ILLINOIS DRIVERS: STIFF PENALTIES FOR CRASHES IN CROSSWALKS

As of July 1, 2020, amendments to the Illinois Vehicle Code provide for stiffer penalties for crashes involving crosswalks and right-of-way violations that result in serious or “Type A” injuries, which include severe bleeding wounds, distorted extremities, and injuries that require the injured party to be carried from the scene.  

The new law mandates that a person found in violation of failure to yield  the right-of-way to pedestrians at crosswalks, including those in school zones, that results in serious injuries will have her/his driver’s license suspended for one year.

The new provision, also known as Mason’s Law, was introduced last year following the death of Mason Knorr, a 24-year-old resident of rural Clifton, Illinois in Iroquois County, who was killed when a semi ran a stop sign and crashed into his pickup truck in 2018. 

Mason’s Law closed a loophole in the law that had allowed negligent drivers who failed to yield the right-of-way and caused serious injuries to receive only a small fine. 

In my law practice I have seen, first hand, how devastating pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes can be and how they can alter the lives and livelihoods of accident victims. Hopefully, the stiffer penalty will encourage more responsible and mindful driving and reduce the incidence of failure to yield accidents.