There has been a fatal Tri-State Tollway crash near Route 176. This fatal Tri-State Tollway crash is being attributed to a “wrong-way” driver. The person killed was an Illinois State Police (ISP) Trooper identified as Gerald Ellis, 36.

At the time of the crash Ellis was driving home as his shift had ended. The crash happened early this morning (March 30, 2019) at approximately 3:25 a.m. near mile post 16.75 in Green Oaks.

Ellis was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital.

As can be seen in the accident scene photo, his ISP SUV was severely damaged in the front, which indicates that this crash was likely a “head-on collision,” which is common during “wrong-way driver” accidents.

The driver who was driving in the wrong direction at the time of the crash also died. He was later identified as Dan Davies, 44, of Calumet City.

The accident remains under investigation. It is unknown at this time as to whether the “wrong-way driver” was impaired at the time of the collision; however, the Lake County Coroner has indicated that alcohol consumption was likely a factor in the crash.

It is typical for drivers who drive in the wrong direction to be impaired either by alcohol or by drug use. If the driver is impaired by alcohol consumption, the level of impairment is often substantial.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal Tri-State Tollway crash near Libertyville can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the March 30, 2019 Chicago Tribune article titled “…Trooper killed in crash near I-94 near Libertyville…” Remembrances of
Gerald Ellis can be seen in the April 1, 2019 Lake County News-Sun article titled “Trooper killed in wrong-way crash remembered…“

“Wrong-way drivers” (those who travel in the wrong direction) continue to be a substantial traffic safety problem both locally as well as nationally. Just Thursday night there was a double-fatal “wrong-way driver” crash on I-355 in Downers Grove. That fatal accident was summarized in the “I-355 Fatal Car Crash In Downers Grove” post. 

On this site, various Lake County crashes as well as those in the Chicago area that involve “wrong-way drivers” are discussed in posts in the “Wrong-Way Drivers” category.  As seen in those posts, this type of crash is highly problematical.  Typically these crashes lead to serious accident injuries to vehicle occupants, and fatalities often result.

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Should you be involved in a vehicle accident, there are certain actions you should take in order to protect your rights. Elman Law Group has compiled a reference document titled “10 Steps You Should Follow After an Auto Accident.”

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Elman Law Group LLC (ElmanLaw.com) is a law firm that concentrates in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death cases involving vehicle accidents (car, motorcycle, bike, bus, pedestrian, truck, etc.) This intense focus allows us to consistently achieve winning verdicts and settlements for our clients.

Should you be involved in a car accident, there are certain actions you should take in order to protect your rights.  You should not assume – especially without proper legal representation – that you will receive appropriate compensation for your injuries, hardships and/or losses.  To immediately speak directly with a trial lawyer from the Elman Law Group, call (773) 392-8182 at any time.  There is no fee for this consultation.  

There was a two-car accident Wednesday night (February 24, 2016) in Highland Park.  The accident happened on Clavey Road near Aspen Lane.  The crash involved one car that was traveling in the wrong direction.

According to Highland Park Police, the crash happened at approximately 8:30 p.m., as a car traveling eastbound in the westbound lane hit a westbound vehicle.  The collision was a “head-on” collision.

One of the two drivers was taken to Highland Park Hospital for treatment of his accident injuries.

An excerpt from the February 25, 2016 Highland Park News article titled “Clavey Road crash sends one driver to hospital“:

The driver of the errant eastbound vehicle was cited for improper lane usage, Wilinski said.

Additional details regarding the crash can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the Highland Park News article mentioned above, as well as the February 26 Highland Park Patch article titled “Crash On Clavey Road Sends Man To Hospital.”

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There was another Chicago-area “wrong-way driver” incident this morning, this time on the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290).

Victor H. Rocha, 34, of Chicago, was arrested at approximately 2:30 a.m. and charged, according to the Illinois State Police, with felony aggravated DUI and ticketed for driving in the wrong direction. He was also charged with operating a vehicle with a revoked driver’s license, and disobeying a traffic control device.

According to the Illinois State Police (ISP), Rocha was driving east in the westbound lanes of the Eisenhower Expressway and attempting to drive north onto the ramp from the southbound Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94).

An IDOT truck stopped Rocha’s car on the ramp, preventing its further travel. Rocha was arrested shortly thereafter.

According to the ISP, Rocha was facing charges from a prior DUI offense and driving the wrong way arrest that took place in 2010 at Orleans and Superior Streets in Chicago.

Additional details and possible updates can be seen in a variety of news sources including the June 7 MyFoxChicago story titled “Chicago man arrested twice for wrong-way driving” as well as the June 7 Chicago Tribune story titled “ISP: Wrong-way DUI driver was already facing wrong-way DUI driving charge.”

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Should you be involved in a vehicle accident, there are certain actions you should take in order to protect your rights. Elman Law Group has compiled a reference document titled “10 Steps You Should Follow After an Auto Accident.”

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Elman Law Group LLC (ElmanLaw.com) concentrates in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death cases involving vehicle accidents (car, motorcycle, bike, bus, pedestrian, truck, etc.) This intense focus allows us to consistently achieve winning verdicts and settlements for our clients.

Should you be involved in a car accident, there are certain actions you should take in order to protect your rights.  You should not assume – especially without proper legal representation – that you will receive appropriate compensation for your injuries, hardships and/or losses.  To speak directly with a trial lawyer from Elman Law Group immediately, call (773) 392-8182 at any time.  There is no fee for this consultation.

This blog post is an update to the blog post of January 14, titled “‘Wrong-Way’ Driver in Lincolnshire, Illinois Involved In Accident.”

The man driving the SUV in the wrong direction in Lincolnshire, John Warsaw, 63, was in Lake County court on Thursday regarding that January 13 accident.  Warsaw was charged with reckless homicide and 2 counts of aggravated DUI causing death or great bodily harm.  He paid the required $50,000 (of the $500,000 bond) on May 17 and was released from Lake County jail.

One of the passengers in the vehicle he struck head-on, Shruti Phandis, 26, of Wheeling, died five days following that January 13 accident.  Various others involved in the accident were hospitalized.

An excerpt regarding the January 13 accident, referencing comments from Lincolnshire Police Det. Adam Hyde, from the Glencoe TribLocal story of May 18, titled “UPDATE: Glencoe man charged with reckless homicide in crash that killed newlywed” :

Police received numerous 911 calls at about 8:50 p.m. Jan. 13, Hyde said. A Honda CRV, allegedly operated by Warsaw, was seen driving into a ditch before swerving into the median on Illinois Highway 22 in Buffalo Grove, where the vehicle hit a street sign, police said. It continued eastbound before turning south on Highway 21, where it was driving in northbound lanes before striking a Toyota Corolla, Hyde said.

The Corolla was pushed into the air and landed on the hood and windshield of a Jeep Grand Cherokee behind it. The drivers of the three vehicles were taken to area hospitals, Hyde said.

According to Hyde, Warsaw’s blood alcohol content was more than 0.1 percent — higher than the legal maximum of .08 percent — additionally, he had the prescription narcotic hydrocodone (the generic variant of Vicodin) in his system.

Additional details and possible updates can be found in a variety of media sources including the Glencoe TribLocal article mentioned above, as well as the May 17 Glencoe News story titled “Glencoe man charged with homicide in fatal crash in Lincolnshire.”

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Should you be involved in a vehicle accident, there are certain actions you should take in order to protect your rights. Elman Law Group has compiled a reference document titled “10 Steps You Should Follow After an Auto Accident.”

_____

Elman Law Group LLC (ElmanLaw.com) concentrates in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death cases involving vehicle accidents (car, motorcycle, bike, bus, pedestrian, truck, etc.) This intense focus allows us to consistently achieve winning verdicts and settlements for our clients.

Should you be involved in a car accident, there are certain actions you should take in order to protect your rights.  You should not assume – especially without proper legal representation – that you will receive appropriate compensation for your injuries, hardships and/or losses.  To speak directly with a trial lawyer from Elman Law Group immediately, call (773) 392-8182 at any time.  There is no fee for this consultation.

In the recent past there have been a variety of “wrong-way” driver incidents on Chicago area expressways. Some of these incidents involved accidents, including fatal accidents.

Here is a list, in reverse chronological order, of “wrong-way” driver incidents that have been widely reported, along with links to the relevant Elman Law Group blog posts concerning these incidents:

April 15, 2012: “Five-Car Accident On Route 41 In North Chicago, Illinois Attributed To Wrong-Way Driver”

April 10, 2012: “‘Wrong-Way’ Driver Travels 10 Miles On Interstate 90 (I90) In Illinois”

April 2, 2012: “‘Wrong-Way’ Driver On Edens Expressway In Wilmette, Illinois”

February 22, 2012: “Another “Wrong-Way” Driver Incident On Chicago’s Kennedy Expressway”

February 11, 2012: “”Wrong-Way” Driver Collides With Car On Chicago’s Eisenhower Expressway”

February 9, 2012: “Wrong-Way Driver Collides With Car And Van On Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive”

February 6, 2012: “4 Dead In Wrong-Way Car Accident On I-80 In Hazel Crest, Illinois”

February 3, 2012: “Wrong-Way Driver On Chicago’s Stevenson Expressway Drives 6 Miles, Then Crashes “Head-On” Into Another Car”

January 16, 2012: “‘Wrong-Way’ Driver Incident On Chicago’s Kennedy Expressway”

December 15, 2011: “Wrong-Way Driver Travels For Over 11 Miles On Illinois’ Edens Expressway”

As well, there have been a variety of other “wrong-way” incidents in 2011, both on Chicago-area expressways as well as other roadways. These crashes included that of August 6, as seen in the post titled “2 Killed On I88 In Lisle During Wrong-Way Head-On Collision”
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Elman Law Group LLC (ElmanLaw.com) concentrates in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death cases involving car accidents as well as other types of transportation-related accidents (bike, bus, motorcycle, pedestrian, truck, etc.). This intense focus, along with decades of experience practicing case law in Illinois, allows us to consistently achieve winning verdicts and settlements for our clients.

If you or a relative have been injured or killed in an accident, call 773-392-8182 at any time for a free consultation to discuss your rights. There is no fee for this consultation.