Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog

An auto accident in the northern suburbs of Chicago has resulted in the death of a Northbrook resident and felony charges against a Gurnee resident, according to the Northbrook Star. The accident occurred on May 22nd in the 100 block of LeBaron Street in Waukegan when a 22 year old driver left the roadway in a Chevrolet Silverado and hit a parked semi-trailer.

His passenger, Andrew Galo, age 22, was pronounced dead at the scene from head injuries. The driver was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for medical treatment. His injuries were reportedly not serious.

The driver has since been charged with reckless homicide, DUI and speeding. Bond has been set at $100,000. The Waukegan Police Department handled the crash investigation.

In Chicago, Illinois a police officer was critically injured on Wednesday in a multiple vehicle car crash on the South Side, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The collision involved 3 vehicles, including a police department SUV, and occurred just before noon at 98th and Halsted. Four others were hurt in the accident.

The Chicago Police Officer was rushed by ambulance to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. An elderly couple was also taken to Christ, and 2 teens were taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers in Evergreen Park.

The cause of the accident has not yet been reported. The accident shut down the southbound lanes of Halsted.

Click here to see accident photo from WBBM News Radio.

In the Chicago area there were two separate motorcycle crashes this weekend that resulted in fatalities, according to the Chicago Tribune. One collision took place in Oak Forest, Illinois on Saturday night. The accident occurred on I-57 when a southbound motorcyclist took an illegal U-turn and hit 3 northbound bikers.

Two of the northbound motorcycle riders, Michael Adams, age 47 of Kankakee and Sean Darke, age 34 of Chicago, were killed. A female passenger, Brianna Moore, age 20 of Calumet City, died later in an area hospital. Another female passenger was seriously injured. The motorcyclist who caused the crash survived and was ticketed with disobeying a traffic control device.

The Illinois State Police investigated the accident. It has not been reported if drugs or alcohol were involved. Additional charges are possible once the case is reviewed by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

Earlier the same day, two bikers were killed in a Kane County crash. Six others were reportedly injured. The accident occurred when a car hit a group of motorcycle riders. Wade E. Thomas, 44, and Denise A. Thomas, 45, died in the Kane County motorcycle crash.

In Naperville, Illinois an auto accident occurred on Thursday after a vehicle stopped to allow geese to cross the road, according to the Naperville Sun. A second car stopped behind the first car, and then a school bus rear-ended the 2nd car, knocking it into the 1st car. The auto accident occurred at Naper Boulevard and Chicago Avenue around 7 a.m.

The school bus was headed to Naperville North High School with 33 students on board. No injuries were reported and the bus was able to continue on to school.

If it ends up there were injuries in the accident, liability would mainly be against the school bus operator for driving too fast for conditions and failing to stop in time to avoid an accident. While no injuries were reported at the scene, it is likely that the occupants of the vehicle that was rear-ended sustained back and/or neck injuries (and others involved could have been injured as well).

If the bus driver was injured, while at fault, he or she would still have a case as well. The driver would have a workers' compensation claim against the bus company for injuries sustained on the job.

Finally, word on the street is the geese fled the scene of the accident.

In the western suburb of LaGrange, Illinois a pedestrian was hit and killed today by a car while she was lifting her baby stroller onto a curb, according to WQAD.com. She was carrying her 2 year old daughter in the stroller. She was also carrying her 4 month old son who sustained a broken leg in the accident. The daughter was not injured.

The victim, Cari Cook, age 30, of Countryside, Illinois was reportedly crossing an intersection with her children and had made it to the other side when she was hit. She was rushed to an area hospital and pasted away a short time later.

The LaGrange Police Department is investigating the accident. It is reportedly not a hit-and-run, however no one has been charged or arrested. Witnesses are still being interviewed.

In Chicago, Illinois two paramedics employed by the Chicago Fire Department were injured in an ambulance accident on Tuesday in the South Loop, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The accident occurred around 2:00 p.m. at Clark & Harrison.

The collision took place while they were transporting a patient to Mercy Hospital. The paramedics were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment, and the original patient continued on to Mercy without a problem.

The cause of the accident has not been reported.

Click here to read the entire story.

In Chicago, Illinois a hit-and-run pedestrian vs. car accident has left a South Side woman severely injured, and her family is looking for help and answers. The accident happened near 67th & Halsted on April 22, 2009 and the victim, Eve Davis, age 67, still remains hospitalized at Stroger Hospital.

She is scheduled for surgery today to replace a broken left hip. Her other injuries include two spinal fractures, internal bleeding, staples in her left shoulder, a laceration from the top of head down to her left eye, and significant memory loss.

The Chicago Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating the hit and run, but no witnesses to the collision have been located. The investigating officers have informed family members that there was evidence that the pedestrian was dragged 20 feet in the accident.

The family of Eve Davis believes that there likely are witnesses to the accident, as the incident occurred in a busy area. The victim's daughter, Taniya Page, has been going out to the area of the collision trying to locate witnesses on her own.

If you have information regarding the pedestrian hit-and-run accident, please contact the Chicago Police Department or the law firm of Abels & Annes, or email accidentwitness@yahoo.com.

Chicago Car Accident Lawyers from Abels & Annes have been retained by two pedestrians who were injured by a driver in April. The accident occurred when a driver talking on his cell phone lost control, drove onto a sidewalk and hit them. The collision happened on the South Side in the area of 57th Street.

Both pedestrians were treated for injuries at Advocate Christ Medical Center. One of the pedestrians is going through follow up treatment with a medical doctor and at MacNeal Hospital for leg injuries.

The Chicago Police Department investigated the accident and ticketed the defendant with using a cell phone while driving and with striking a pedestrian. The driver pleaded guilty to the charges this week in traffic court at the Daley Center.

In Illinois, the law is about to get tougher on uninsured drivers. The current Illinois law calls for a fine of $500-$1,000, and possible 3-6 month license suspensions upon a conviction.

The new proposed law would make driving with no insurance a Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to a year in jail. The Illinois Senate passed the proposed legislation by a 56-1 vote on Wednesday, and it is now headed to Governor Pat Quinn for approval.

The new law is named after Michael Dean, who was hit and killed by an uninsured driver in 2006. Many were outraged because the only penalty for the at fault driver not having auto insurance was a monetary fine with no jail time.

The new law is tougher, but still not tough enough.

Here is the big problem with the insurance law in Illinois. The minimum coverage is still $20,000 per person, and $40,000 per occurrence.

Let's hypothetically say the driver that killed Michael Dean had the minimum required insurance. No amount of money is going to bring a loved one back or make a family whole again, but $20,000 is a slap in the face. (I have handled car accident death cases where the victim incurred over $500,000 in medical bills before passing away).

I agree with the new law as a step in the right direction, but why should a defendant with no insurance serve a year in jail, while at the same time a defendant with a $20,000 insurance policy will walk away free? It is time to raise the minimum insurance requirements in Illinois.

In Chicago, Illinois an alleged drunk driver has caused a car accident that left one dead and 7 others injured on the South Side, according to chicagobreakingnews.com. The car crash happened Sunday night just before 8 p.m. at 43rd Street and Western Avenue.

The collision involved three vehicles and was reportedly caused by an intoxicated driver who ran a red light. The DUI driver, a 38 year old male, was northbound on Western in a 1999 Chevy Cavelier when he struck a westbound Lexus on 43rd. The Lexus driver, a Chicago Heights resident, was killed. After the initial impact, the Lexus struck a Toyota that was stopped at the light.

Seven others involved in the car accident were injured and taken by ambulance to Mt. Sinai Hospital, St. Anthony Hospital and Stroger Hospital. The alleged DUI driver was arrested and additional charges are reportedly pending.

Click here to read more.

In Chicago, Illinois a driver was killed in a three vehicle accident on the Dan Ryan Expressway early Friday morning. The accident happened in the southbound lanes around 4:20 a.m. The motorist killed was driving a minivan that hit a semi truck after the truck slammed on its brakes to avoid an accident. The trucker braked because a car in front of the truck had just hit the left side retaining wall and came to a complete stop in the center lane.

The Illinois State Police responded to the accident and are handling the investigation. Three lanes were initially closed after the accident, and two lanes remained closed for the morning rush hour. No tickets were reportedly issued.

If the family of the minivan driver retains a Chicago Car Accident Lawyer, they would likely pursue a claim against the driver in front that lost control and came to a stop on the expressway. While liability could be disputed, an insurance carrier would likely pay on the claim due to the severity of the accident. A claim against the truck driver's insurance carrier would be investigated as well.

Click here to read the entire story.

A Lake Zurich, Illinois motorcyclist was killed by an Illinois driver who was distracted because she was painting her nails at the time of the accident, according to UPI.com. Anita Zaffke was on her bike stopped at a yellow light when she was rear-ended by an unidentified driver of a Chevy Impala.

The victim was thrown from her motorcycle and died from chest & abdominal injuries a short time later at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. The Lake County Sheriff's Department is investigating the car vs. motorcycle accident, and they have stated that it appears the motorcycle rider did nothing wrong and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The driver was ticketed with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. More serious charges are likely once the accident is reviewed by the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.

Click here to read the entire story.

Chicago Injury Lawyers from Abels & Annes were on CBS News on Sunday in regard to a pedestrian accident case. Our client sustained sever head injuries after getting hit by a car on Good Friday. She had been in a coma since the collision until doctors brought her out of it last week.

The accident happened at the intersection of Irving Park Road and Austin Boulevard just after she left church services. She was crossing the street in a crosswalk and was hit by a car turning left that did not see her.

She was rushed by ambulance to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois for emergency surgery. During the procedure, a large piece of her skull had to be removed. The bone is frozen at the hospital and will be re-inserted in a future surgery.

While she is now out of the coma, she is expected to remain hospitalized for the next several months. She may be dealing with the effects of the injury for the rest of her life.

The Chicago Police Department investigated the accident and the driver of the car was ticketed with failing to yield while turning left. He is due to appear in traffic court later this month.

The pedestrian accident victim has retained Abels & Annes to represent her in a civil negligence claim against the driver who hit her, and the driver's insurance company. Any witnesses to the accident are encouraged to contact our law firm.

Click here to watch the story on CBS.

In Chicago, Illinois a pedestrian was seriously injured on Thursday, according to chicagobreakingnews.com. The pedestrian vs. car accident happened on the North Side around the intersection of LaSalle and Burton.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment. The cause of the accident has not been reported and the investigation will be handled by the Major Accidents Investigations Unit of the Chicago Police Department.

We recently reported that pedestrian accidents have been increasing in Chicago. There are different theories as to the cause of the increase, but as a result the police have been cracking down on drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians at Chicago intersections.

The Police Department has been running a sting operation at dangerous uncontrolled intersections (no stop sign or stop light) where undercover officers pose as pedestrians. When a driver fails to yield to an officer, he or she receives a ticket.

In my opinion, as the weather warms up in Chicago and more people are on the street, it is good to see that the Chicago Police Department is taking the problem seriously.