Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Northern Illinois University recently offered a motorcycle safety class to teach motorcyclists what they can do to remain safe on the roads. As warmer weather approaches, more and more people will be hitting the roads on their motorcycles. According to an article in the Northwest Herald, five people were killed in motorcycle accidents in 2007 in McHenry County, IL. In order to prevent serious personal injury, motorcyclists must understand the rules of the road and wear protective gear such as helmets and long sleeves. The article notes that 80 percent of those killed in motorcycle accidents in Illinois were not wearing a helmet. Read the full article with safety tips to avoid a motorcycle accident.

A fatal car accident happened in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg on April 29. According to Chicago Breaking News, one vehicle was involved in the accident and no other injuries were reported. The car accident occurred when the victim’s car crashed into a tree. She was taken to a local hospital in Elk Grove Villlage where she later died from injuries sustained in the accident. It is reported that she was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Read more about this Schaumburg car accident.

On April 26, an Olympia Fields woman was killed and her husband was injured after their car was hit by another driver. The Southtown Star reports that Janice Lipschultz, 79, died at a local hospital shortly after the car accident and her husband remains in St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields. The fatal accident was caused when a car driven by Lateisha Weathers smashed into the driver’s side of Lipshultz’s vehicle. Weathers was cited for driving on a suspended license and without insurance. Read more about this fatal car accident near Chicago by following the link.

A Chicago police officer was injured on April 25 in a two car accident in Albany Park. The Chicago Sun Times reports that the officer was driving an unmarked police car that was rear-ended by another vehicle. The injured officer was taken to Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago where he was listed as stable. No word on whether the other driver was injured or ticketed in the accident. Read more about this Albany Park car accident.

A 91-year-old man from Orland Park, a suburb of Chicago, died on April 23 in a car accident three blocks from his home. According a report in the Southtown Star, the man was driving home when he drove through a red light. A box truck that was driving through the intersection crashed into the man’s vehicle as he drove through the light. Emergency workers extricated the man from his severely damaged car and took him to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. The driver of the box truck did not suffer any personal injuries and will not be charged. Read more about this tragic Chicago car accident.

Recently, a woman was killed in Belelville, IL in a single car accident. The crash occurred in the early morning hours of April 24 on Lebanon Ave. in Belleville. According to an article in the Belleville News Democrat, the woman was traveling westbound when suddenly her car crossed the center lanes. She first hit a grassy patch before hitting a culvert and finally a concrete barrier at the entrance of a parking lot. A witness also noted that she was thrown from her vehicle. There is a currently an investigation underway to determine the cause of the crash. Read more about this fatal car accident.

On April 21, two lives were tragically lost in a car accident in Sterling, IL. One victim of the accident was a 16-year-old boy. The other was a 69-year-old grandmother. The wreck was caused when the boy’s car swerved into the oncoming lane to avoid rear-ending a vehicle ahead of his. When he swerved, he collided with the woman’s vehicle. Both were killed in the accident. Read the full account of this tragic Illinois car accident by following the link.

On April 19, two men died in a car accident on Chicago’s South Side. The three vehicle accident occurred when the driver of a BMW attempted to pass a Ford Focus and Chevrolet. The BMW driver lost control of his vehicle and collided with the two other cars before striking a barricade. Upon impact, the BMW burst into flames and the passengers became entrapped in the car. Both men in the BMW died in the car accident. No word on any other injuries. Read more about this Chicago car accident by following the link.

A Cook County jury recently awarded $13.7 million to the family of a car salesman who was killed during a test drive. The car accident occurred in South Barrington, IL when a potential buyer crashed the car at high speeds. The salesman was thrown from the car and died shortly after at a local hospital. The car accident left two other passengers of the vehicle injured. During the trial, these passengers testified that the car was traveling at 95 mph when the accident occurred. To read more about this Chicago car accident verdict, follow the link.

According to a report from the Insurance Research Council, the number of uninsured drivers is expected to increase from 13% (in 2007) to a predicted 16% by 2010. The IRC attributes this steep rise to the economic downturn. With more and more people losing their jobs, they are forced to cut back on expenses such as car insurance.

The projected increase would be harmful to all motorists because it would increase the risk of car accidents with uninsured drivers. This means that when someone is involved in an accident where an uninsured motorist is at fault, they will not receive compensation for their damages. We recommend purchasing underinsured and uninsured motorist insurance to protect yourself and loved ones in the event of an accident.

In Chicago, many accidents involving uninsured motorists occur each day. The Chicago car accident lawyers of Levin & Perconti have represented hundreds of car accident victims in cases involving uninsured motorists and may be able to help you. Call 312-332-2872 for a free consultation with one of our attorneys.

Lee Blakes of Chicago has been charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI after killing another man, Leroy Square, in a car accident on April 17. According to a report in the Chicago Sun Times, the accident took place on I-57 in Chicago and occurred when Blakes’ truck rear ended Square’s SUV. Square was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene of the accident. According to reports, Blakes was speeding before the crash occurred. To read more about this fatal car accident, follow the link,

A man was killed on April 17 when his car crashed through a fence and onto the Edens Expressway in Skokie, a Chicago suburb. According to a report in the Chicago Sun Times, police suspect that the man suffered a heart attack which caused him to lose control of his automobile. He was taken to a local hospital but died shortly after the car accident. The victim’s vehicle collided with two other cars when it entered the expressway but no one was seriously injured. To read the full account of this Skokie car accident, follow the link.

Around 1 a.m. on April 16, a 22-year-old man from Aurora, IL was thrown from his motorcycle and killed. According to a report on Chicago Breaking News, the young man hit the median after losing control of the bike. A driver found him after the motorcycle accident, lying on the road with massive head injuries, and police pronounced him dead at the scene of the crash. The article notes that the motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet, a fact that may have contributed to his brain injury and subsequent death. If you would like to read more about this fatal motorcycle accident, please follow the hyperlink.

A car and truck were involved in an accident on April 15 that left one woman seriously injured and two others with minor injuries. The accident took place along I-55 in Maucopin County. According to a report in The Telegraph, the woman who was critically injured was a passenger in a vehicle that swerved in front of a tractor trailer towing a box truck. The critically injured woman was removed from the vehicle by emergency workers and taken to St. John's Hospital in Springfield, IL. Two children who were also in the vehicle suffered minor personal injuries in the accident. The article did not elaborate on why the driver swerved into the path of the truck. Read the full story of this car accident by clicking on the link.

A 19-year-old woman from Joliet, IL died on April 15 after being struck by a vehicle along a busy roadway. The accident occurred on April 14 and the victim was flown to Loyola Hospital in Maywood for treatment of her critical injuries. A report in the Joliet Herald News did not reveal what caused the driver to hit the pedestrian or who may have been at fault. The driver of the car did remain on the scene and has not been cited by police. Read more about this pedestrian accident.

Each year, hundreds of pedestrians are killed by cars and trucks in the Chicago area. If you or a loved one is injured or killed due to a drivers’ negligence, please call Levin & Perconti to discuss your case with an experienced personal injury attorney.

On April 14, nine cars were involved in accidents that occurred close together on the Reagan Tollway in suburban Chicago. At first, police believed it was all one accident, but later realized that it was three separate incidents of rear-ending. The crashes occurred near I-355 near Downers Grove, IL. According to a report on CBS 2 Chicago’s website, two people were injured in the car accidents and were taken to local hospitals for treatment. The crash took place in a construction area, forcing other drivers to bypass the accident on the shoulder of the road. Click on the link to read more about this multi-vehicle accident.

Recently, the Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Blog posted an entry about a fatal crash on the Dan Ryan Expressway. More information has now come out about the Chicago police man who was driving drunk and caused the accident that killed two young people, Andrew Cazares, 23, and Fausto Manzera, 21. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, the cop was released on April 12 on $500,000 bail, infuriating those close to the victims. The article also notes that the police officer had a history of driving offenses and was just ordered to pay damages for a 2005 car accident. Read more about the aftermath of this tragic accident by clicking the link.

Six people were taken to Chicago areas hospitals after the vehicle they were riding in crashed into a building on the West Side of Chicago. According to a report on Chicago Breaking News, the front seat passenger grabbed the steering wheel during an argument, causing the driver to lose control of the car. She was later arrested for her actions. All of the passengers involved in the accident were between 16 and 20 years old and none of their injuries were serious. Read about this car accident by visiting the link.

A car accident happened in the early morning of April 10 on the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago, leaving two people dead. The accident occurred when an SUV slammed into a car that was stalled along the side of the highway, presumably because of a flat tire. The disabled vehicle caught fire after the impact and both passengers were killed. The driver of the SUV was an off-duty Chicago police officer. Witnesses helped him out of his car immediately after the accident but then he tried to flee the scene on foot. Police apprehended him and he is now in critical condition in Northwestern Hospital. The Cook County Medical Examiner is trying to identify the victims of the accident.

Read the full account of the fatal car accident.

A six-year-old girl died on April 8, four days after her mother and sister died in a tragic car accident in Barrington Hills, IL. The accident occurred after the vehicle her mother was driving crossed the center line and collided with a van carrying four people. The driver and three passengers in the van were hospitalized with personal injuries. In an article on Chicago Breaking News, it notes that police are still investigating to determine the cause of the crash. Read the full account of this accident by the following the link.

State police in Illinois have announced a program that aims to decrease the number of injuries and fatalities as a result of motorcycle accidents. The campaign will be aimed heavily at motorcyclists but will also educate motorists. The most important thing that a motorcyclist can do can is wear a helmet, along with other protective clothing such as long sleeves and boots. Wearing a helmet will help to reduce the risk of traumatic brain injury if a motorcycle accident occurs. Read more about the Illinois safety program to reduce motorcycle accidents by clicking the link.

If you or a loved one have been injured or killed in a motorcycle accident, we encourage you to contact Levin & Perconti at 312-332-2872 to review your case.

On April 6, an accident in Oswego, IL, killed one driver and injured four other people. According to an article in the Aurora Beacon News, snow covering a traffic light may have been to blame for the accident. The victim’s car crashed into a southbound pick-up truck as she attempted to turn northbound at an intersection. Her passenger was taken to Rush-Copley Medical Center where he is listed in serious condition. The three other people injured in the car accident were also taken to the Aurora hospital but later released. Police continue to investigate the cause of the accident. Follow the link to read the full account of the car accident in Oswego.

A drunk driver killed herself and caused serious injury to four others in a car accident in Prairie Grove, IL on April 5. According to an article on Chicago Breaking News, tests revealed that her blood alcohol limit was over the legal limit. The intoxicated driver crossed the center line and smashed into a Mazda traveling in the other direction. The car was carrying a man, his fiancée, his mother and his 8-year-old son. All of the passengers of the vehicle were seriously injured in the car accident and were taken to local hospitals. The drunk driver was taken to the hospital where she later died during surgery. Read the full article about this fatal car accident near Chicago by following the link.

According to an article on Mystateline.com, over 25% of reported car accidents are caused by distracted drivers. One of the ways that many drivers are distracted is by text messaging while driving. This dangerous practice takes drivers' eyes and minds off the road and can have devastating consequences.

Recently, the Illinois state House passed new legislation that bans people from texting while driving in Illinois. Those who are caught texting while driving will receive tickets and repeat offenders can end up in jail. The new rule will help to decrease the number of car accidents in Illinois. To read more about the new legislation banning text messaging while driving, follow the link.

A Chicago man is in police custody after stealing an ambulance and causing an accident involving six cars. According to Evanston Police, the man stole the ambulance and began driving at high speeds with the ambulances’ lights turned on. During this time, he struck a parked car but did not stop. His joyride ended when he ran a red light and caused a six car accident. After the accident, the offender attempted to flee on foot but police apprehended him and determined he was intoxicated. No one involved in the car accidents was seriously injured. Read more about this bizarre car accident by viewing the link.

Two adults and two young children were seriously injured on April 2 in a hit-and-run accident on the west side of Chicago. The accident caused the victim’s car to catch on fire. Police were able to pull the driver and his 7-week-old baby boy from the fiery crash. The driver’s wife and two-year-old daughter were both ejected from the car. The driver of the car that caused the accident fled the scene on foot before police arrived. All four victims were taken to local Chicago hospitals where their conditions range from critical to good. According the Chicago Breaking News, the offenders have not been located. Read the full account of this car accident.

Two women were headed north on the Edens Expressway in Chicago on March 29 when a piece of concrete crashed through the front window of their car. The concrete smashed the car’s windshield and hit the passenger of the vehicle on the shoulder. The women believe that the concrete fell from an overpass as they drove underneath it. No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The Illinois Department of Transportation is investigating but they theorize that they debris may have been kicked up from another vehicle instead. Read the full account of the accident at CBS Chicago’s website.