Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog
An Illinois taxi vs. pedestrian collision has left one person dead and two others injured when a cab driver lost control on the morning of June 27, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The incident occurred just before 8:50 AM in the 300 block of E. Illinois Street.
The cab driver reportedly lost control, fatally striking a pedestrian and crashing into a parking garage. The taxi driver and his passenger were both injured when the vehicle hit the garage in the Streeterville neighborhood. Witnesses and police are stating that the passenger was female and she had to be cut out of the backseat. As Chicago fire department personnel worked to extricate her from the vehicle, the male pedestrian’s body was laying in the street under a sheet.
The two injured people were taken by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious to critical condition.
The accident was picked up on surveillance video from a nearby business. The pedestrian victim is shown walking eastbound on Illinois. The taxicab then skids off the road towards the pedestrian and the garage, and then the victim disappears from view.
A 23-year-old Chicago Tribune employee was at scene the to witness the crash. He stated he saw a Checker cab going fast on Illinois Street. The taxi then may have been cut off by another, swerved and hit the pedestrian on the sidewalk on the north side of the street.
NBC news is reporting that the cab driver is 71 years old and does not have a great driving record. He has received more than 30 traffic tickets between 1988 and 2010. The moving violations include failing to obey red lights, stop sign violations, speeding, obstructing traffic and improperly changing lanes.
The victim, a man in his 50s, was a dishwasher at Navy Pier seafood store and a resident of Rogers Park.
The Chicago Police Department handled the crash investigation. They issued citations to the cab driver for driving too fast for conditions and failing to show due care to a pedestrian.
This same intersection is the location where a fatal tour bus vs. pedestrian accident took place in May. The bus was turning and struck a pedestrian in the crosswalk. The driver was later charged with DUI.
The summertime can be dangerous for pedestrians in downtown Chicago. Just days after the June 27 accident, more pedestrians were injured on July 1 on Michigan Avenue, according to the Tribune.
Two pedestrians were hit in the crosswalk by a driver headed in the wrong direction. The collision took place around 5:15 PM in the 200 block of N. Michigan Ave.
The woman was reportedly in her 80s and was driving southbound in the northbound lanes. The pedestrians hit were a 35-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman. After the collision with the pedestrians, the motorist struck a northbound vehicle, and the northbound vehicle was then knocked into a third vehicle.
The pedestrians were taken by Chicago Fire Department ambulance to Northwestern Hospital. One of the injured was in serious to critical condition. The 80-year-old motorist was also taken to Northwestern, but her injuries were not reported.
It has not been reported if a Chicago car accident attorney is involved in either of the above cases, or if any civil lawsuits are on file yet.