Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog

Officials in Indiana are trying to make sense of a study that found that teens who take driver's education classes are four time more likely to be involved in a crash than those who forgo the training.

The report by the Chicago Breaking News Center comes as officials nationwide continue the effort to reduce the number of serious and fatal car accidents involving teen drivers. As we reported on our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, a teen challenge is running through mid-September, which encourages young drivers to submit public service announcements about the dangers of texting and driving.

Safety advocates point to Illinois' Graduated Driver Licensing System, considered by some to be one of the nation's best young-driver programs, for the reduction in Chicago car accidents involving teenagers.

“I am pleased and encouraged that the number of teen crash fatalities continues to drop since my Teen Driver Safety Task Force issued recommendations that led to the strengthening of Illinois’ graduated driver licensing (GDL) program,” said Secretary of State Jesse White. “Since the stronger GDL program took effect in 2008, teen driving deaths have dropped by over 50 percent."

Still, 164 motorists were killed in Illinois car accidents involving young drivers in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nationwide, 5,864 young drivers were involved in fatal crashes and more than 228,000 motorists were injured in accidents involving young drivers.

The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette reported that the study looked at 122,924 young drivers in Indiana, more than half of whom did not take driver's education. Nearly five percent of driver's ed students were involved in an accident, compared to 1 percent of students without formal driver training. Officials caution that some of the discrepancy might be because teens who take driver's ed are allowed to get their permits at a younger age and hold a permit for at least six months longer.

Still, the Associated Press reported it might be time to overhaul the driver education system in that state, which has not been updated in three decades.

Continue reading "Training of teen drivers has led to fewer Chicago car accidents -- In Indiana ... not so much" »

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" »

Two teenagers died in a Chicago car accident early Monday, just a few hours after going out to celebrate one of the girls' 18th birthday, the Tribune reported.

The girls, who were best friends, were in a black four-door sedan that hit a tree in the 700 block of Sheridan Road in Wilmette about 2:30 a.m. Monday. Police have released few details but said three other passengers were injured in the crash and taken to area hospitals.

Both girls attended Chicago Academy High School. The Sun-Times reported that charges are possible pending the outcome of the investigation, although police have not yet publicly identified who was driving. The North Regional Major Crimes Task Force and the Cook County State Attorney's Office are investigating.

Our Chicago injury lawyers continue to report the devastating number of serious and fatal accidents involving teenagers and encourage parents to speak frequently with their children about the importance of making good driving decisions.

In 2008, nine teenagers ages 16 to 19 died every day in motor vehicle accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers ages 15 to 20, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And the USA Today recently reported that young motorists face the highest risk of an accident during the summer months. Authorities attribute the increased dangers to more opportunities to drive at night, less parental supervision, more free time and relaxed curfews.

Traditionally, the hours of 10 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday have proven the deadliest for teens on the road.

Inexperience and immaturity are leading factors in accidents involving teenagers, although distracted driving is also of primary concern. Teenagers who use cell phones or text message while behind the wheel are at particularly high risk. Please visit our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog and share with your teen driver the graphic public service message about the dangers of texting and driving, which is airing on British television.

AAA provides the following tips and risk factors for teen drivers:

Risk Taking: Don't do something you'll regret for the rest of your life. Accidents don't just affect you, they affect passengers, other drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, children and families.

Unbuckled Belts: Wear your seat belt and insist that all passengers do so as well.

Speeding: Obey the speed limit. One-third of teen fatalities involve speeding.

Rowdy Passengers: Adding one passenger increases a 16- or 17-year-old driver's chances of an accident by about 50 percent. With two or more passengers, the risk of an accident increases fivefold.

Cellphones: Focus on the road. Don't use a cell phone or text message while driving.

CD Players: Research shows that adjusting the radio is the most common distraction for drivers ages 16 to 20.

Nighttime Driving: Crash rates for teen drivers from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. are twice as high as they are during the day.

Drinking and Driving: One-sixth of 16- and 17-year-olds killed in crashes were legally intoxicated.

Peer Pressure: Consider the risk factors before getting into a car with another driver. Is this a person you trust? Are they sober and in the right frame of mind to drive? Is the vehicle safe and are there an appropriate number of passengers?

Overconfidence: Drivers who have spent decades on the road can get themselves into an accident. Inexperience and overconfidence frequently lead to crashes when new drivers encounter unexpected or unfamiliar situations.

If you don't do anything else this summer to warn your teens about the dangers of distracted driving, at least make them watch this video.

As our Chicago car accident lawyers have reported again and again both here and on our sister site, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, the dangers of distracted driving are very real, particularly for young people. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that car accidents are the leading cause of death for young drivers ages 15 to 20 and teenagers are most likely to be involved in a serious or fatal car accident caused by text messaging.

This video is actually a public service announcement running on British television. While the U.S. government has started a website Distraction.gov in an effort to warn about the dangers of driving distracted, they certainly have not taken it to the street with an in-your-face message like this aimed at teenagers.

The New England Journal of Medicine mentioned the British campaign in an article about the dangers of text messaging and distracted driving. As the article states, at least one study has found that driving while using a cell phone is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Drivers who text message are at 23 times greater risk of being involved in an accident.

At least 1.6 million traffic accidents are caused each year by a driver using a cell phone or text messaging.

Now, with publication of the issue in one of the nation's premiere medical journals, distracted driving has officially become a health issue. The article's author, Dr. Amy Ship, notes that speaking to patients about the dangers of smoking increases a patient's chances of quitting. She urges doctors to begin talking to patients about the dangers of distracted driving.

By opening such a dialogue with patients, she has found an opportunity to discuss with them the dangers of using a cell phone even if it's a hands-free device.

You can do the same by opening a discussion with your child and help reduce their risk of being involved in a serious or fatal Chicago car accident.

You can read more about Illinois Young Driver Program here.

Additional advice for speaking with your teen about safe driving is available here.

Read the New England Journal of Medicine Report

Continue reading "Share this video with your teen driver to reduce their risk of a Chicago car accident" »

A 16-year-old teenager died Saturday night at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn from brain injuries suffered in a two-vehicle Chicago car accident over Memorial Day weekend, the Post-Tribune reported.

The victim was the passenger in a 2003 Chevy Silverado driven by her 16-year-old boyfriend when their SUV crashed into another vehicle on a rain-slicked highway on Sauk Trail in suburban Cook County, the sheriff's department reported. The passengers of the other vehicle were also hospitalized with injuries. Cause of the accident remains under investigation. The teen would have been a junior at Marian Catholic High School this fall.

About 1.7 million people a year suffer a traumatic brain injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Falls and motor vehicle accidents are the leading causes, accounting for more than half of all brain injuries that occur in the United States each year.

As our Chicago injury lawyers reported earlier this year, teenagers are at high-risk for being involved in a serious or fatal Illinois car accident. Fatal crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers ages 15 to 20, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2008, a total of 164 teenagers were killed in car crashes in Illinois, ninth-most in the nation.

In this case, the Southtown Star reported that the young driver had slowed for heavy afternoon rains but lost control of the truck when the tires slipped off the pavement, causing the vehicle to fishtail into oncoming traffic. He was cited for failure to reduce speed, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

The SUV was hit on the passenger side by an eastbound Chevy Blazer driven by a 39-year-old Manhattan man. He suffered a broken ankle. His wife was taken to the hospital with a broken wrist and pelvis and the couple's 4-year-old son was also injured.

A mother has hurt her own daughter in a Chicago car crash, and it is alleged she was driving drunk at the time, according to the Chicago Tribune. The car accident happened on Thursday night in the 1400 block of South Pulaski Road.

Chicago police officers actually witnessed the accident. They were in the middle of a traffic stop when the 25-year-old defendant drove by going Northbound in a 1997 Chevy. She hit a 1994 Buick, then a truck before coming to a stop.

The mother was charged with aggravated DUI, driving on a suspended license, no insurance, leaving the scene of an accident, and a no seat belt violation for both her and her daughter.

Both mother and daughter were taken by ambulance to Mt. Sinai Hospital. There injuries have not been reported.

Click here to read the story from the Chicago Breaking News Center.

A twelve year old boy has been critically injured in a Chicago hit-and-run pedestrian accident on the South Side, according to the ABC News. The pedestrian accident happened on Sunday in the 8000 block of South May Street in the early evening.

The boy was crossing the street when a 2 door Cadillac struck him. The car was traveling southbound and just kept going after the accident. The driver has been described as African American, age 20-26, and is known by the alias of KB.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition. CBS News is reporting that he suffered multiple injuries and sever head trauma, facial lacerations and a fractured leg that has been surgically repaired. He is currently in a drug induced coma.

CBS News is also reporting that the child was dragged down the street before the driver fled.

Anyone with information regarding the Chicago car vs. pedestrian accident should immediately contact the Chicago Police Department at 312-745-4521.

Click here to read the story as reported by the Southtown Star.

A teenager has been sentenced to six months in jail on drunk driving charges stemming from a fatal Chicago car accident that claimed the life of a friend and critically injured two passengers, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The teenager will serve 120 days in jail this year, 30 days in jail next year and 30 days in 2012 after pleading guilty in March to aggravated DUI and reckless homicide.

The June accident killed a 17-year-old West Chicago teenager. Police say the defendant's blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit when he lost control of his SUV and struck a tree at about 3:30 a.m. on June 14.

The teens had been partying at the home of the teenager killed in the wreck; his parents were out of state at the time. Witnesses testified that the defendant aggressively refused suggestions that he not drive. Prosecutors had requested a 10-year prison sentence.

As part of the judge's order, the teen will also have to give four talks at schools about the dangers of drunk driving. The judge also said he would reduce the sentence by one day for every additional speech the defendant makes to a school or victim impact panel.

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers 15 to 20 years old, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2008, 5,864 teenagers were involved in fatal accidents -- 2,739 were killed and more than 228,000 were injured. One-third of young drivers killed in crashes had alcohol in their system at the time of the accident.

In Illinois, 164 people died in accidents involving young drivers in 2008, including 80 young drivers and 39 young passengers.

Click here to read the Kane County Chronicle article.

Click here to read the Chicago Daily Herald article.

The alleged drunk driver who killed a 5-year-old boy in a Chicago car accident, was given the keys to the vehicle by police less than an hour before he slammed into a tree with the child sleeping in the back seat, the Breaking News Center reported.

Chicago Heights police took the man's girlfriend into custody for driving without a license before reportedly handing him the keys and allowing him to drive away in the 1998 Chevy Cavalier. Forty minutes later, he veered off Steger Road and slammed into a tree, killing the child.

Police say he had marijuana in his system and a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit. He was charged with felony driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless homicide.

Family and friends say the boy's mother had been the designated driver. Friends say the defendant had spent most of Sunday night drinking before being joined by his girlfriend and her son.

The couple left the party at a friend's house shortly after 2 a.m. The girlfriend was stopped at 2:35 a.m. after police report she made an improper turn without a signal. The officer arrested her for driving on a suspended license and handed the vehicle and her son over to the defendant, according to the Chicago Heights police chief.

Police report the vehicle was registered to him and he had a valid driver's license. The chief said the officer did not detect any signs that the man was intoxicated. He was about half a mile from his house, and just 2 1/2 miles from where police gave him the car, when he drove off the road and into the tree. The accident happened about 3:15 a.m., about the time the child's mother was being processed and released from custody.

The officer who made the stop had been on the force for two years.

WGN-TV reports on the story.

Click here to read the report from NBC Chicago.

Six children and two adults were critically injured in a Chicago car accident over the Thanksgiving Holiday after their car struck a tree, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The accident occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Friday in the 900 block of West Garfield Boulevard after the driver swerved off the road for unknown reasons and struck a tree, according to authorities.

All eight occupants of the 1996 Buick Regal were listed in serious-to-critical condition following the Chicago car crash.

Those taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County include; a 50-year-old woman, a 55-year-old man and two girls, ages 3 and 5, according to police. A 5-year-old boy was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. Three boys, ages 9, 3 and 6-months, were taken to Comer Children's Hospital.

No citations were issued and the investigation continues, the Sun-Times reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that car accidents are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. A study in 2005 found that 1,335 children under the age of 14 were killed in car accidents and 184,000 were injured, or an average of 4 deaths and 504 injuries per day.

Setting clear driving safety rules for your teenage driver and not giving them their own vehicle can reduce the chances of your child being involved in a serious or fatal car accident.

Those findings were the result of two studies funded by State Farm Insurance Co. and conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The Chicago car accident lawyers and child injury attorneys at Abels & Annes urge parents to talk frequently with their children about driving safety. Automobile accidents are the No. 1 cause of death for teenagers ages 15 to 19, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

According to the Associated Press, results of the most recent studies, released Friday and published in the October issue of Pediatrics, show talking frequently with your teenager about driving safety and not allowing teenagers free access to their own vehicle can help prevent some of the 5,000 teenage road fatalities each year.

One in every 7 fatal accidents in the United States involves a teenager and fatal traffic accidents account for 40 percent of all teenage deaths. Another 250,000 teenagers are seriously injured each year in automobile accidents.

"With teen drivers, you have to recognize that it's a public health issue," said Dr. Jeffrey Weiss, a Phoenix pediatrician who co-wrote an American Academy of Pediatrics report on teen drivers.

The research is based on a nationally representative survey of more than 5,500 teens in grades nine through 11.

More than 2,000 students who reported driving on their own were the focus of one study; 70 percent said they had their own cars or were the main drivers of cars they used.

Dr. Flaura Koplin Winston, the lead researcher in one of the studies, said it's alarming that so many kids have their own cars or feel that they have free use of one. She said that freedom can lead to "a sense of entitlement about driving" that may make them less cautious.

Among these drivers, 1 in 4 had been involved in crashes, versus just 1 in 10 of teens who shared access to a vehicle.

Kids who said their parents set clear driving rules and monitored their whereabouts had half as many crashes and better driving habits. These teens were 71 percent less likely to drink and drive and 30 percent less likely to use a cell phone while driving than kids with parents who were uninvolved in their driving habits.

Dr. Niranjan Karnik, a University of Chicago specialist in adolescent mental health, said the research underscores the importance of active parenting and graduated licensing laws for teens.

The AAA Foundation has resources for safe teen driving, which can be accessed at www.teendriving.com.

The Chicago car accident attorneys recently wrote about Illinois' Operation Teen Safe Driving, which also offers resources for teenagers and their parents.

Continue reading "Talking safe driving with your teenager, reducing vehicle access, can reduce risk of serious car accident" »

Chicago personal injury lawyers from Abels & Annes have agreed to represent a 15 year old boy who was hit by a car in Cicero, Illinois on August 22, 2009. The child was riding his bike on a sidewalk in the area of 59th Avenue and 37th Street when a woman driving a car failed to yield while exiting an alley and hit him.

The Cicero Police Department investigated the cause of the car vs. bike accident. The police report states the car hit the bicycle's front tire, causing the boy to flip over the hood of her car. The woman then got out of her vehicle and asked if he was ok. The child said he was not ok, and the woman got back in the car and fled the scene. The police located the woman later the same day at her home in Cicero.

The child sustained low back injuries and pain on both rib cages. He was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital on the date of the accident where x-rays may have detected a spinal fracture. He was seen again at the hospital 2 days later for an MRI. The boy is going to follow-up treatment with an orthopaedic doctor in Chicago.

The child in this case was very lucky, as he walked away from the accident with non-life-threatening injuries. Not all children are as fortunate. The Chicago Breaking News Center is reporting that a 5 year old girl riding a bicycle was killed in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago Sunday afternoon when a driver failed to yield while exiting from an alley, the same exact facts of our accident.

The deadly bike collision happened in the 6100 block of North Sacramento Avenue around 5:30 p.m. The driver was ticketed by the Chicago Police Department for failing to yield to the bicyclist while coming out of the alley.

The girl was rushed to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston where she was pronounced dead a short time later.

Also see the Rogers Park bike accident as reported by WBBM News Radio 780.

In the Chicago suburb of Berwyn, Illinois a mother and daughter were injured in an auto accident on Tuesday. The driver who hit them was distracted at the time of the crash, as she was busy lighting a cigarette. To make matters worse, the driver was uninsured. The injured mother has retained Chicago injury lawyers at Abels & Annes to pursue an uninsured motorist claim against her own insurance carrier.

The accident took place during daylight hours at the corner of Kenilworth Ave. & 19th St. in Berwyn. The intersection is uncontrolled by traffic signals (no stop lights or stop signs). When the plaintiff arrived at the intersection she yielded to a car that arrived before her and then proceeded when it was her turn. When she was most of the way through the intersection the uninsured driver entered the intersection without stopping or yielding and struck her car.

When you approach an uncontrolled intersection in the State of Illinois, the driver that arrives first has the right-of-way. If two vehicles arrive at the same time, the vehicle on the right has the right-of-way.

The mother and child were taken by ambulance to MacNeal Hospital. The mother sustained neck and head injuries. She is going through follow-up treatment with an orthopaedic physician.

The Berwyn police department investigated the car crash.

Over the past year the use of cell phones and texting while driving have been a hot topic in Illinois, and new laws have been passed. We should not forget that other activities, such as smoking or eating food, can be just as distracting or more distracting than cell phone use.

A 3-year old girl was seriously injured in an accident after being dragged 200 feet by a car on Tuesday in Fox Lake, Illinois.

The Chicago Breaking News Center reported the girl was playing on the side of the road when she was hit and became stuck under a 1999 Dodge Intrepid as it backed out of a driveway.

The 36-year-old driver of the Dodge did not realize the child was trapped beneath the car and drove a block on Arlington Road in Fox Lake. Luckily, neighbors saw what happened and chased the car down. The witnesses then reportedly lifted the vehicle off the girl.

She was airlifted to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge with injuries to her head and shoulder. The victim may have to undergo extensive reconstructive surgery.

The driver of the Dodge and two passengers were questioned by police. Authorities said there is no indication alcohol was involved.

The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team is handling the accident investigation.

Also see the story as reported by the Lake County News-Sun.

A fatal Chicago suburban car accident involving teens leaving a graduation party earlier this summer has led to a personal injury lawsuit in Kane County Circuit Court.

Chelsea Mertz, 17, of St. Charles, has filed suit seeking more than $50,000. Her attorney claims she suffered a broken jaw and a brain injury as a result of the accident June 17. Mertz was one of four teenagers in an SUV that went off the road and slammed into trees on the 3100 block of Royal Fox Drive in St. Charles. The accident killed front-seat passenger Cameron Godee of West Chicago.

The lawsuit accuses the teen driver of driving more than 40 mph over the speed limit down the wrong side of the road, high on marijuana and alcohol while driving a group of St. Charles East High School classmates home from a graduation party at 3:30 a.m.

Mertz and another back-seat passenger survived the crash. She had her jaw wired shut and is undergoing rehabilitation for a brain injury, according to her attorney. She is recovering but is having speech difficulties and the long-term effects of the brain injury remain uncertain.

The civil lawsuit is up in court for the first time on October 20th.

The driver has also been criminally charged with 12 counts of aggravated DUI and four counts of reckless homicide, according to the Suburban Chicago Daily Herald. Police have said his blood-alcohol content was nearly three times the legal threshold, and he tested positive for marijuana.

With school beginning, the Chicago car accident lawyers at Abels & Annes urge parents to speak with their children about driver safety and the need to make good choices when it comes to their safety behind the wheel or as a passenger.

The school year brings with it new friends, new opportunities, new freedom and new danger. Federal statistics consistently show auto accidents are the leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24.

In the Chicago western suburb of Westchester, Illinois a 6 year old boy has been critically injured in an auto accident, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The car the boy was riding in hit a truck on the Eisenhower Expressway on Sunday just after 3:30 p.m.

A truck driver had pulled over to the eastbound highway shoulder, according to the Illinois State Police. The truck had pulled over to seek some type of assistance from an IDOT worker.

A short time later a woman driving a Ford Taurus drove onto the shoulder for reasons unknown and rear-ended the truck. The child was a passenger in the Taurus. The child was in a booster seat in the back.

The Westchester Fire Department transported the boy to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois in critical condition. The trucker, the Taurus driver and the IDOT worker were reportedly not seriously injured.

The relationship between the boy and the Taurus driver has not been reported. It has also not been reported if drugs or alcohol played a role.

Serious injuries to innocent child passengers in car crashes is common in the Chicago area. In this type of case the parents of the child will look to pursue a civil claim against the Ford driver's auto insurance company. If the Ford driver was the child's parent, that will not bar the civil claim in the State of Illinois.

There is no word if Chicago car accident lawyers are involved in the case yet. The injury lawyers that work on the case will look to see if there was any negligence on the part of the truck driver. For example, they will attempt to determine if the truck was completely on the shoulder, or was it partially sticking out in the road.

Also see the story at WBBM News Radio.

In Chicago, Illinois one person died and four were hurt in a car crash on the South Side, according to chicagobreakingnews.com. The auto accident involved two cars and occurred around 6:40 pm in the Woodlawn neighborhood on Sunday. One of the victims was a 9 year old pedestrian who was on a sidewalk and was hit by one of the vehicles.

The injured child was rushed to University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital. The others were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. The Cook County medical examiner's office has stated that one man involved in the collision has died, but no further details have been made available.

The Chicago Police Department is handling the crash investigation, and the cause of the accident has not yet been reported.

It is not that uncommon for an innocent bystander to get hurt if he or she happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Recently Chicago injury lawyers at Abels & Annes settled a case for a South Side resident who was seriously injured in front of his apartment when two cars collided, and one vehicle bounced off and hit our client.

Illinois car accident lawyers from our firm also represented a Chicago resident who was waiting at a CTA bus stop when two cars crashed near by. A wheel flew off one of the cars and hit him, causing significant injuries.