Homicide Charges in Crash That Killed Ill. Firefighter
Source The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.
May 11--BLOOMINGTON -- A charge of reckless homicide has been brought against the driver of a semitrailer truck that struck and killed one firefighter and injured five others March 5 at accident scene near Hudson.
A McLean County grand jury indicted Mansur Shakirov, 28, of Spokane, Wash., on Wednesday, and he was arrested in Washington State by federal marshals, said McLean County State's Attorney Jason Chambers on Friday. Shakirov must post $25,000 to be released from custody.
Shakirov reportedly lost control of his semi, which was hauling cars, and crashed into emergency workers and vehicles at a snowy, late-night accident scene on an Interstate 39 near Hudson. Firefighter Chris Brown, 39, of Hudson was killed.
The indictment alleges Shakirov was driving too fast for conditions and failed to abide by the Move Over Law, also known as Scott's Law.
The Move Over Law mandates that upon approaching a stopped, authorized emergency vehicle, a motorist should yield the right of way by making a lane change when it is safe to do so. A driver also must reduce speed and proceed with caution if changing lanes would be impossible or unsafe.
Shakirov initially received citations accusing him of driving too fast for conditions and violating the Move Over Law, but those tickets were dismissed in April because the investigation was incomplete.
Copyright 2013 - The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.
