Three people were injured and one driver was arrested following a suspected drunk driving accident on I-74 early Friday morning. Police were called on reports of an accident on I-74 near mile marker 191 at around 3:20 a.m. on Friday. Officers believe that Love was driving west in the left lane when he rear-ended the vehicle directly in front of him. That vehicle was carrying 46-year-old Amanip Marple, 45-year-old Ann Marple, and an unnamed 16-year-old.
After the collision, Love veered off the road and crashed into median wires. The other vehicle pulled over to the right side of the road. All three people in that vehicle were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Love was charged with driving under the influence and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
For those now wondering, “can I sue for being hit by a drunk driver?” attorney contributor Guy D'Andrea shared some thoughts with The Legal Herald on alcohol vendor liability for drunk driving accidents:
In the United States, the victims of drunk drivers may have the option to file a personal injury claim against the driver who injured them. Additionally, Illinois and many other states have dram shop laws that allow alcohol vendors to be held liable for providing alcohol to the person who caused the injury.
According to Illinois dram shop laws, victims of alcohol-related injuries can file lawsuits against alcohol vendors as long as they prove the following:
Several states only allow vendors to be held liable if the customer was already visibly intoxicated, but this is not the case in Illinois. Here, alcohol vendors can be held liable simply for providing alcohol that caused intoxication which led to an injury.
If you or someone you love was hit by a drunk driver, you can learn more about your legal options by speaking to an experienced DUI victim lawyer.