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Daytime Photos, from Driver's Perspective
This sequence of photos was taken by me in October 2001, as I retraced my route where the accident occurred. I have travelled this route many times (literally hundreds of times) since I moved to the Chicago western suburbs in 1993, and not once prior to or since the accident have I encountered or witnessed any pedestrian crossing this section of Maple Avenue. In my estimation, the collision occurred about the moment when my vehicle was positioned as in Frame 7 or 8.
As noted earlier, the accident occurred at night. These photos, as well as those shown on Page 3, show the scene as it appears in daytime to highlight certain features:
- The 40 mph speed limit.
- The absence at the accident location of any crosswalk, traffic signal, or road sign which would indicate possible crossing by a pedestrian.
- The absence of overhead lighting alongside the street, between the River Road intersection and the Riverview Drive intersection.
- A sidewalk is present along the north side of the street, but no sidewalk or shoulder is present along the south side.
- From the sidewalk or curb north of the accident location, the westward view of the street extends at least to the River Road intersection, without any fixed obstruction.
