Car Accidents in St. Charles, Illinois

The St. Charles law firm of John J. Malm & Associates is a team of experienced and caring personal injury attorneys who help individuals and families who have suffered an injury or loss due to an automobile accident. Our newly remodeled Kane County offices are located at 1700 Lincoln Hwy. (Route 38), Suite G, St. Charles, Illinois 60174. Our dedicated lawyers live right here in the Fox Valley and regularly represent our clients in auto accidents in St. Charles.

Our personal injury law firm understands that careless or negligent driving (speeding, running a red light, crossing the center line, or failing to yield), reckless driving (drag racing), distracted driving (texting while driving), or impaired driving (alcohol or drugs) can lead to car accidents involving serious injuries and fatalities here in our community of St. Charles. Although the population here in St. Charles has declined just slightly in the past year, reports of serious car accidents appear to be steady, and, sadly, fatalities are on the rise.

St. Charles is a city in Illinois that spans between both DuPage County and Kane County. The City of St. Charles is about 40 miles west of Chicago. Nearby towns include Geneva, Batavia, Elgin, Wasco, and West Dundee. The population in the 2010 census was 32,974 and the median household income was $75,181. The City of St. Charles consists of many busy roads, including Illinois Route 64, Illinois Route 38, Illinois Route 25, Illinois Route 31, and Randall Road.

Illinois Route 64 is the main road through the City of St. Charles, and as such, most of the car accidents in St. Charles occur on Route 64. In 2018, there were no fatalities in St. Charles as a result of a motor vehicle collision. However, many people were injured in different types of car accidents that took place in St. Charles throughout that year.

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), in 2018, there were 679 automobile accidents in St. Charles, which was an increase of about 30 crashes from the previous year. Of these, only one accident involved a motor vehicle striking a bicyclist, and five accidents involved motor vehicles striking pedestrians.

The most common type of car accidents in St. Charles are rear-end collisions. In 2018, there were more than 287 rear-end accidents in St. Charles. The vast majority of these car crashes occurred on clear weather days, while roughly 100 accidents were associated with rain or snow conditions.

When are roads safest in St. Charles? Traffic patterns in St. Charles, which gradually increase during the week, seem to play a role in the timing of car accidents. The early portion of the work week has the lowest crashes reported, while motor vehicle accidents occurred more frequently near the end of the week. Crashes peaked during Wednesday through Sunday, with most crashes, 123 in total, taking place during the daylight hours of 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

How are records of St. Charles crashes kept? When categorizing all reported motor vehicle accidents, IDOT uses a system consisting of letters to classify the severity of the injury that occurred. When a car accident is reported to the police, an Illinois Traffic Crash Report is generated, and any injury that occurs is labeled with either a K, A, B, C or O. “K” means that a fatality resulted from the accident. “A” represents someone suffering incapacitating injuries from the accident. “B” is non-incapacitating injuries. “C” is non-evident or very minimal injuries, and “O” means that there is no indication of any injury. IDOT combines A, B and C to determine the total injuries for a particular year.

The overwhelming majority of injury classification for the City of St. Charles in 2018 was O, which means most people did not sustain injuries. However, 185 people were injured in the total 679 crashes, and 20 of those people suffered from incapacitating injuries. Incapacitating injuries can range from broken bones to paralyzing spine injuries.

Unfortunately, two fatal accidents in St. Charles have already been reported in the first half of 2020. Serious accidents due to negligence occur frequently and sometimes result in fatalities (wrongful death). Fatal traffic accidents can be caused by anything from distracted driving to adverse weather conditions (driving too fast for conditions).

On the morning of June 2, 2020, a 60-year-old woman was killed when her Volkswagen Beetle side-swiped a Mercedes, and then collided head-on with a semi-truck on Kirk Road in St. Charles. The woman operating the Volkswagen was headed northbound when she crossed over the center line of the road. The operators of both the Mercedes and the semi-truck driver were proceeding southbound in their respective lanes. The operator of the Mercedes was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and the driver of the semi-truck was minimally injured.

Another fatal accident occurred on the afternoon of February 27, 2020, on Fox River and Weber Drives. A 25-year-old driver and a 26-year-old passenger were thrown from a Chevy Trailblazer after it left the roadway and struck a tree. The driver was transported to nearby Delnor Hospital in Geneva, Illinois, where he was pronounced dead. The passenger was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove and treated for injuries.

What is the most often reported cause of car crashes in St. Charles? The most common cause of accidents is overwhelmingly distracted driving, not only here in St. Charles, but across the United States. Some of the typical forms of distracted driving are:

• Texting and driving
• Talking on a cell phone (improper cell phone use)
• Eating or drinking
• Looking in the mirror or grooming oneself
• Toggling with GPS systems or radios

Sometimes, the physical condition the driver can contribute to the cause of a car accident. Physical conditions of the driver include: impairment/driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol, fatigue, and illness. Yet in most car accidents, the driver’s physical condition is not a cause. Almost 91% of St. Charles car accidents happened while a driver was considered to be in a normal physical condition, but was otherwise careless in operating a vehicle. In 2018, only 32 drivers involved in accidents in St. Charles were considered alcohol impaired, with only 3 drivers found to be drug impaired. In 2018, 7 drivers reportedly crashed in St. Charles due to illness, and only five drivers involved in accidents were determined to have been fatigued.

Rarely, vehicle malfunctions can cause a motor vehicle accident. Potential mechanical failures include vehicle’s braking system failure. Although seldom reported, a brake failure can be result in serious injuries, especially at higher rates of speed.

Are there locations or intersections in St. Charles that are more dangerous than others? Although accidents can occur anywhere, some roadways in St. Charles are associated with significantly more crashes, and are, therefore, more dangerous. Below are some of the intersections in St. Charles where fatal car accidents have recently occurred or where accidents more frequently occur:

• Fox River and Weber Drive
• Kirk Road and Ohio
• Randall Road and Route 38
• Route 64 and 2nd Street (Route 31)
• Route 64 and Kirk Road
• Route 64 and Lakeside Drive
• Randall Road and Oak Street

Other dangerous roadways in St. Charles include South Randall Road, East Main Street (Route 64), and Lincoln Highway (Route 38).

John J. Malm & Associates is an experienced St. Charles law firm representing individuals and families who have suffered an injury or loss as a result of a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, bicycle accident, pedestrian accident, and bus accident. We have helped our clients recover millions in compensation. You may be entitled to a substantial settlement if you have been injured. If you or a loved one has been injured in a St. Charles car accident, we encourage you to call John Malm and his team at 630-524-2323 to receive a free case evaluation and discuss your options.