Uninsured Motorist Claim

22 -year-old passenger killed in Chicago car accident

October 4, 2010 | By Dave Abels

An Illinois auto accident on S. Lake Shore Dr. has claimed the life of a 22-year-old passenger, according to NBC news. The crash occurred in the area of Hyde Park just after 12 PM on Saturday.

A 20-year-old woman was driving the car when lost control and hit a light pole. The vehicle was headed northbound and the payment was wet at the time of the occurrence. Both driver and passenger were rushed by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The passenger died a couple hours later at the hospital. The victim was a resident of the 7000 block of S. South Shore Drive.

The at fault driver was ticketed by the Chicago Police Department for driving without insurance. The major accident investigation unit is handling the accident.

Chicago woman killed in car crash – at fault driver uninsured

September 20, 2010 | By Dave Abels

A woman from Chicago was killed a week ago Sunday in an Illinois car crash that occurred in suburban Glendale Heights, according to the Daily Herald. The accident took place around 9 PM at the intersection of Bloomingdale Road and North Avenue.

The victim, Lual Mang, 67, was riding as a passenger at the time of the accident. Glendale Heights police ticketed the driver of the car she was riding in with disobeying a traffic control device and driving without insurance.

The passenger was rushed by ambulance to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood were she was pronounced dead a short time later.

Chicago rollover car crash injures 5 on Lake Shore Drive

September 9, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Chicago car crash that occurred on Sunday night has resulted in five people being injured, including three teenagers, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The accident took place when a northbound SUV on Interstate 55 was on a connecting ramp to Lake Shore Drive when it rolled over.

All five of the injured were hospitalized in serious to critical condition after the crash. Two of the injured were taken to Cook County Hospital and three were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital by ambulance.

A total of seven people were riding an SUV. The 18-year-old driver of the SUV is likely to be issued multiple citations, as two of the teenage passengers were not wearing seatbelts.

Chicago car accident injures 9 on the north side

September 5, 2010 | By Dave Abels

NBC news is reporting that a total of nine people have been hurt, seven seriously, in a Chicago car crash. The accident happened in the Logan Square neighborhood on the north side just after 2 AM on Saturday morning. It is being reported that a driver of a silver Infiniti caused the accident, however there is no indication that the crash was alcohol related, that according to the Chicago Police Department.

Infiniti was headed westbound on Fullerton Avenue when it hit another Infiniti vehicle at or near Sacramento Boulevard. The at fault driver then fled the scene of the accident and headed back east on Fullerton at a high rate of speed. As the silver Infiniti fled, it crashed into a taxicab in a Toyota in the 2900 block of W. Fullerton Ave.

The force of the impact ejected three people from the Infiniti, injured the taxi driver and passenger, and injured the woman driving the Toyota. According to witnesses, the at fault driver was alert after the crash, however the three passengers that were ejected were unresponsive.

Unlicensed drivers responsible for 1 in 6 fatal Illinois car accidents

January 15, 2010 | By Dave Abels

An average of 6,934 fatal crashes each year involve an unlicensed driver over the age of 16, according to research released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Chicago car accident attorneys and the personal injury and wrongful death lawyers at Abels & Annes frequently post about fatal Chicago car accidents, both here at Chicago Car Accident Lawyers blog and on our sister site, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer blog.

The fact is, unlicensed drivers frequently have poor driving records and carry little or no insurance. A Chicago car accident with an uninsured motorist can require a skilled Chicago car accident lawyer to help you and your family protect your rights and recover the compensation you deserve.

In Illinois, 202 fatal crashes involved an unlicensed driver in 2007, according to NHTSA data –11th highest of all 50 states. The 10-year average pins 1 of every 6 fatal Illinois car accidents on an unlicensed driver.

And fatal accidents caused by unlicensed drivers are on the rise, from 11 percent a decade ago to 14 percent last year. Men were almost twice as likely to be involved in an unlicensed fatal crash as were women.

Unlicensed young adult drivers, ages 21 to 40, averaged 4,179 fatalities per year, or more than half of all fatal crashes involving unlicensed drivers.

Chicago area mother & child injured in car accident – at fault driver lighting cigarette at time of accident

September 5, 2009 | By Dave Abels

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.

Illinois tougher uninsured motorist law passes

August 12, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Drivers who cause a car accident without automobile insurance face up to a year in jail under a tougher new Illinois uninsured motorist law signed by Gov. Pat Quinn on Friday.

Chicago personal injury attorney Dave Abels was interviewed about the new law earlier this summer and has published several blogs about the need to crack down on uninsured motorists and to raise the state’s mandatory minimum insurance coverage.

“The way the law stands right now it just doesn’t provide real protection for people who are seriously injured in auto accidents,” said Abels, of Abels & Annes, a Chicago law firm that handles car accidents, motorcycle accident and other personal injury claims. “It covers you for small accidents but not the big accidents that you really care about where your life is changed forever.”

The new law makes driving without insurance a misdemeanor criminal offense and carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine. The old law carried a fine of up to $1,000 and a license suspension of 3 to 6 months.

The new law, which The Southern newspaper noted was heavily supported by lawmakers this spring before heading to Gov. Quinn for his signature, is named after Johnston City native and Southern Illinois University graduate Michael Dean.

Dean was hit and killed by an uninsured driver while driving on Illinois 13 in July 2006.

Abels said the new law is a step in the right direction but noted that Illinois still needs to address its low mandatory insurance limits of $20,000 per person and $40,000 per occurrence.

“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,” Abels said. “I have handled car accident death cases where the victim incurred over $500,000 in medical bills.”
Continue reading

Chicago car accident lawyers at Abels & Annes urge motorists to maintain proper car insurance

July 2, 2009 | By Dave Abels

The tough economy is forcing people to reduce their automobile insurance, increase their deductibles, shop for cheaper coverage and, in some cases, even cancel their insurance.

The Chicago car accident attorneys at Abels & Annes urge motorists to carry as much uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage as they can afford. Reducing expenses by reducing auto insurance is shortsighted at best — the cost is minimal compared to the expense of being hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver.

The Insurance Research Council reports that a recent survey found 15 percent of those surveyed said they had increased their deductibles or reduced their coverage in order to reduce their premium costs.

Nine percent of those surveyed said they canceled or did not renew vehicle coverage in response to the economic downturn.

Encouragingly, the survey found most homeowners and drivers have continued their insurance coverage, even if they shopped for a lower rate.

“These findings confirm that most Americans recognize the importance of maintaining essential insurance coverage on their homes and cars,” said Elizabeth A. Sprinkel, senior vice president of the IRC. “But they also show that Americans are willing to shop and reevaluate their insurance needs in order to reduce insurance costs.”

And a proposal awaits the signature of Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn that would make failure to carry auto insurance a criminal offense, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Current law allows for a fine of up to $1,000 and license suspension of up to 6 months.

Chicago car accident attorney Dave Abels was recently interviewed about the new law and blogged about the inadequacy of the state’s mandatory minimum insurance of $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident.

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. 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).

Chicago Police Officers Hit And Injured By DUI Driver

March 14, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Two Chicago Police Officers that were responding to a battery call on the Northwest Side early this morning were struck by a drunk driver, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The driver, a Chicago resident, was charged with DUI, negligent driving, making an improper left turn, and no proof of insurance.

The police officers were moving eastbound on Irving Park Road in the area of North New England Ave. when the defendant pulled off of a side street. The at fault driver was in a Ford Taurus and the police car was traveling with emergency lights and siren activated.

Both officers were injured and taken to local hospitals. One officer suffered a shoulder injury and the other sustained neck and back injuries. The officers were treated at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center. They are both said to be in good condition.

In Chicago, Illinois SUV Hits Viaduct Killing Driver And Injuring 3 Passengers

March 3, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A single car accident on the South Side of Chicago just before 9:00 p.m. on Saturday night has resulted in the death of it’s driver and severe injuries to three passengers, according to WBBM News Radio. The SUV, a Chevy Blazer, crashed into a viaduct. The vehicle was moving northbound on South California Avenue, just south of its intersection with West 31st Street at the time of the accident. At least two of the men involved in the accident were reportedly trapped in the SUV. The viaduct, which is just north of the Chicago River, supports railroad tracks.

Emergency crews responded to the scene where they found the SUV wrapped around the support of the viaduct and they then extracted two of the occupants. The driver and one passenger were transported to Mount Sinai Hospital. The other two passengers were taken to Stroger Hospital. The driver was pronounced dead a short time after the accident. The passengers were reportedly in critical condition.

From the perspective of a Chicago personal injury attorney, it has been my experience that passengers riding in an at fault vehicle sometimes mistakenly believe that they do not have a claim. For example, in the above case, while it is tragic that the driver past away, the three injured passengers can still make a claim against the driver’s insurance company. Further, because all three passengers’ injuries were severe, the driver may not have enough insurance to cover the loss. If that is the case, the passengers will have the right to make an under-insured motorist claim against their own insurance policies.