A recent accident on I-94 underscores the complexities of multi-vehicle crashes. At least three people were injured in a multi-car accident on I-94 (the Edens Expressway) near Peterson Avenue on Saturday afternoon. Southbound traffic on the interstate was diverted until around 6 P.M. The accident was apparently caused by the driver of a car hijacked earlier in Northbrook.

The driver, who was hospitalized after the collision, stole the car in the 3100 block of Dundee Road in Northbrook. Both Skokie and Northbrook police chased the driver onto the expressway and followed him until he crashed the stolen vehicle. The Illinois State Police also responded.

The driver of the hijacked car, referred to in news reports as an "offender", was reported to have attempted the theft another vehicle after the accident. He was transported to a Park Ridge hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. The two other persons injured were treated and released from other area hospitals.

Charges are pending, although it is not clear whether he will be the subject of traffic charges. But at the least, the driver who caused the accident will be charged with hijacking the first car and attempted hijacking of the second car. News reports have varied on the number of cars involved in the accident and the number of people injured, further illustrating the difficulties inherent in determining the facts of an accident.

Source: Chicago Tribune, "3 injured in multiple-vehicle accident on I-94", by Deanese Wiliams-Harris and Peter Nickeas, Nov. 20, 2011.