Teen Injured In Champaign Police Car Accident on East Champaign Avenue

Personal Injury - August 23, 2025

13-Year-Old Boy Injured After Being Struck By Champaign Police Car

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS (August 21, 2025) – A 13-year-old boy was seriously injured in a Champaign car accident involving a police car along East Champaign Avenue.

Champaign County officials are saying that the accident took place around 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. A 13-year-old boy was walking when he was hit by a Champaign police car.

Paramedics and the Rantoul Fire Department were called to the scene of the accident to help the victim. He was transported to a local area hospital with serious injuries.

The victim may have entered the street from a Credit Union One parking lot. A full investigation into the collision remains ongoing at this time.

Liability for Champaign Police Vehicle Accidents

Determining liability for an accident involving a police vehicle will depend heavily on the circumstances leading up to a crash. Police departments will tend to have a great deal of immunity for collisions when officers are responding to an actual emergency with their lights and sirens on. When police officers are not responding to an emergency, they must exercise due care to avoid collisions like any other driver.

• Speed: Police officers must maintain their vehicle at a safe speed that takes into consideration prevailing traffic conditions.
• Scanning: Police officers must continue to scan the road for hazards and slow down to avoid them.
• Horn: Police officers must use their horn when necessary to alert pedestrians. They must be particularly cautious if there is any child or incapacitated person in the road.

If a police officer fails to slow down to avoid colliding with any pedestrian, this could form the basis of a negligence claim. The police department that the officer worked for could also be held at fault for the collision. As a general principle, employers in Illinois are liable for the wrongful actions of their employees who were performing their job duties.

Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents

Thousands of pedestrians are seriously injured or killed in car accidents every year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “At some point in the day, everyone is a pedestrian. Unfortunately, pedestrian injuries and fatalities remain high. In 2023, 7,314 pedestrians were killed and more than 68,000 pedestrians were injured nationwide.” There are many common causes of pedestrian accidents.

• Driver Distraction: A large portion of pedestrian collisions involve drivers that are distracted by their phones or other devices.
• Fatigue: Driving a vehicle while fatigued can be incredibly dangerous. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that staying awake for only 17 hours can reduce a person’s ability to drive safely equal to driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%.
• Poor Road Conditions: Any type of inclement weather can dramatically increase the odds that a pedestrian accident will take place.

Car accidents can leave victims with traumatic injuries and result in high medical bills. Unfortunately, police departments and their insurance providers will often do everything in their power to deny responsibility for a collision. Any person injured in a car accident with a police officer may be able to seek damages through a personal injury claim.

Investigating Champaign Police Vehicle Accidents

We at Horwitz Horwitz & Associates extend our best wishes to the teenager injured in this Champaign police vehicle accident. It is our sincere hope that he is able to make a full recovery. Any person that may have more information should reach out to investigators. Many questions remain unanswered at this time. What was the speed of the officer involved in this collision? Were they properly scanning the road ahead of them? Why didn’t they slow down in time?

Have you or someone that you care about been injured in a Champaign car accident? Our team of personal injury attorneys is here for you. We are committed to helping victims get the support and justice that they need to recover. Whether you just have legal questions or need any type of assistance, we are here to help. You can reach out to us anytime at (312) 564-4256.