5 injured in Illinois workplace accident when car hits vet clinic

On behalf of Jeffrey Frederick of Frederick & Hagle posted in Workplace Accidents on Friday, February 7, 2014.

People in Illinois who work regularly with animals know there is no such thing as a typical day. They have come to expect that most anything can happen in connection with their four-legged charges. What they probably don’t expect is for a car to come careening into the office area and cause a workplace accident.

The incident occurred in the early evening at an area veterinary clinic. A woman driving with three other women allegedly hit a rut in the road and could not maintain control of her car. She then drove into the side of the building and crashed through the wall into the clinic’s office area.

Five people were seriously injured in the accident. Five were taken to area hospitals for treatment, which included at least one worker from the vet clinic. Police were not initially clear on whether the other accident victims were inside the car or present at the clinic when the wreck occurred. At the time of this report, one of the victims was listed as serious-to-critical, three were listed as fair-to-serious and one was good-to-fair.

People who were in the clinic at the time of the accident said they could hear the sounds indicating an accident was happening just before the vehicle hit the building. One woman was working at her desk when the wall crashed down. Another was standing in the office area but was not hurt.

Even in jobs that do not have a set routine, a car coming through the wall is an unexpected occurrence in any Illinois workplace. For the employee who was injured when it happened, workers’ compensation benefits are likely be available. She may also want to consider a personal injury lawsuit against the woman driving the car when the workplace accident occurred. Any resulting compensation could go a long way in helping her recovery efforts.

Source: Chicago Tribune, 5 injured when SUV crashes into NW Side vet clinic, Geoff Ziezulewicz, Jan. 31, 2014