Two on Motorcycle Die After Hitting Tractor Trailer

 Posted on July 19, 2013 in Personal Injury

A man and a woman were both killed in a motorcycle crash on I-80 in mid-July, according to the chtribune. Their motorcycle crashed into a semi tractor-trailer, according to the Tribune, at about 2am on a Monday morning. Both Todd William Tracy-Zarebski, 32, and Eve Koltovaite, 23, were from the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He was from Elgin and she was from Buffalo Grove. Both died on the scene. "The trailer burst into flames after the crash," according to the Tribune, "and all three southbound lanes were closed until about 5:40am as first responder and investigators worked at the scene." No one in the trailer was injured, and the driver of the truck refused medical treatment, according to the Tribune. It's no secret that motorcycles are among the most dangerous vehicles on the road. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently published a study that reported while "motor vehicle crash-related deaths involving cars and light truck reached an all-time low in the U.S." between 1999 and 2008, "motorcyclists deaths reached an all-time high, more than doubling" in the same time frame. Between 2001 and 2008 alone there were more than 34,000 motorcyclist deaths in the U.S. and "an estimated 1,222,000 persons were treated in a U.S. emergency department for a non-fatal motorcycle-related injury." The highest death and injury rates were for younger riders, mostly between the ages of 20 and 29. Because the driver of the truck refused treatment, it's likely that if he later experiences negative medical consequences from this accident that he wouldn't be able to sue or claim a personal injury suit. The standard advice is to always accept medical treatment, even if you don't have insurance, especially in a situation where the accident is not your fault. That's where a qualified personal injury attorney can assist. If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident such as this, don't go through it alone. You may be eligible for compensation. Contact a dedicated Chicago-area accident attorney today.