55-year-old Jeanne C. DeWall was struck and killed Monday morning while delivering newspapers on her bicycle. Ms. DeWall was riding east on Illinois Road 9 at its intersection with County Road 900 East when she was struck by a car travelling in the same direction. The collision occurred at 6:09 a.m. The driver of the vehicle said that he did not see the bicyclist and was unable to avoid hitting the bike. The Ford County Coroner speculated that the driver may not have been able to see the rear reflector on the bike because of the newspapers on the bike's rack. The coroner further speculated that the driver may have been blinded by the traffic lights from oncoming traffic.
Bicycles are permitted users of the roadway. The coroner did not provide any insights as to why the driver of the vehicle didn't see the bicycle at all until impact and from the quotes it appears that the coroner does not place any blame on the motorist. Motorists have a duty to keep a proper lookout and to travel at a speed that allows them to slow or stop to avoid a collision. That did not happen in this instance. This sounds like an extremely sad and unfortunate incident for all involved. If you have any questions regarding this post or an issue involving Illinois personal injury law, please contact Illinois Bicycle Attorney Mike Keating at 312-208-7702 or MKeating@KeatingLegal.com. All initial consultations are confidential and free.