About 150 miles northeast of Peoria, a man sat in the back seat of a parked State Police car, trying to stay warm after he'd been involved in a car crash.

The police car had its emergency lights on, but they did no good. A 32-year-old Chicago man charged with drunken driving slammed into the back of the cruiser, killing the 42-year-old man in the rear seat.

The Chicago man now faces a count of aggravated DUI involving death and other charges.

The crash was on the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290) near Mill Road and the city of Addison.

According to a media source, the state trooper had turned on the emergency lights and positioned his patrol car to block the left two traffic lanes.

Somehow the Chicago man accused of DUI didn't see the parked police car and its lights.

"This is a tragic loss of life allegedly caused by a man who believed he was able to drive after he had been drinking," a state police spokesperson said. "People have got to learn that far too often drinking and driving can be a deadly combination."

The trooper at the scene reportedly sustained a concussion in the incident but is expected to recover from his injury.

Obviously, the man seated in the back of the cruiser will never recover.

His family is now left to grieve and try to cope with their loss. For some families, one step in that process is to pursue justice with a wrongful death lawsuit against the party responsible for the loss. The lawsuit can help hold the responsible party accountable for the damage and grief they caused.

Source: CBS Chicago: "$1M Bond In DUI Crash That Killed Passenger, Hurt Trooper," Feb. 12, 2012