Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog

A Champaign teenager has admitted to texting while driving in the fatal Illinois pedestrian accident that killed an elderly Chicago resident, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The 19-year-old pleaded guilty in court to failure to reduce speed to avoid and accident and to texting while driving. As our Chicago injury attorneys reported last week on our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, many states, including Illinois, have outlawed texting while driving.

Police say the teenager struck the 84-year-old Chicago resident in downtown Urbana. The man had been at a downtown restaurant to celebrate a relative's graduation. He had gone to check on his dog in a parked car when he was struck and killed.

Nationwide, more than 6,000 people are killed and 500,000 are injured in accidents blamed on distracted driving each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The federal government's distracted driving website places particular emphasis on the dangers of cell phone use and text messaging while driving. Other forms of distracted driving include eating, drinking, smoking, applying makeup, grooming, talking to passengers, reading or using in-car electronic devices.

The government reports that younger, inexperienced drivers under the age of 20 have the highest proportion of fatal crashes blamed on distracted driving.

The News-Gazette report is available here.

Detectives continue to investigate how the victim of a Chicago car accident was found dead in an alley a mile away, the Sun-Times reported. Authorities believe the accident may have involved street racing but are unsure of how the victim's body ended up in the alley.

It is the second time in about a week that police have been called to investigate a fatal accident involving street racing. On July 18, our Chicago accident lawyers reported that a motorist was killed and two others were injured in a crash on westbound I-290. Investigators in that case believe two vehicles were drag racing when one of the vehicles left the road.

In this case, a man reportedly struck and dragged in a crash on the Dan Ryan Expressway on Saturday was found dead in a South Side alley a mile away. The 18-year-old man died as a result of injuries sustained in a crash on the Dan Ryan at 69th Street, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

Illinois State Police responded to the crash in the northbound lanes of I-94 shortly before 3:30 a.m. and found a white Chevy van rolled over and abandoned. A witness reported the van and a gray Dodge may have been drag racing when they collided and that the Dodge then struck and dragged a person standing outside the van.

About 9:30 a.m. they were notified that a body matching the description of the person struck had been found in a back alley near 63rd Street and Wabash Avenue.

The NHRA reports that street racing kills about 1 in 20 participants. Drag racing is illegal in Illinois and carries very serious penalties beyond just speeding. Charges of reckless operation are possible and drag racing offenses are categorized along with DUI and fleeing police as serious traffic crimes. Additionally, very serious criminal charges may be filed in cases where a drag racing accident leads to serious or fatal injuries.

Nearly 300,000 Chicago car accidents occur each year, killing at least one motorist per day. That's an astounding 821 crashes every day.

Yet the Chicago Tribune reports that new statistics released by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning show that the rates of traffic deaths and serious injuries have declined dramatically in the last decade. In all, about 200 fewer lives are being lost per year.

Our Chicago accident lawyers will review this study and the upcoming release of 2009 data from the Illinois Department of Transportation, as we continue monitor traffic safety trends in the greater Chicago area. As we have reported both here and on our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, statewide traffic fatalities declined to the lowest level in almost a century of reporting last year. This year's numbers are on track to beat last year's.

Authorities credit safer vehicles and more aggressive enforcement measures, as well as tougher primary enforcement seat belt laws and distracted driving initiatives that ban things like cell phone use and text messaging while behind the wheel. As we have reported here previously, traffic experts also believe the high unemployment and tough economy has reduced the number of accidents as fewer people are commuting to and from work or traveling on vacation.

The study did reveal a number of challenges, including:

-Reducing the number of serious and fatal Chicago pedestrian accidents.

-Recognizing trends in the high number of late-night fatal accidents that occur across the metropolitan area.

-Reducing the number of teenage driving accidents.

-High accident rates in areas of rapid suburban expansion, including Kendall, Lake and Will counties.

Overall, the annual number of deaths and injuries resulting from traffic accidents in the seven-county region declined by 12.5 percent from 2002 to 2005 and 18 percent from 2005 to 2008. Fatalities decreased 30.5 percent from 2005 to 2008, from 629 deaths to 437 deaths.

The report also found that travel times can be significantly reduced by improving the overall safety of the system. "If we are serious about reducing congestion, one way is to reduce crashes," said Tom Murtha, a senior planner and the report's co-author. "There is positive reinforcement between the two."

Continue reading " Fewer Chicago car accidents reported but high risk of Chicago pedestrian accidents among the significant challenges that remain " »

Adding a list of cell phone laws in states you plan to travel through has become a summer road trip essential as motorists navigate the patchwork of state laws aimed at cracking down on distracted driving accidents, MSNBC reported.

As we reported on our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, Illinois began the new year with a law preventing drivers from using hand-held cell phones to text message or navigate the Internet while behind the wheel. The law also prohibits the use of hand-held cell phones in school zones and construction sites.

The City of Chicago has outlawed all hand-held cell phone use since 2005, in an effort to reduce the number of Chicago car accidents caused by distracted driving.

But those are just two of dozens of laws states and local governments have enacted in recent years as authorities have seized on the use of cell phones, and particularly text messaging, as a primary cause of distracted driving crashes. Nationwide, more than 6,000 people a year are killed and 500,000 are injured in accidents caused by distracted driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

And, while signs won't be posted notifying motorists of the laws, that does not lessen their obligation to obey them.

“Drivers are still responsible for knowing the cell phone laws that apply in each state, ” said AAA spokesperson Nancy White. While the organization urges motorists to leave cell phones alone while behind the wheel, its website offers information on various state laws.

Our Chicago injury lawyers encourage motorists to pull over when using a cell phone. Better yet, unplug during your vacation and toss the phone in the trunk. It will be there if you need it. In the meantime, relax and enjoy the peace and quiet with a view.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, eight state ban the use of hand-held cell phones: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington.

-Twenty-eight states ban the use of cell phones by young drivers.

-Thirty states ban text messaging while driving.

In some states, including Maine and Utah, the laws are part of a larger distracted driving initiative and enforcement can only occur if a driver is pulled over for committing another moving violation, such as speeding. In other states, like Maryland, the law allows for primary enforcement, meaning a driver can be stopped and ticketed if caught violating the cell phone law.

Like Chicago, many municipalities have enacted their own regulations governing cell phone use. Although several states, including Florida, have enacted legislation forbidding a patchwork of measure from being enacted by local governments within a state.

Continue reading " Cell phone laws aim to reduce risk of Chicago car accidents - what are the laws in other States? " »

Two new laws were passed recently to keep Chicago and Illinois residents safer when involved in auto accidents, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Governor Patrick Quinn signed legislation to raise fines for improperly securing children eight years and younger in Illinois from $50 to $75. Drivers cited for repeated offenses will now be fined $200.

The Governor's office states this measure is to promote education among Illinois drivers. To support this point, drivers receiving an initial citation can waive the $75 fee by taking a course on the proper use and installation of child safety seats.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) has found that properly installed child safety seats make children under one year of age 71 percent less likely to die in a car crash; however, national estimates suggest only one in four child safety seats are properly installed.

Chicago residents soon may come face-to-face with information on how to get help properly installing child safety seats in cars. The City Council approved a new ordinance requiring Chicago stores that sell the safety seats to post such particulars. These signs will direct Chicagoans to private and nonprofit organizations that provide support to people installing the seats. Stores that sell these seats but do not post this information will face a fine up to $500.

According to Tanya Triche, an attorney for the Illinois Retail Merchants Assocation, Chicago is now the only city in the nation requiring retailers to post this information.

Continue reading " Tougher Illinois seat belt laws passed in effort to reduce injuries in Chicago car accidents " »

A fatal Chicago car accident is being blamed on drag racing on westbound I-290, WGNTV reported.

Illinois State Police report that a passenger was killed and two other motorists were injured in the crash, which occurred last Sunday about 2:40 a.m. on westbound I-290 at Oakley Boulevard. Witnesses report that the two vehicles were drag racing when one of them left the road, overturned on the embankment and slammed into a tree.

A 28-year-old man in the front passenger seat was partially ejected. He was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4 a.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. The driver of the vehicle was fully ejected and was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

A back-seat passenger suffered non life-threatening injuries. State police report that the second vehicle involved in the race left the scene.

A Chicago injury lawyer could be called to assist the passengers in this case collect compensation for medical expenses and other damages and may file a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the passenger who was killed.

The NHRA reports that 1 in 20 motorists who engage in illegal street racing are killed as a result. The Illinois Secretary of State's Office reports that drivers cited for drag racing or street racing will have their driver's license suspended if convicted. The state categorizes drag racing as one of the most serious driving offenses, along with DUI, leaving the scene of an accident and fleeing police.

Nuestros abogados de accidente de Chicago eperan la liberación de estadísticas de accidentes para el año 2009, estamos echando un vistazo a la información publicada por el Departamento de Transportación de Illinois, que ofrece una revisión completa de los datos de accidentes de Chicago en 2008, el último año del que se dispone información.

Chicago informó 111,693 accidentes de tráfico - o más de 300 accidentes por día. Un total de 166 motoristas murieron y 21,313 resultaron heridas. Choques de trasero y accidentes con vehículos estacionados representaron casi la mitad de todos los accidentes.

Accidentes pedestres en Chicago recibieron el mayor número de accidentes mortales. Un tercio de todos los accidentes mortales (52 de 156) implicaron pedestres y casi un tercio de todas las muertes (52 de 166).
Accidentes de carro en Chicago implicando un objeto fijo resulto el segundo más alto de accidentes mortales (50) y muertes (57).

Condiciones climáticas y del camino

Cuatro de cada cinco accidentes ocurrieron en condiciones de buena visibilidad, en carreteras secas, durante el día. De los 11,693 accidentes,

-Claro: 83,737
-Lluvia: 12,792
-Nieve: 7,846

-Seco: 73,289
-Húmedo: 19,196
-Hielo: 3,351

-Luz del día: 71,287
-Camino de oscuridad: 26,354
-Oscuro: 5,876

De los 219,337 vehículos implicados en accidentes:

-Carros de pasajeros: 148,971
-Camionetas: 19,274
-Vans: 13,.866
-Camión7,389
-Autobús: 2,699

Si es herido en un accidente de carro, accidente pedestre o un accidente de bicicleta, los abogados de herida en Chicago de Abels & Annes ofrecen citas gratís y confidencial para hablar de sus derechos. Llame al (866) 99-Abels. No hay que pagar a menos que ganar.

As our Chicago accident lawyers await the release of crash statistics for 2009, we are taking a look at information released by the Illinois Department of Transportation, which provides a comprehensive review of Chicago accident data in 2008, the last year for which information is available.

Chicago reported 111,693 traffic accidents -- or more than 300 accidents per day. A total of 166 motorists were killed and 21,313 were injured. Rear-end collisions and accidents involving parked cars accounted for almost half of all accidents.

Chicago pedestrian accidents accounted for the largest number of fatal accidents. One-third of all fatal accidents (52 of 156) involved pedestrians and nearly one-third of all fatalities (52 of 166).

Chicago car accidents involving a fixed object resulted in the second-highest number of fatal accidents (50) and fatalities (57).

Weather/Road Conditions

Four of five accidents occurred in clear conditions, on dry roads, during the day. Of the 11,693 accidents,

-Clear: 83,737
-Rain: 12,792
-Snow: 7,846

-Dry: 73,289
-Wet: 19,196
-Ice: 3,351

-Daylight: 71,287
-Dark/lighted road: 26,354
-Dark: 5,876

Of the 219,337 vehicles involved in accidents:

-Passenger cars: 148,971
-SUV: 19,274
-Vans: 13,866
-Pickup: 7,389
-Bus: 2,699

Continue reading " Chicago car accidents, pedestrian accidents, account for the majority of city's traffic fatalities " »

Police believe road rage may have been responsible for a three-vehicle Chicago car accident that occurred in suburban Maywood on Thursday night.

The Sun-Times reported that two men and a woman were killed after a Honda SUV collided with a Mercedes at the intersection of First and Chicago avenues about 10:30 p.m.

NBC Chicago reported an 18-year-old driver was eastbound on Chicago Avenue in his mother's minivan when he noticed an SUV parked at the curb with what appeared to be an unconscious driver. When he called police and turned around to help, the 21-year-old driver of the SUV apparently became enraged.

The driver of the minivan fled and both vehicles reached speeds of 90 mph before running a red light, where the SUV slammed into the Mercedes. The SUV's driver was killed, along with two occupants of the Mercedes.

The men, ages 21 and 36, and a 57-year-old woman, were killed. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene while the other two were transported to Loyola University Medical Center, where they died.

Our Chicago injury lawyers have written about the dangers of road rage before. Typically, aggressive driving, includes speeding, tailgating, horn honking and erratic passing, while road rage involves a criminal offense, such as threats, intimidation or assault.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides tips for dealing with aggressive drivers or road-rage situations.

-Don't become aggressive; get out of the way of an aggressive driver.

-Don't challenge an aggressive driver by attempting to hold your lane or other forms of matching aggression.

-Avoid making eye contact with an aggressive driver; eye contact can actually provoke an angry driver.

-Ignore obscene gestures and don't return them.

-Pull over to a safe location and notify law enforcement.

Illinois is among 10 states ordered by the federal government to improve safety at railroad crossings, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Our Chicago car accident attorneys continue to report on the large number of Chicago railroad crossing accidents. Our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog has reported at least one fatal railroad crossing accident in each of the last three months.

Between 2006 and 2008, a total of 98 people have been killed at 588 railroad crossing accidents in Illinois, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. In fact, Illinois had more railroad crossing accidents than any state in the nation except Texas.

States must submit a plan by August 2011 to reduce railroad crossing accidents and must pay extra attention to crossings that have been identified as particularly dangerous. Options include shutting down crossing or building tunnels or bridges to separate trains from vehicle traffic.

In Northeastern Illinois, four crossings in Chicago and the Bensenville Rail Yard in Franklin Park top the list of crossings where multiple accidents have occurred. Five crashes have been reported at each location during the past five years.

Other states under the federal mandate to improve crossing safety are Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas. Federal statistics show that 7,077 crossing accidents have killed 873 people during the last three years. Just over half of those accidents occurred in the 10 states targeted for safety improvements.

Federal authorities rejected an argument by some states that fatalities be determined based on the number of crossings in a state and the number of vehicles traveling through crossings. Instead, the enforcement action is being taken based on the total number of railroad crossing accidents that each state has reported.

State authorities have yet to finalize a separate plan meant to reduce Illinois pedestrian accidents at railroad crossings. Twenty-eight pedestrians have been killed at crossings in the last three years, according to the Illinois Commerce Commission.

Continue reading " Chicago railroad crossing accidents in focus as Illinois under federal mandate to improve safety " »

A 21-year-old woman died in a Chicago car accident over the weekend after her vehicle was struck by a car fleeing police, the Breaking News Center reported.

The crash occurred in the South Side's Bronzeville neighborhood about 1:20 a.m. Saturday. The woman was sitting in a Hyundai when it was struck by a Honda at East 47th Street and South King Drive. She was pronounced dead at 2:10 a.m. at Stroger Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

Police took the driver of the Honda into custody but could not say whether the Honda's driver was hurt or whether the victim was driving the Hyundai. Police had attempted to pull the driver of the Honda over for a traffic violation. However the driver fled and was being chased at the time of the crash.

The Major Accidents Investigation Unit is reviewing the accident and charges are pending, according to CBS2.

The Fourth of July ushers in the second half of 2010. As our Chicago accident lawyers have been reporting, a record-low number of traffic fatalities have occurred during the first half of the year. Through Fourth of July weekend, 364 fatal Illinois traffic accidents have killed 397 motorists.

The Illinois Department of Transportation reports that is 55 fewer fatalities than occurred during the same period last year.

A local trauma nurse is hosting a first aid class aimed at teaching riders what to do in the event of a Chicago motorcycle accident.

The Sun-Times reports that the clinical nurse at Loyola Center for Heart & Health Medicine in Park Ridge developed the idea after a decade of treating motorcycle victims in the emergency room and suffering a motorcycle accident of her own in 2006. That accident was caused by a motorist throwing a Gatorade bottle out the window. The nurse suffered a dislocated shoulder, broken ankle and severe road rash after laying her bike down on I-55.

Fellow riders assisted her during the 40-minute wait for emergency personnel to arrive.

"I realized how ill-prepared motorcyclists are for accidents -- including me at that time," said Teresa McClelland. "And I realized how important it was that the riders with me knew what to do."

She began teaching a class called A Crash Course for the Motorcyclist to motorcycle riders, scooter riders, EMS workers and nurses. The crash focuses on what to do in the minutes after a motorcycle accident to secure the scene and assist the injured until professional help arrives.

As Chicago injury lawyers we applaud such programs and encourage every rider to take advantage of safety instruction.

"Usually, the first person at the scene [of a motorcycle accident] is another cyclist -- and often these accidents are in rural areas," she told the Sun-Times. "I am trying to train bikers how to handle that golden hour between the accident and when the emergency response team arrives."

Advice in the class includes information on securing the scene, how and when to move an injured rider, traffic control, how to move a motorcycle, and the proper information to provide a 911 dispatcher. McClelland is also the director of training and curriculum for Rescue Riders, a non-profit group of volunteer bikers who lend their emergency response training to large motorcycle events.

She understands the grim statistics faced by riders -- 17 percent of crashes involve motorcycle riders, who are eight times more likely to be seriously injured than car drivers. Ninety-eight percent of motorcycle accidents involving another vehicle result in injuries to the rider. Almost half result in serious or life-threatening injuries.

Not only does she encourage every rider to take a safety course, she encourages them to get CPR training and to enroll in an accident management class as well. Basic and advanced safety courses are being offered at Loyola University Health System on the following Saturdays: July 24, Sept. 4, Sept. 18, Oct. 2, Oct. 16, Nov. 13 and Nov. 27.

For additional information visit www.accidentscene.org.

Continue reading " Safety courses teach riders what to do in the event of a Chicago motorcycle accident " »

Officials will be out in force through the Fourth of July weekend, looking for drunk or impaired drivers and monitoring the heavy holiday traffic in an effort to reduce the number of serious and fatal Chicago car accidents.

The Illinois Department of Transportation reports that it will attempt to keep lane closures in construction areas to a minimum, but urges motorists to drive sober and allow extra time to reach their destination safely.

“While we want everyone to enjoy their holiday weekend, we must put safety first and remind motorists to not drink and drive and to be conscious of work zones,” said IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig. “We will limit lane closures where possible to provide some relief to those traveling over the holiday weekend, but some areas will still have workers present, so please obey the posted speed limits and drive cautiously."

While New Year's gets all the attention when it comes to drunk driving and fatal traffic accidents, Fourth of July and Thanksgiving have proven to be the deadliest holidays on the nation's roads in recent years. And Fourth of July was the most dangerous holiday in Illinois in 2008, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. Nearly 2,700 crashes killed 15 and injured 805 motorists.

Fatal Holiday traffic accidents nationwide in 2008:

New Year's: 104

Memorial Day: 370

Fourth of July: 437

Labor Day: 423

Thanksgiving: 439

Christmas: 364

New Year's Eve: 37

Fatal Holiday Car Accidents in Illinois in 2008

New Year's: 10 fatalities/ 575 injuries

Memorial Day: 8 fatalities/726 injuries

Fourth of July: 15 fatalities/805 injuries

Labor Day: 15 fatalities/ 803 injuries

Thanksgiving: 9 fatalities/961 injuries

Christmas: 8 fatalities/841 injuries

Of particular concern will be combating drunk driving. Our Chicago injury attorneys continue to report the high number of Illinois traffic accidents caused by drunk driving. Nationwide, someone is killed in a drunk driving accident every 45 minutes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2008, alcohol was involved in more than one-third of all fatal Illinois traffic accidents, accounting for 434 of the state's 1,043 road deaths.

Continue reading " Aggressive enforcement aimed at reducing the risk of Chicago car accidents over Fourth of July weekend " »