A woman who works as an elementary school teacher in Joliet recently got into an accident with an alleged drunk driver. It left her with a severe neck fracture, with family members saying she is just lucky to be alive.

The break was to her C2 vertebra. This is typically fatal. She not only survived, but she did not need surgery. Even so, she is going to miss a lot of time at work because she will probably have to go to extensive amounts of physical therapy. She is the main earner in the family, so that will be a challenge.

According to family members, the man who hit her was not only drunk, but did not have a driver’s license or car insurance. On top of that, they allege that he attempted to flee the accident scene. When police arrived, they arrested him, but it was already too late to avoid the substantial damage he caused through a series of poor decisions.

Pictures from the scene show two small black cars sitting nose to nose with extensive damage, right in the middle of the street. Police officers are looking at the vehicles and appear to have opened the trunk. A tow truck is parked behind the accident scene, preparing to help clear the roadway.

You never know who you’re sharing the road with. You may have a license and insurance. You may never drive drunk. You may follow the traffic laws. You can still suffer injuries in an accident with another driver, and that’s when you need to know how to seek compensation.