Weekend traffic accident leaves one man injured, police remind community members of Scott’s Law
By Amanda Brennan
On Saturday night, police responded to a car crash at Windsor Road and Neil Street in south Champaign. At first, the collision involved two cars with no injuries.
Half an hour later just after 9 p.m., a local towing company was on the scene cleaning up the wreck when another vehicle driving southbound on Neil Street hit the towing company operator. The 20-year-old operator was transported to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana with life-threatening injuries after he was struck by a 16-year-old Tolono man.
The investigation is ongoing, however, at this time, the investigation shows that the driver failed to move over when he struck the man. The driver cooperated with police and there were no indications of impairment. The driver was issued a citation for violating Scott’s Law and he was later released.
The Champaign Police Department would like to remind the community of the statutory requirements of Scott’s Law.
The law mandates that as you approach a stationary authorized emergency vehicle when the authorized vehicle is giving a signal by displaying flashing lights, a person who drives an approaching vehicle shall…
- Proceed with caution
- Yield the right-of-way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to the authorized emergency vehicle
- Or, if you can’t change lanes, reduce speed and maintain a safe speed for road conditions
- Leave a safe amount of distance between your car and the stopped emergency vehicle
This law was put into place in 2017 after Chicago Fire Department’s Lieutenant Scott Gillen was struck and killed by a drunk driver on the Dan Ryan expressway in Chicago.
The Illinois State Police are helping to investigate this traffic accident in Champaign and reconstruct the collision scene at the intersection.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Champaign Police at 217-351-4545. You can also submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers at 217-373-8477 or on their website at 373tips.com.
