Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A recent study has shown that Chicago cab companies have a complex system in place that may limit the amount that passengers are able to collect in the event of a personal injury or wrongful death resulting from a cab accident. The way the system is structured, a person injured is likely to never recover more than the $350,000 minimum required by the City of Chicago, even in cases where the injured party requires lifetime medical care or when the family is suing on behalf of a victim that was killed as a result of an accident.

According to The Chicago Sun Times, this change in damage recovery resulted about twelve years ago when Chicago stopped cab companies from being able to have a monopoly on owning cabs within the city, and as it stands now, no one company can own more that twenty five percent of city-issued taxi medallions. Prior to this, two Chicago cab companies had a complete monopoly on the system and typically held multiple layers of insurance, which would be available to protect the company in the event of a lawsuit and provide higher monetary damages for victims. The new system allow companies to argue that the driver is a private agent and without being able to show that the driver is an agent of the company, the recovery can be much lower for victims. While the legislature coming in to stop monopolies is good for cab companies and clients alike, these changes made it harder for injured victims of Chicago taxi accidents to recover the amount they deserve for the harm or injury caused. To read more about the damage recovery caps for cab accidents in Chicago, please click on the link.

During the summer months, the number of motorcycles out on the road increases greatly. With the influx of motorcycles rides due to the warm weather, it is important to remember certain safety tips to make sure this enjoyable pastime does not result in any serious personal injuries. Luckily, motorcycle riders seem to be exercising greater caution, as seen by the recent drop in motorcycle fatalities. According to Health Day, deaths on motorcycles have decreased about ten percent, which is the first decrease in the last eleven years. To read more about the recent drop in motorcycle accident deaths, please click on this hyperlink.

Experts believe that the decrease in fatal accidents is due to a variety of factors, including the economy, the poorer weather over the past year, fewer new riders, and state attention to safety programs. Many states have started to encourage and make laws that require that certain safety measures be taken while riding motorcycles. While it is not yet a requirement in every state to wear a motorcycle helmet when riding, many more states are requiring it and it is one of the most important precautions a rider can take. Given that motorcycles offer no protection in the event of a motorcycle crash, riders should always protect their heads by wearing a helmet. Additionally, Illinois accident attorneys remind riders to always drive only when the conditions are safe to do so and make sure to always pay attention to the road and your surroundings. Taking these few steps can make all the difference and ensure a safe and run ride!

With the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, many more people will be on the road than usual and according to AAA about 28 million people are expected to be traveling by car this weekend. With the wave of travelers, it is important to remember certain safety tips if you are going to be on the road this weekend. Even before you leave there are certain safety precautions to take to avoid car accidents. Always make sure to be well rested, because being tired can distract your focus from the road and making driving very dangerous. Additionally, if you feel too tired while driving please stop and rest before resuming driving. Before you leave make sure to inspect you car, making sure the oil and fluid levels are where they should be, the brakes are working, tires are full, and any other minor maintenance is taken care of. You would not want to get stuck on the road because of a small problem that could have been taken care of before you left. When you are ready to get on the road, make sure that all of you passengers are wearing their seatbelts and never drive with a suspended or expired license or if you have been drinking. When you are driving make sure to not let distractions take your focus off of the road. This can include using your cell phone, adjusting the radio, or trying to eat while driving. All of these activities take your focus off the road, if even just for a second, and can result in a car crash.
The increase of drivers over holiday weekends, and in the summer in general, make accidents more frequent and likely, so please be extra cautious and alert while driving this holiday weekend. Chicago injury attorneys bring you these tips to have a safe and fun holiday weekend and to remind you that these few simple steps can make all the difference in having a safe and easy drive.

In Illinois, cops are planning to crack down on seat belt usage this holiday weekend. The law in Illinois is that all drivers, all passengers riding in the front seat of a car, and all passengers under nineteen riding anywhere in the car, must be wearing a seat belt at all times the car is in motion. According to The Chicago Tribune, while this law is always in effect, Illinois state police say that they will be extra hard on people this weekend and be watching for seat belt violations extra carefully. The reason behind this crackdown is that holiday weekends are always a time of higher accident rates and more careless driving, so the cops want to make sure that everyone is wearing seat belts to try to keep the roads safer and any injuries less severe. To read more about the Illinois State Police’s safety plans to help keep people safe in the event of car accidents during the coming holiday weekend, please click on this hyperlink.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belt usage has been steadily on the rise in recent years, and in 2008 was up to ninety percent. While these numbers are good and it is obviously good that the statistics continue to rise in this regard, it is important for everyone to wear a seat belt. Chicago injury attorneys remind readers that seat belts can safe lives and can be what keeps someone from receiving serious personal injuries if they are involved in a car crash. Please make sure to do your part to reduce traffic accident injuries and always wear your seat belt and make sure that your passengers always wear their seat belts.

A group of about 100 bicyclists rode on what they refer to as the “Ride of Silence” which is a route that was created to commemorate those who have been killed in Chicago biking crashes. This is an annual Chicago event, and many that participate are people that have been directly or indirectly affected by one of these biking accidents. This event is not only to commemorate these fallen individuals and to honor their memory but also to try to raise awareness for bikers. According to Northwestern Medill, this is just one of the many similar biking events all over the country that have similar goals. To read more about this tribute to fallen bikers in Chicago bicycling accidents, please click on this link.

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, between 2006 and 2008 15 cyclists were killed in Illinois. Many passenger car drivers and large truck drivers fall to beware of bikers, and while the number of fatal accidents is not very high, there are many smaller accidents involving bikers all the time. One bicyclist says that a common problem is pedestrians stepping into the street and not realizing they are stepping into a biker’s path, causing the cyclist to get knocked off their bike and oftentimes into traffic. Another common problem is people opening their car doors and not realizing they are opening it into a biker’s path. Bicyclists over the age of eleven in Illinois are required to ride on the street and not on the sidewalk, so these types of issues are often very prevalent in Chicago. Our Chicago accident attorneys encourage drivers and pedestrians to be alert and to try to help keep cyclists in Chicago safer!

A car and bus accident occurred on May 20th in which ten people were taken to local hospitals for treatment of their personal injuries. The Chicago bus accident occurred in Old Irving Park Neighborhood on North Pulaski Road when a car tried to make a turn and ended up turning directly into the path of the bus. According to Chicago Breaking News, at least six ambulances arrived at the scene and of the ten people injured, six were listed in serious to fair condition, three were listed in fair condition and one was listed in serious to critical condition. While little more is known about this Chicago bus crash, please click her for an article about the accident.

While bus crashes can be very dangerous and result in serious injury when they do occur, they are still, for the majority of the time, a very safe way to travel. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008 there were 247 total bus crashes that resulted in a fatality and only twelve of those occurred anywhere in the state of Illinois. This low number of accident compared to the number of car accidents in a given year show that bus travel is overall very safe. Illinois accident attorneys remind drivers to be careful when driving near a bus and to make sure to always give them an appropriate amount of safe. Busses are large and much more difficult to maneuver in emergency situations and also have much larger blind spots than a passenger car does.

A Chicago car accident occurred in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on May 10th that resulted in the injury of twelve people, two of whom suffered serious personal injuries. The accident occurred when a sports utility vehicle tried to pass a car that the driver felt was driving too slowly by getting into a lane in which a Chicago Transit Authority bus was traveling, causing the bus to hit another car while it swerved to avoid hitting the original sports utility vehicle that had cut into the bus’s lane. The bus then struck the side of the Rowe-Clark Math and Science Academy Building. The driver of the SUV tried to leave the scene, however he did not get very far because his car had suffered damage in the accident which caused him to have to stop about a block away. So far the driver of the SUV has been cited for following too closely. According to The Chicago Sun Times, the scene was not as bad as initially thought and many bystanders helped out by helping get the injured passengers of the bus. Of the twelve injured, none were children and two people have since been listed in critical condition, nine have since been listed in fair condition and one has since been listed in good condition. The accident occurred around four in the afternoon and while the bus routes on that street had to be rerouted temporarily, the buses were back on schedule by around seven that same evening. To read more about this Chicago bus accident, please click on this hyperlink.

A person was seriously injured in Chicago in a pedestrian accident at 63rd and Damen on the morning of May 16th. The pedestrian was struck by a fire truck that had its lights and sirens on. The victim was distracted by a personal electronic which caused them to not to hear the approaching truck. According to Chicago Breaking News, the victim was taken to Stroger Hospital for treatment of their personal injuries.

While many people acknowledge that drivers must pay attention to the road and avoid being distracted by things such as cell phones and radios, it is also important to keep in mind that pedestrians need to be aware of their surroundings when walking through the city. This concept of “distracted walking” was the subject of a New York Times article, addressing how the rise of the mobile gadget causes walkers to be distracted and not pay attention to where they are going. In 2008, over 1000 distracted walkers suffered some type of personal injury in accidents with cars, which was double from this type of injury reported the previous year.

This type of accident is something that all Chicago pedestrians need to be aware of with the rise in cell phone and mp3 player usage, as it is an issue that is unlikely to get better until pedestrians become more aware of the problem. Our Chicago accident lawyers encourage all walkers to make sure to remain alert, especially when using portable electronic devices. We hope that by raising awareness surrounding this issue, the number of pedestrians injured due to distractions will be lowered.

The city of Chicago Heights is facing a lawsuit in connection with the fatal car accident in which the Chicago Heights police handed over car keys to an apparently drunk driver who then got into a fatal accident, which resulted in the death of his girlfriends five year old son who was a passenger asleep in the back seat of the car when the accident occurred. The police gave the keys to the passenger to take the car home after pulling a woman over and taking her to the police station for driving with a suspended license. The woman claims that she informed the police that her boyfriend, who was the passenger, was intoxicated because she had been with him when he was drinking earlier that evening, and that the police ignored what she told them. According to The Chicago Tribune, the woman, who was also the mother of the young boy who died in the accident, has filed a lawsuit against both the City of Chicago Heights and against her boyfriend who was driving while drunk when the car accident occurred. The Illinois car accident lawsuit seeks over $50,000 in damages. To read more about this tragic car accident and the accident lawsuit that was filed, please click on this link.

Illinois injury attorneys remind you that if you or a loved one was injured in an accident that you believe was due to the negligence of another, you may have a claim against that person. If you would like to call an accident attorney to further discuss the options you have available to you, please click on this link.

An Illinois drunk driving accident that occurred on May 10th is the topic of major discussion, since the drunk driver was given the keys to the car by a policeman shortly before the fatal accident. The Steger car accident occurred shortly after the cops pulled over the child's mother for failing to use her turn signal and then took her keys from her because she was driving with a suspended license. The police then gave the keys to her boyfriend, who was in the passenger seat, to drive himself and her five-year-old son home.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Heights policeman involved claimed that he had no idea that the boyfriend had been drinking when he gave him the keys to the car. About 40 minutes after the police let the car back onto the road, the boyfriend, who was legally intoxicated, slammed the car into a tree, instantly killing the young boy. The drunk driver has been charged with felony driving under the influence and reckless homicide for the accident. Aside from the death of a young boy, there are questions as to whether the police officers who pulled the car over should have realized that the man was under the influence of alcohol. The police officers at the scene say that there was no evidence that the man was impaired and that they did not realize that he could be drunk when they turned the keys over to him. If you would like to read more about this Chicago accident, please click on this link.

The dangers of texting while driving are well known, however many teen drivers fail to let this stop them. Recently, a large sampling of teenagers were interviewed about texting habits many said that they are so used to texting while doing everything and claim that it is too hard for them to promise that they will not text while they are driving. Out of the approximately 800 teens questioned, on average they reported that they send about 50 text messages each day and over a quarter of them admitted to texting while driving. Many of these teens admit to knowing that it is bad and very dangerous, however many of them admit that they think that one text message at a stoplight wont hurt. Unfortunately, text messaging can be so distracting that even this type of thinking can lead to car accidents.

In 2008, over 6,000 people were killed and over 500,000 people were hurt in car accidents that were the result of distracted drivers. While many teenagers will not agree to never text while driving, it is very important to try to get through to teenagers as to how dangerous it is too text while driving, and that even just sending or reading one text message can distract a driver enough to lead an a dangerous accident. Parents are an important tool is showing kids how dangerous texting while driving is and in making it a priority to make sure their kids do not text while in the car. One young driver took it upon herself to show other teens the dangers of texting while driving and created a public service to combat teenage texting while driving. Please click on this link to see the PSA against teenage texting and driving.

Given the recent rise in temperature, more and more motorcyclists are on the road in Chicago. While motorcycle riding can be a very enjoyable hobby for many people, it is important to remember to always be safe and aware when operating or riding on a motorcycle. Taking a few simple safety precautions can be the difference between life and death in the unfortunate case of a motorcycle accident. To read about Share the Road Safely’s motorcycle safety tips, please click on this link.

The first and possibly most important safety measure that all motorcycle operators and riders should take is to always wear a helmet. Brain injuries are the most common injury with a motorcycle accident and wearing a helmet is a simple way to help avoid this type of injury. While helmets are not required in the state of Illinois, riders should take it upon themselves to always wear helmets. Since motorcycles are so small and do not really offer any protection it is important to be extra cautious and alert and always pay attention to the road. Additionally, be aware of were a truck’s blind spots are and make sure to stay out of these areas and make sure to always maintain a safe speed always following the speed limit of the area you are driving in. Before you get on your bike to go for a ride make sure that you have recently done a safety inspect on the bike. Please follow these few simple tips to stay safe and avoid traffic accidents!

A car accident lawsuit was filed in connection with a June 2008 East Alton car accident in which a Wood river man was injured. The plaintiff filed a lawsuit against the driver that allegedly rear-ended him while he was stopped at a flashing red light. The victim claims that as a result of the accident he was suffered crushed and displaced neck bones and muscles, and he seeks monetary damages to cover his medical costs and money he lost as a result of the accident. The complaint alleges that the Defendant acted negligently when she failed to reduce her speed to avoid an accident, failed to keep her car under control, failed to keep a proper lookout in order to avoid an accident, for failing to obey a traffic signal and for driving without headlights on. According to The St. Clair Record, the plaintiff seeks an unspecified amount. To read more about this car accident lawsuit, please click on this link.

Often times car accidents are caused by a driver that fails to pay enough attention to the road and their surroundings. When a driver does not pay enough attention while driving and causes a car accident, they may be charged with negligence. If you or a loved one were involved in a car accident where you feel another person involved acted in a negligent manner and were at fault for the car accident, please call an Illinois car accident attorney today to further discuss what options are available to you.

Oprah Winfrey has started a new campaign urging everyone to make their cars “no phone zones”. The goal behind this campaign is to get people to not use their cell phone to call or text while they are driving, with the goal of reducing car accidents. Cell phone use in cars has been proven to be very dangerous, and the distraction that it causes to drivers has even been compared to the impairment that alcohol can have on a driver. Oprah is asking her viewers to “sign” a no phone zone pledge on her website having them agree to not use their phone while driving, and already has over 200,000 people that have agreed to partake in this pledge.

According to PC Mag’s website, Oprah has many organizations behind her and in full support on this pledge, including the Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and many others. Many states (close to half) have enacted anti-texting laws that make it illegal to text while the car is in drive. Illinois is one of the states that has an anti-texting law which went into effect earlier this year. Additionally, a law has gone into effect nationwide that bans the use of cell phone for text messaging among all government workers. Congress is looking into more options including a possible incentive program for drivers that avoid texting while driving. While these laws are very important in preventing car crashes, more steps need to be taken by individual drivers to help fix this dangerous problem. To read more about Oprah Winfrey’s new anti-texting campaign, please click on the hyperlink.

Evans v. Brown, No. 4-09-0407 (3-23-10) reversed a circuit court decision which found that a car salesman, while driving company car, swerved over centerline of highway and hit another car which then hit Plaintiff, who suffered severe head injuries. Salesman told a coworker he blacked out and fell asleep and had a car accident; and salesman then died same evening. Physician opined that salesman had suffered sudden change in heart rate due to heart attack he must have suffered a week prior. Court's grant summary judgment for Defendant on basis that loss of consciousness was "act of God" improper, because Plaintiff had established prima facie case of negligence, and driver's statement that he fell asleep created genuine issue of material fact, as possible inferences suggested that cardiac event may not have been sole and proximate cause of collision. This Illinois case will have an effect on automobile accident law.

An Illinois car accident on April 30th left one man dead and is believed to have been caused by a drunk driver. The accident occurred on I-94 very early in the morning while the victim was doing road construction on this stretch of highway. The driver that struck the man fled the scene but his car was later tracked down and the damage to the car confirmed that it had been the one involved in the hit-and-run accident. The driver was then charged with driving under the influence and for leaving the scene of an accident.

According to Chicago Breaking News, the mother of the driver called police after seeing her son’s car and believing that he might have been involved in a serious accident. The area where the accident occurred was well marked and a couple lanes were closed off to keep the worker safe, but the drunk driver made an illegal u-turn in that area and struck the worker. The driver never stopped and that is why he is being charged with fleeing the scene.

Hit-and-run accidents are a very serious problem and if you are ever involved in an accident you should never flee the scene. Many people do because they are scared of getting into trouble, but the reality is that you face much more serious trouble if you are found to have fled the scene of an accident. Additionally, if anyone is injured you should stop and see if you can help them because it could be too late once the paramedics arrive and additionally if you do not call the paramedics to the scene because you flee, the person may not receive medical attention for way too long. To read more about this tragic hit-and-run crash, please click on this link.