State Trooper Matt Mitchell was driving at 126 mph in order to reach an accident scene on I-64 which has already been responded to by serveral emergency vehicles.

Killed in the accident were Jessica Uhl 18 and her sister Kelli Uhl 13. Injured in the accident was Kelly marler and his then-pregnant wife Christine.

Trooper Mitchell was speeding to the accident with people trapped in a burning car.

Prosecutors dispute that fact. They say the only car that was on fire was the car that Mitchell struck.

St. Clair County Assistant State's Attorney Jim Piper is asking the judge to allow the charges of reckless homicide against Trooper Mitchell. "A 'person of ordinary intelligence' would know that a trooper does not engage in such conduct, especially in light of the the fact that the defendant was responding to a secured accident scene to essentially write a report."

John O'Gara, Mitchell's attorney has asked the judge to dismiss the state's charges. O'Gara says Mitchell wasn't aware that he was breaking the law when he was driving at those speeds.

At 70%, New York City ranked first with the highest incidence "hit while parked" accidents,. Chicago and Phoenix ranked second with 67 percent.

While most states legally require the driver to notify and identify themselves to the owner of the parked vehicle, the majority of drivers do not.

Bill Daly, an assistant VP with Allsate auto claims says, "Leaving the scene of an accident without stoppping is a very serious matter. If you caused damage to a vehicle you may be liable and can be held responsible. Collision coverage will protect you if someone hits your parked car and can help pay for repairs."

The Illinois Supreme Court determined that the caps violated a jury's right to determine such damages.

It is the third time the Illinois Supreme Court reversed legislative attempts to cap awards.

In 2007, after hearing the case of Abigaile Lebron v. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, a Cook County judge ruled the caps as unconstitutional. Lebron's family filed suit again Gottlieb after the child was born with brain damage.

Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, the courts will stay with what is considered to be established law. The law determinig the caps violated the separation of powers between the legislature and the courts was ruled on twice before by the Illinois Supreme Court.

Business groups, doctors and hospitals in Illinois lobbied hard for the caps in 2005. They argued that doctors were leaving Illinois to practice in other states because of the high premiums they had to pay for medical malpractice insurance.

Senator Millner also wants to have every red light camera head to be painted yellow so that drivers can see the cameras. He also wants a sign on every red light camera in Illinois warning drivers about the camera.

Representative Jack Franks believes that the fines for tickets issued because of a red light camera, should be reduced to $50 and that a driver should not receive a ticket for a rolling stop.

Senatory Dan Duffy believes that red light cameras are a "racket" and that all of them should be taken down except at railroad crossings and construction sites.

Instead of jury duty Mance was sentenced to 30 days of home confinement and 90 days probation. He was also fined $5,000.

Mance was found in contempt of federal court on Thursday.

Three peope were sent to St. Francis Medical Center.

State Police Capt Dean Kennedy said that between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., there were at least six accidents, mostly on I39, which were caused by slick road conditions. Approximately 7 other cars had slid off roadways.

The reports is for 2009. Illinois State Troopers dealt with over 35,000 incidents which include 527 DUI arrests, 1333 criminal arrests and tickets and 1143 car accidents. Troopers also seized over 800 pounds of cannabis, 510 grams of cocaine, 6837 grams of heroin and ecstasy with a combined street value over 2.8 million dollars. Fatalies in these counties declined to 30 in 2009 down from 47 in 2008.

In 2010, Illinois State Troopers will continue to concentrate on traffic enforcement and safety education in an effort to make Illiniois roads safer.

Should your car break down on an Illinois tollway, the quarter mile signs will make it easier for tow truck drivers to find you.

"The Tollway Authority along with the Illinos State Police, tow truck operators and emergency first responders all agreed that the quarter mile spacing would help customers better indentify where they are, especially if their vehicles are stranded and they need to call for help," said Joelle McGinnis, spokeswoman for the toll agency.

Ray LaHood, Transportation Secretary says followers will be able to view the summit on the department's web site.

If it was up to LaHood he would ban all drivers from sending and receiving texts.

Recently, inspection data hs been released which details what is wrong with may of the state's bridges and what work will be needed to make keep them safe.

A portion of the Congress Parkway bridge got the lowest rating possible for a portion of bridge that has been allowed to stay open.

In 2006, almost 5,000 boating accidents were reported to the United States Coast Guard. Over 700 deaths resulted from these accidents and approximately 3500 injuries.

Of the boaters killed, approximately 630 were not wearing flotation devices and were riding in boats that were 21 feet long or less. These are boats that the City Council's Police committee have on the radar.

Federal regulations already require life jackets on boats that are 16 feet long or less. However, authorities rarely enforce the requlation.

Cook is facing 15 counts of aggravated DUI and 11 counts of first degree murder. He was also indicated on 10 counts of burglary and 1 count of driving a stolen car.

On August 21, Cook was dirving a stolen car while under the influence. He lost control of the car, went onto a sidewalk, where David Long, 57, was taking his dog for a walk. He struck and killed Long.

Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti made the announcement of the indictment just 72 hours after Cook was arrested.

The grand jury decided on the murder charge due to Cook's actions leading up to and including the accident. However, absence the presence of premeditation, in may be difficult to get a conviction.

Prosecutors believe they can show premeditaiton based on the fact that Cook knowingly was driving a stolen vehicle after he had been drinking.

Austin was wearing protective gear including a helmet, when the ATV's throttle stuck causing the ATV to accelerate. The boy could not control the ATV. The vehicle hit a tree, tossing the young boy from the ATV.

Austin died of blunt trauma to his head and chest. Although the ATV caught fire, Austin did not suffer any burns.

Since the installation of the cameras, about 10,000 tickets were issued resulting in approximately $1,000,000 in fines. That was until the village decided to stop enforcing right- turn-on-red violations.

Deputy Chief Paul Rizzo says that since the removal of the cameras, the number of violations issued has gone done. In June, the last month that the cameras were operational, only 14 violations were issued.

Schaumburg decided not to renew their contract with Red Speed Illinois due to the dwindling tickets and additional studies that showed that the cameras did little to reduce accidents.

After the death of their son, Matt 25, in Sept 2006, The Wilhelms, along with their family and friends and scores of others, pushed the Illinois legislature to toughen the penatlies for drivers who were distracted while driving.

Today, Governor Quinn, will sign into law, a ban on texting while driving. "This is a big stride," says Chuck Wilhelm. Both him and his wife have campaigned for new laws to restrict the use of cell phones by drivers since the death of their son.

On Sept 6, 2006, Matt, then 25, was a U OF I graduate in mechanical engineering. He was riding his bicycle along 130 east of Urbana, when Jennifer Stark hit him from behind with her car. She confessed to downloading ringtones at the time when she hit Matt.

The legislature had problems with making texting while dirving a misdemeanor or felony. This new legislation makes texting while driving a petty traffic offense. Drivers caught texting while driving will be fined.

Wilhelm said that Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State, was instrumental in getting the legislation passed. White formed a task force that investgated distracted driving. They issued their report in 2008 which revealed the negative affects on area roadways of distracted drivers.

"This is a major starting point in saying you can't do it," Chuck Wilhelm said.