On Sunday, February 16th, a Bunker Hill woman lost her life after a skid-steer loader fell off a flatbed trailer into her path. The Illinois State Police has identified her as 57-year-old Teresa D. Mullink.

According to ISP, a trailer driver, Dale R. Mansholt, 37, of Dorsey, was heading south on Illinois Route 159 near Bunker Hill. He was driving a car and pulling a flatbed trailer with a John Deere skid-steer loader on it.

At about 6:18 p.m., the loader fell off the trailer into the lane leading north on the highway. Mullink, who was heading north, drove into the loader, crashing into it, head-on.

It took the joint effort of the police, and EMT officers to free the deceased from her wrecked car. Mullink was taken to the hospital, where she later died from the injuries she sustained from the crash.

The police are still investigating the accident and trying to determine the level of negligence and liability of Mansholt. The latter would also lead to a personal injury claim against the driver from the family of Mullink.

Under Illinois law, a person who causes an accident has the burden of paying compensation to the victim through his or her insurance carrier. The settlement covers medical bills, lost wages, and other losses suffered.

Illinois follows a comparative fault rule where both parties share the blame for an accident when calculating damages. The jury calculates the total dollar amount of the plaintiff damages and the percentage of fault that belongs to both parties.

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