An alleged drunk driver kills a Morton firefighter

A firefighter with the Morton Fire Department was killed by a suspected drunk driver on Thursday, Jan. 11. Dispatchers first started receiving reports of a two-car collision near the intersection of Timber Creek Trail and Mossy Trail right around 11:53 p.m.

When officers arrived on the crash scene, they encountered an unresponsive man lying in the middle of the road. Paramedics confirmed that he’d already died once they arrived on the scene.

He was later identified by the Tazewell County Coroner’s Office as a 42-year-old Morton firefighter. He’d reportedly been a paid member of the city’s fire brigade since 2000.

In speaking with witnesses to the collision, investigators learned that man had apparently been a passenger in the front seat of a friend’s car immediately before it crashed into a parked vehicle on the side of the road. The impact from the collision was reportedly so forceful that it caused the firefighter to be ejected from the vehicle he’d been riding in.

The sequence of events leading up to the man being found lying on the ground apparently led to his death.

As for the driver of the vehicle that the two men had been riding in, he reportedly suffered injuries in the crash as well. He was transported to Peoria’s UnityPoint Health-Methodist hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.

Apparently the man must have had his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) checked once he was admitted to the hospital. Morton police later charged him with driving under the influence (DUI), for failing to decrease his speed to avoid a collision and with aggravated DUI.

If you’ve lost a loved at the hands of a drunk driver, then a Peoria car accident attorney may advise you of your right to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the person who took his or her life.

Source: Peoria Journal Star, “Morton firefighter killed in wreck late Thursday,” Phil Luciano, Jan. 12, 2018