrangements and finances. In addition to the physical injuries that accident victims often face, economic and emotional damages can also result in the aftermath of an automobile crash.
Individuals who have lingering injuries that were caused by the negligence of others may have rights to sue for their damages. Though this victim sadly lost her life, others may be inspired by her situation to pursue compensation for the many injuries they sustained in the days and weeks after their car accidents.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “102-year-old Flossmoor woman who died after auto accident remembered as ‘fascinating woman,'” Rosemary Regina Sobol and Carlos Sandovi, Nov. 4, 2013
