A Pace van and two other vehicles collided on Friday afternoon, leaving 13 people hurt and sending nine or 10 to area hospitals. The accident occurred in the area of South Pulaski and West 76th Street on the south side of Chicago around 4:15 p.m.

It is not yet clear which driver caused the collision but Pace authorities have stated that their van was a paratransit vehicle traveling northbound on Pulaski when it was involved in a head-on crash with a southbound vehicle.

Pace's paratransit service is separate from the scheduled bus runs that many commuters use. Instead, the paratransit vans work on an arranged-ride schedule without a fixed route. Customers can call Pace paratransit and scheduled a one-way or round trip ride with a start and end point of the customer's preference. These vehicles operate within the Chicago city limits in addition to many of the surrounding suburbs.

At the time of the crash, the Pace van held a driver and a passenger. Though the driver was uninjured, the passenger was hurt and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. The passenger's condition and the extent of the passenger's injuries are not yet known.

In addition to the injured Pace customer, another 12 people were hurt between the two other vehicles involved. Either eight or nine of those people were transported to hospitals, some with reported minor injuries and others in serious condition.

Accidents with a public transit company, including Pace, can be complicated and difficult to navigate. Often, in addition to Pace and the individual driver of the bus or van, there is another company involved as the owner of the vehicle. Determining who exactly is at fault for a crash can take time and resources and may require court intervention if a defendant does not cooperate.

Even if the bus company is not at-fault for a collision, merely having them involved can add layers of complexity to a crash and make it more difficult for someone who is injured to make a recovery. It can also take longer to settle a claim when a public transit company is involved because the company may want to perform its own investigation into liability and may be unwilling to move forward on any claim until that is completed.

Continue reading "13 Injured After 3 Vehicles Collide" »

A driver who hit an 8-year-old girl and fled the scene of a crash has been arrested and is being held in lieu of bail in Chicago, according to local police. The driver has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident that caused injury and failure to exercise due care to a pedestrian.

The collision occurred near West 47th Street and South Indiana Avenue in Chicago. The young girl was crossing the street with an adult and several children when the driver, a 36-year-old male, allegedly sped from a green light and hit the child. The impact threw the girl on the hood of the car where she rolled several times before landing on the windshield and then being thrown to the ground, according to an eye witness. The witness said the girl landed on her head when she hit the pavement and that the driver fled the scene without even slowing down after the crash.

Police happened to be in the area and heard the impact of the collision while they were driving on 47th Street. The driver of the car passed the police in a Geo Prism and driving at a high rate of speed, according to the officers, and witnesses later identified the driver as the one who struck the 8-year-old girl.

Officers took the man into custody where bail was set at $75,000. The man currently is being held in lieu of that bail and is awaiting further court proceedings. The girl who was hit was taken to Comer Children's Hospital and is in stable condition after sustaining blunt force trauma to her body, including her head. The extent of her injuries and what type of medical treatment she required are not yet known.

Drivers flee the scene of accidents for a number of reasons and it is often difficult to determine why a driver leaves. But leaving the scene is never a good idea because police officers routinely determine who the driver was and then the charges against that driver will be much greater after fleeing. In Illinois, leaving the scene of an accident that causes injury or death can be a felony violation with a potential sentence in prison at stake. This charge generally is brought in addition to any other charges that may be applicable, like speeding, running a red light, or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Continue reading "Hit-And-Run Driver Arrested after Accident Injures Child" »

A rollover accident in the south suburb of Posen claimed the life of a 29-year-old man early last Wednesday morning. Though a second vehicle was involved, there were no other injuries or fatalities reported.

The victim was driving a Cadillac on northbound I-57 just after midnight when a collision occurred between his vehicle and another car. The impact forced both vehicles into a concrete median that separates the northbound and southbound lanes near 147th Street. The Cadillac rolled over and ejected the victim, who was the only occupant in the vehicle, and severely injured him. Though he was transported to Metro South Medical Center following the crash, he was pronounced dead before 1:00 a.m.

The crash caused northbound lanes of I-57 to be closed for an hour while police officers investigated the collision and clean up crews could clear the roadway. All lanes were reopened by the time morning rush hour traffic began.

Rollover accidents like this one are generally classified as a "tripped rollover," where an initial impact or contact with a fixed object caused the vehicle to roll over. Tripped rollovers often come to mind when thinking of a rollover crash because it is easy to appreciate that a car can roll when it is impacted at a high speed, like in a crash with another car.

Rollover collisions make up a small percentage of all crashes but a larger percentage of all fatalities in Illinois and across the nation. This is because rollovers are much more dangerous than some other types of crashes, meaning that occupants are more likely to suffer from serious or even fatal injuries in a rollover. Part of the reason for this discrepancy is that there are often multiple points of impact in a rollover accident. This means that in addition to an impact felt when two cars collide, for example, a rollover also has an impact when the side of the vehicle strikes the ground, another when the roof of the vehicle hits the ground, and possibly more when the far side and tires hit the ground. If a vehicle rolls more than once, the impacts keep adding up, which can throw a passenger about inside the vehicle and cause injury.

In addition to the increased number of impacts, the design of vehicles makes rollovers deadly. The roof of a car does not often get the same attention to detail when it comes to safety that a front bumper might. This is because there are so many more front and rear end collisions that engineers focus on these types of crashes when they make safety improvements. In contrast, the ceiling of a car and the roof often buckle inwards upon impact as opposed to keeping their shape, meaning that the ceiling can injure or trap passengers inside the vehicle. While there are some features that can limit this, particularly a roll-over bar, few vehicles have them and those that do are often designed for rough outdoor use, like a Jeep Wrangler.

Continue reading "Rollover Accident Kills Man in South Suburbs" »

The hit-and-run driver of a vehicle that killed a pedestrian on Wednesday night has been arrested and charged, according to Tinley Park police. The 22-year-old Blue Island resident has been charged with aggravated driving under the influence and failure to stop after an accident causing personal injury or death.

A 61-year-old man who was visiting Tinley Park from India was crossing 159th Street southbound at 80th Avenue at about 9:30 p.m. when he was hit and killed by a black pickup truck. The truck fled the scene but left evidence including his license plate behind, a key element that helped police make an arrest.

A witness described the victim as laying in the middle of the road, a shoe and a bag he was carrying several feet away from his body and said the impact sounded like a large boom. A relative described the victim as "a very fun loving person" who "liked to travel." Reportedly, he was a mayor and a social worker in India in his local municipality.

The charges against the driver in this case are significant and if convicted, could result in a long incarceration stint, depending on the driver's prior history and other extenuating or aggravating factors. Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol places a defendant at an immediate risk for a suspended license and fines, if convicted, and the consequences can be more severe.

In America, someone is killed as the result of a drunk driver every 51 minutes. This adds up to over 10,000 deaths at the hands of drunk drivers every year. None of these deaths are necessary and all are preventable by simply not driving after drinking. There are numerous alternatives in Illinois including public transportation, taxis, designated drivers, or even walking. But getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol is reckless and often results in injuries or death of innocent bystanders, as it did in this case.

Driving under the influence is a crime that this driver has been accused of, and leaving the scene of an accident is also a crime. Here, the driver allegedly failed to stop to render aid, failed to wait for the police to respond, did not provide any of his identification information, and did not remain at the scene after the crash. This is a felony offense in Illinois unless the driver needed to seek immediate medical attention, and there is no indication that the driver was hurt in this accident. This charge alone, separate from the DUI charge, may result in jail time if the driver is convicted.

Continue reading "Man Charged in Fatal Tinley Park DUI and Hit-and-Run Crash" »

A man on his cell phone rear-ended a vehicle and fled the scene when police approached him late Sunday morning in Chicago. As he fled, he caused a second collision just two blocks away, seriously injuring himself and up to five others in the Park Manor neighborhood.

A police officer who was filling his gas tank near Indiana Avenue and Marquette Road and saw a car driven by a man rear-end another vehicle. It is believed the driver was on his cell phone at the time of the impact. Both cars pulled over after the impact and the officer responded, initially talking to the car that was struck. When the officer began to walk to the at-fault vehicle that caused the rear-end crash, the driver took off from the scene. He tried to drive west on 71st Street over the Dan Ryan Expressway but he hit a minivan that was trying to turn left onto State Street.

The first crash resulted in damage only to the front vehicle which had a man and woman inside at the time of impact. They witnessed the second crash and said that an individual from the minivan was ejected as a result of the collision.

Police have said that the at-fault driver was in serious-to-critical condition after the accident and that four people inside the van were also hurt. Three people were taken from the scene to Advocate Christ Medical Center in serious-to-critical condition and three others were taken to Saint Bernard Hospital and Healthcare Center where their conditions were not immediately known.

The Chicago Police Department has not yet stated whether the driver who caused both collisions will face any civil or criminal charges.

Assuming this early information is all correct, the at-fault driver in these accidents committed several negligent acts. Initially he drove while on his cell phone. Cell phones are a significant distraction to drivers and are responsible for many crashes. In addition, using a cell phone without a hands-free device is a violation of local laws in many areas, though it is unclear how this driver was using his phone at the time of the first crash. In addition to driving while distracted, this driver fled the scene of a collision without speaking to police or providing identification information. What was only a minor collision with a small amount of property damage instead became a crime when the driver fled the scene and seriously injured several others. Finally it appears that the driver failed to yield the right-of-way to the minivan and thus caused the second collision. Though not all the details are yet known, collisions that eject one or more passengers often have a significant force, meaning that the car or the van or both could have been traveling at a fast speed.

Continue reading "Driver Causes Collision While Speeding Away From Separate Crash" »

An accident involving 4 vehicles injured 14 people on Saturday evening, sending them to area hospitals for treatment, according to local police.

The incident began when a van attempted to switch lanes on the Kennedy Expressway near the Ohio Street exit. The van hit a church van from Milwaukee carrying 20 people in the process and caused the church van to spin out of control and hit another vehicle, which then collided with a fourth car. The van that initially caused the collision fled the scene immediately after the crash.

Emergency crews responded to the scene and transported all 14 people to local hospitals, including Northwestern Memorial Hospital, University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center, and Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center. Though it appears that no one suffered life-threatening injuries, two people were in serious-to-critical condition. All outbound lanes of traffic were blocked while authorities investigated and cleared the scene, causing some significant delays and back-ups along the highway and surrounding surface roads for over an hour. All of the 14 injured people were in the church van at the time of the accident and the drivers of the other two cars escaped injuries.

Van accidents pose a serious risk of injury for the passengers within due in part to the heavy weight that is associated with a fully loaded van. The extra passengers mean that these vans are much heavier than other passenger vehicles on the road, and this weight can make it harder to stop a van when a dangerous situation occurs. Additionally the extra weight is thought to be one of the reasons that passenger vans are involved in so many rollover accidents each year.

Even though the risk of injuries is high, passengers in vans often feel a false sense of safety and security that leads them to not use seat belts and other safety devices. All too often, this decision proves fatal as collisions cause passengers to be thrown around inside the car or even ejected. Failure to use a seat belt increases the risk of serious injury to passengers, which may include broken bones, lacerations and cuts, impalement, organ damage, and head injuries, to name a few. This is truly tragic because these vans usually have seat belts available for passenger use but they are ignored out of convenience.

Continue reading "14 People Injured in Van Crash on the Kennedy" »

A crash occurred between a city fire engine and a passenger car in downtown Chicago yesterday afternoon, leaving the driver and a passenger in the car critically injured. The collision occurred in the intersection of Congress Parkway and Columbus Drive around 3:30 p.m. as the fire crew was responding to a call.

Early reports indicate that the car had the green light and the right-of-way but that most traffic stopped as the fire engine approached with its lights and sirens sounding. The fire engine entered the intersection against the light and collided with the car which resulted in the car being pushed onto the sidewalk and into a parked car.

The damage done to the car was so great that both the driver and the passenger were trapped inside. Emergency crews had to remove both women from the vehicle before they could be transported to a local hospital for treatment.

When they arrived at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, both women were listed in serious to critical condition but both have since improved and stabilized. They are alert and able to talk at this time. Fortunately no fire fighters were injured in the collision and the fire engine reportedly sustained only minor damage.

In a collision between a passenger car and a fire engine or other large truck, the people inside the car are always at a high risk for serious injury. The size and weight of the engine when compared to the car means that the car is likely to receive the majority of the damage, putting the passengers at a high risk for injury.

Often collision with emergency vehicles involve high rates of speed which means a higher force upon impact. As first responders race to assist an accident, they tend to travel at speeds above the posted limit, meaning that most collisions that occurs will be significant.

The law in Illinois allows emergency vehicles the right-of-way when their lights and sirens are sounding. However the law is also very clear that the granted right-of-way does not absolve a driver of an emergency vehicle from the requirement to drive with due regard for the safety of other drivers on the road. In practice, ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars who intend to enter an intersection against a light or other traffic control device should always make sure it is safe to do so first. In this case it appears that the driver of the fire engine saw the car in the intersection but was not able to stop in time to avoid a collision. It remains unclear whether the driver of the car saw or heard the fire engine approaching before she entered the intersection.

Continue reading "Crash Between Fire Engine and Car Leaves 2 Injured in Chicago" »

A South Side Chicago crash between three vehicles, including a police squad car, resulted in injuries to four on Tuesday night.

Two Chicago police officers were responding to a call in the Gresham neighborhood with its lights and sirens sounding. The officers were traveling west on 79th Street when a passenger vehicle entered the intersection at Racine Avenue and collided with the squad car. The collision forced the vehicles to the side where a third car was struck as it waited at a light at the intersection.

Both police officers sustained injuries in the collision and were taken to Stroger Hospital where they were expected to survive. The drivers of each of the other vehicles were also injured with one being taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital and the other to Saint Bernard Hospital. Both of the citizen drivers were described as having minor injuries.

The driver that caused the crash has been cited for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision, and causing damage to city property. It is not clear whether she has been released from the hospital.

Collisions between cars and emergency vehicles, including police squad cars, are more common in Chicago than some realize. With a large population confined in a small geographic area, the Chicago police, fire, and ambulance units are constantly responding to emergency calls that require them to use lights and sirens as they travel. When an emergency vehicle is responding to a call with lights and sirens activated, all other traffic must yield the right-of-way and allow the emergency vehicle to pass.

Accidents that occur from failing to yield the right-of-way are common as well since yielding the right-of-way requires drivers to wait or be patient, a trait that is not always exercised in the city. Yielding literally means allowing another passage first or letting another car, pedestrian, or bicyclist proceed while you wait. When a driver fails to yield the right-of-way, two cars or vehicles are likely to be in the same space at the same time, causing a collision. Many of these crashes result in injuries.

Continue reading "South Side Crash Leaves 4 Injured, Including 2 Cops" »

Former NBA star and fan favorite Mookie Blaylock is facing charges of driving on a suspended license and failing to stay within his lane after he caused a car crash on Friday morning that left one woman dead.

Blaylock is best known for his years with the Atlanta Hawks but also played for the Golden State Warriors and the New Jersey Nets, now the Brooklyn Nets, following his draft into the NBA in 1989.

The collision occurred just outside of Atlanta on Tara Boulevard, a popular four-lane highway in the area. It appears that Blaylock was traveling in one direction and lost control of his Cadillac Escalade, crossed a center median, and entered the highway going the other direction. Blaylock's SUV collided head-on with a van in a violent collision. A 43-year-old female front seat passenger in the van was killed in the crash and Blaylock was critically injured. Emergency medical technicians transported Blaylock by air ambulance to an area hospital where he was placed on life support for several hours.

Following surgery for a broken ankle, Blaylock is in critical condition and reportedly is no longer on life support. However he is currently being sedated by his physicians. Once he is able to speak, police intend to interview him about the collision and may level additional charges against Blaylock, including a potential charge for vehicular homicide. So far, Blaylock has been charged with driving on a suspended license and failing to stay within his lane of traffic.

The family of Mookie Blaylock have reported that he suffers from seizures and has received medical treatment for them and recently had an episode where paramedics had to be called to his home during one of Blaylock's seizures. It is not clear whether doctors had given him any instructions regarding his ability to drive. Reports indicate that an arrest warrant was recently issued in Spalding County, Georgia for Blaylock on charges of driving under the influence and a drug charge though it does not appear that these prior charges had anything to do with the current accident.

Head-on collisions of the type involved in this accident are often violent and account for a disproportionate number of fatalities each year. Though head-on collisions account for only two percent of all crashes, they are responsible for nearly 10 percent of all fatalities. One of the reasons they are so deadly is that these collisions often occur when one driver fails to stay within his own lane and crosses a center line or median. Statistically this results in serious collisions most often on roads with high rates of speeds, like rural highways or other areas with light traffic.

Continue reading "Mookie Blaylock, Former NBA Star, Faces Charges in Fatal Car Crash" »

A fatal crash between a drunk driver and a motorcyclist last June has resulted in a 10 year prison sentence for the driver. The incident occurred last June in Naperville, Illinois and claimed the life of an innocent motorcyclist.

Not only was the at-fault driver under the influence of marijuana, he was also engaged in a road-rage incident that further caused him to driver recklessly and irresponsibly, making him a danger to himself and everyone on the road. The driver reportedly got into an argument with three teenagers in another car while stopped at a traffic light. He then attempted to chase down the teenagers and drove aggressively while doing so. As he was chasing the teens, the driver failed to exercise caution and collided with and killed a motorcyclist, who was a resident of Lombard and who died at the scene due to the severity of his injuries.

After the collision, the driver fled the scene but was later found by police officers who charged the man with aggravated driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident. The driver was found guilty of both charges in March and was just sentenced this week. In addition, he was also charged with aggravated reckless driving and misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana, obstructing an officer, and failing to yield while turning left.

This crash was preventable and did not need to happen. Unfortunately the driver in this case got behind the wheel when he was unfit to do so and he should never have been driving that day. In addition to driving under the influence, the man engaged in a situation with another vehicle that led to road-rage and a fatal collision with an innocent biker. And if those two factors alone weren't enough, the driver fled the scene of the crash, potentially delaying any chance the victim would have had to receive medical care or to speak with police, as he was required to do by law.

Any one of those behaviors can cause a crash but once they were combined, it is no surprise that the outcome was fatal in this case.

Road-rage is much more prevalent than realized in Illinois and it occurs daily. Some estimate that road-rage is a factor in more than 50 percent of the collisions that occur every year. Still, it is often overlooked as a serious problem facing all drivers.

Anyone can get irritated or annoyed while driving, particularly at the behavior of another driver. Though frustration may occur, it is never acceptable to let that anger accelerate to the point of road-rage. Road-rage is a series of risky actions or behaviors while driving that leads to an assault by one driver against another person, either with a motor vehicle or without one. It is also important to realize that road-rage is considered a criminal offense and not merely a traffic violation, meaning that drivers who exercise road-rage could face jail time even without causing a collision or hurting anyone.

Continue reading "Driver Gets 10 Year Prison Sentence for Road-Rage and DUI Crash that Killed Biker" »

The driver of a van that was involved in a bad rollover crash last week in southern Illinois was driving on a suspended license, according to the Associated Press.

Though the Illinois State Police Department has not identified the driver, the Associated Press obtained the citation issued as a result of the crash which did list the driver's name. From there, it could determine the driver, a resident of New Jersey, had his license suspended last year for insurance-related issues after failing to make three mandatory payments to a New Jersey court. His license was also suspended briefly in 2002 for falling behind on child support.

The crash occurred in Vandalia, Illinois on I-70. Some reports indicate that the van was on the highway while others have stated that the van was on a highway ramp but it is clear that the driver lost control of the vehicle which flipped and rolled over several times. Eleven people were in the van at the time and nine of them were ejected as the van rolled. Five of the passengers died.

The van was reportedly traveling from California back to New Jersey after a week-long ministry gathering out west when the Illinois crash occurred. The names of all the victims have not yet been released but it has been learned that the driver as well as at least one of the passengers had criminal pasts, including incarceration, for crimes unrelated to this incident.

The victims are believed to have been members of Victory Outreach International, a religious group that attempts to help people take control of their lives as well as reaching out to at-risk groups. With over 700 churches world-wide, Victory Outreach is also known for providing drug and alcohol rehabilitation services to those in need.

Continue reading "Van Driver in Illinois Crash that Killed 5 Had Suspended License" »

A crash early Wednesday morning on the Eisenhower Expressway was not merely an accident, according to local police. The driver of the vehicle was legally drunk and under the influence of alcohol when she crashed her car in Elk Grove Village in the early morning hours, backing up traffic and causing delays for several hours.

It now appears that the woman was driving a minivan northbound on I-290 near Biesterfield Road when she lost control. The van veered across all lanes of traffic before striking a poll and coming to a stop where the car caught fire. The fire spread rapidly and engulfed the entire vehicle within minutes in a hot and intense burn.

Another driver saw the crash and stopped to help because he believed it to be the appropriate thing to do. Ironically, this Good Samaritan had just seen the movie Fast & Furious 6, a theatrical release known for its car racing, crashes, and action stunts. As the Good Samaritan approached the car, he noticed the driver was still inside and that she was obviously injured. Her face was cut and bleeding and she seemed to be searching for something within her vehicle. After confirming that there were no other people inside the minivan, the Good Samaritan told the female driver that her vehicle was on fire and that she needed to get out, immediately, because he feared the fire spreading or the vehicle exploding.

The injured driver exited her vehicle and emergency reponders provided her with transportation to a local hospital where she was treated for her injuries. Authorities stayed at the scene to put out the fire and investigate the crash, including why it occurred, and in combination with other information, they came to the conclusion that the woman was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. She was arrested and cited with driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a crime in the state of Illinois.

Continue reading "Firey Illinois Crash Was Caused by Drunk Driver" »