Personal Injury Law Blog

On February 16, three members of an Illinois family were killed when a 21-year-old driver crashed into their vehicle. Piotr Rog, who was also killed in the accident, may have been traveling in excess of 100 mph before striking the Crawford family’s car, authorities said. The only survivor from the crash was Rog’s passenger, who is in a medically-induced coma.

Kevin and Anita Crawford and their daughter Kirsten were killed in the crash. The Crawfords’ other two children are now being cared for by Anita’s father Erwin Schmidt and his wife Ursel. Schmidt said that not enough attention is paid to traffic safety laws.

Police in Des Plaines, where the accident took place, said that Rog was at fault. Starting at age 16, Rog received at least nine tickets for speeding and other offenses. His license was suspended four times, but he managed to narrowly avoid automatic revocation. David Druker, a spokesman for the office of the Illinois Secretary of State, said that there is a specific process for dealing with repeat traffic offenders, but the Secretary of State’s office relies on the courts to report drivers’ records. Penalties for traffic violations are set by state law and imposed by county traffic courts, where judges are often burdened with heavy caseloads.

Druker said that a license can be revoked if the driver receives four moving violations in 24 months, and it appeared that Rog skirted that time frame by days in some instances. Convictions for street racing or a fourth DUI can also lead to revocation.

If you were injured or lost a loved one in a motor vehicle accident, you may be entitled to compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. Contact Briskman Briskman & Greenberg for a free consultation.