Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A drunk driver that was responsible for the death of five teenagers back in 2007 has been found guilty of five counts of reckless homicide, as well as of sixteen counts of aggravated driving under the influence. The car accident occurred when the woman was driving eight teens, who had been drinking, home from a party in a car that was only intended to seat five. The driver was then distracted by one of the teens, according to her account of the accident, and turned around to see what was going on at which time she lost control of the car and crashed into a utility pole. Five of the teens in the car died as a result of the injuries they sustained in the accident, and three others plus the driver suffered personal injuries from the accident. While the driver claimed that she drank a little bit earlier that evening and that it did not affect her driving, the toxicology reports that showed she was significantly over the limit may have been inaccurate because she suffered liver damage in the accident and that may effect the testing. Regardless of the toxicology reports, the jury found the Defendant guilty of all counts of reckless homicide as well as the driving under the influence counts. To read more about this Illinois car accident verdict, please click on this hyperlink.

This accident is a tragic reminder of why it is so important to not allow more passengers to travel in a car you are driving than there are seat belts in the car. Overcrowding a car can cause an accident that could have been minor to become a tragedy. Illinois accident attorneys remind you to always make sure that not only all of your passengers have a seat belt, but also that they are all always wearing the belts while the car is moving. Even on short trips accidents can occur and seat belts can safe lives.

Two Northwest Chicago teenage girls were killed in a fatal car accident that occurred on June 28th. The car accident occurred when the car that the two girls were in struck a tree. There were three other passengers in the car who were injured, however it is unknown at this time who was driving when the car accident occurred. According to the Chicago Tribune, the two girls that were killed in the accident were best friends, and were almost inseparable and the girls and their friends were out celebrating one of the victim's birthdays when the accident occurred. At this point no charges have been filed against the driver, who is unknown but was not one of the victims, but they still could be filed pending the results of the accident investigation. To read more about this tragic accident, please click on this hyperlink.

While it is unknown whether this car was caused by an intoxicated underage driver, teen drunk driving results in a great number of deaths each year. Drunk driving is the leading cause of teenage death and about one person is killed in the United States every forty minutes as the result of a drunk driving accident. Chicago accident attorneys remind you of how preventable drunk driving deaths are and to never get behind the wheel even if you think you are okay to drive but have been drinking. Additionally, please make sure if you have a teenage driver that they understand that it is always a better idea to call for a ride than to drive drunk. The difference in making the choice to not drive after drinking can make all the difference in saving a life, so please always choose to not drink and drive!

A teenage girl from Chicago was killed when she was run over by a car driven by her friend after a gang fight broke out. As she was trying to get away from the fight she fell down and was struck by her friend's car and was dragged a distance. The victim died as a result of the serious personal injuries that she incurred when she was run over by the car. At this point the police believe that a gang fight broke out and the teenage victim was accidentally struck by a car while the car tried to get away from the fight, however, according to WGN TV, the mother of the victim has heard from people that saw the accident that it may not have actually been an accident. At this point, the accident is still under investigation and no charges have been filed. Although, the victims mother claims that people at the scene told her that her daughter's death was no accident, the police reports show no evidence of any witnesses claiming this. This makes the investigation process difficult and what really happened may be hard to uncover. It is important to understand why telling the truth of what you see during a car accident is crucial, because without truthful statements by the witnesses of the accident the police may never know what happened and if someone was at fault, they may never be charged. Please always tell the police exactly what you saw if you witness an accident and if you realize you were not completely accurate when you spoke to the police at first, please amend your statement. If you would like to read more about this tragic Chicago accident, please click on this link.

A recent study shows that older drivers are actually safer drivers than many other age groups. Many people believe, and previous studies have supported, that older drivers are similar to teenage drivers in terms of the frequency of car accidents and overall unsafe driving. However, the recent study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, show that the rate of fatal accidents in which people over 70 were involved has significantly decreased in the past decade. Interestingly enough, the number of accidents in middle age drivers has also decreased, but much less than the decrease seen in older drivers. Several theories are believed to have led to this large decline, including both stricter renewal laws for elderly drivers, as well as older drivers being more aware of what types of environments and driving situations are unsafe for them to be driving in and in turn not driving in these unsafe situations as frequently.

According to Fox News, one of the reasons for this safety increase among older drivers is likely a result of many states are imposing more rules and limitations on older drivers that seek to renew their license. These restrictions include some states requiring vision tests for older drivers, and others not allowing renewal online or even my mail among older drivers. These restrictions among older drivers help to ensure that drivers that are not safe to be on the road will not be allowed to renew their license. However, even in states that do not have strict rules for elderly drivers seeking to renew their licenses, the numbers of accidents among elderly drivers have been decreasing. The study suggests that another reason for the decrease is that even when the law does not try to impose restrictions on elderly drivers, the drivers themselves will often limit themselves. For example, many elderly drivers are aware of certain driving conditions in which they feel uncomfortable and will no longer drive in those situations, such as late at night or on high traffic highways. The combination of these two changes in recent years among elderly drivers has likely been what is reducing the number of accidents among this age group, and hopefully this trend will continue and more elderly drivers will stay safe and avoid traffic accidents. To read more about this study on the reduction in elderly car accidents, please click here.

New legislation in Illinois will make the fines for drivers with small children passengers increase if the driver does not have the appropriate car seat for all child passengers that require car seats. All children under the age of eight in Illinois are required to be in a car seat and up until now the fine for not abiding by this law was a fine of $50. The new law increases the fine to $75 for the first offense and a fine of up to $200 for later offenses. For the first offense, drivers will have the option to take a class that teaches about proper installation of child safety seats as oppose to paying the fine. According to The Chicago Tribune, the purpose of the training class option is to teach drivers about the importance of child safety seats and hopefully lead to less injuries to children in the event of a car accident. To read more about this recent legislation and child safety seats, please click on this link.

It is very important to understand what safety seat is appropriate for each child, depending on weight and age, and at what point a child is safe to just wear a seat belt. Each year thousands of children are killed or seriously injured in car accidents, and making sure that they are properly protected is one way we can help to protect kids in an accident. Chicago accident attorneys ask you to make sure that you have a car seat for all child passengers under the age of eight and that you make sure that the seat is installed properly and has not been recalled for any safety issues. If you are unsure whether or not your safety seat is installed properly, please click on this link to find the location nearest you that you can take your car to have checked to ensure that the safety seat is installed properly.

Road rage among drivers is a dangerous problem and according to AAA, is responsible for about 1,500 deaths each year and is another way that driving can lead to injury and even death, other than car accidents. A range of behaviors and actions can be classified as road rage, ranging from yelling and screaming at other drivers to actually taking action either by getting out of the car or by using the car as a weapon in a way that can even end up killing another driver. Letting another driver upset you to the point where you feel you have to get revenge on them specifically, and where your anger goes beyond just the general annoyance you may feel in traffic or at bad drivers, constitutes road rage and is a behavior that needs to be controlled, so you do not do something that could hurt others or yourself. While it may seem that you have to act out against another driver, Chicago injury attorneys remind you to try to keep your cool and that injuring another is never the right answer. Make sure to always take a break or not drive when you are angry and when driving try to stayed as relaxed as possible, because this will help keep you from letting small road annoyances mount into a bigger issue. Listening to music that helps you feel calm is a good option if you know you get angry at other drivers easily, as is taking deep breaths or doing some light stretches before setting out on the road. Additionally, making sure you have adequate time to get where you are going so you do not feel like you are rushed and like other drivers are slowing you down. If you feel that no matter what you do you always get very angry at other drivers, it may be useful to seek some professional help to find out how to best keep your anger from getting the best of you. Taking these few simple steps could help keep you from seeking revenge on a driver and doing something that you will regret after the fact.

According to Illinois Driving University's website, there are certain steps to take to help keep you from ever having to deal with a furious driver and to keep you safe while on the road. When you are driving make sure to never provoke an angry driver, and if a driver starts to get in your face or cut you off or follow you, try to get out of the situation and do not ever let them get the best of you to the point where you get angry as well. Certain situations should be avoided while driving to not get a driver angry at you in the first place, such as do not tailgate another car, do not drive too slowly in a passing lane, do not talk on your cell phone while driving, do not cut other cars off, do not lay on the horn and do not stop in the road in order to talk to someone. While many of these suggestions may seem like something that would not be that big of a deal, they are small things to avoid doing while driving, and could be the action that puts an angry driver over the top. Being an aware driver that respects others on the road can make all the difference in ensuring that other drivers will respect you as well and will have no reason to become angry with you and may keep you from becoming the victim of road rage. If you would like more information on the dangers of aggressive driving, please click on this link.

A Galesburg car accident occurred on June 13th in which five people had to go to local hospitals for treatment. The accident was caused by a teenage driver that claims to have not seen a car approaching the intersection as she pulled into the intersection. This oversight resulted in a car accident and the young girl's two fifteen year old passengers were seriously injured. Both of the young girls, one of who was the younger sister of the teenage driver, have been listed in fair condition and are expected to fully recover from their personal injuries. The driver of the other car and his passenger, as well as the teenage driver, were all sent to local hospitals but were released shortly after arriving. According to Galesburg's News, tickets in connection with the accident are pending at this time. To read more about this teenage Illinois car accident, please click on this hyperlink.

Teenage driving accidents are unfortunately very common and are the leading cause of death among United States teens. According to the Center for Disease Control's teen driver's fact sheet teen drivers are four times more likely to get into a car accident that adult drivers. The main reasons for the higher incident of car accidents in this age group mostly stems of inexperience. These drivers have just received their drivers licenses which require some practice and training, but does not always seem to be adequate to prepare these kids for the realities of the road. In addition to the lack of experience, young drivers often to not realize the importance of paying complete attention while driving, and are more susceptible to distractions while driving. Additionally, teens often engage in riskier driving behaviors such as speeding, drinking or doing drugs and driving, and not wearing seat belts. Illinois accident attorneys ask you to talk to your kids or any other young drivers you know and remind them of the importance of practice, playing attention and driving safely, because making teenage drivers aware of safer driving could be what saves lives!

A motorcycle accident that occurred on June 11th caused one man to die from the severe head injuries that occurred when he was thrown from his bike. The accident occurred near Oak Forest on Interstate Highway 57 when the motorcycle driver attempted to pass a car and the front wheel of the motorcycle went off the edge of the pavement and dropped about 3 inches, causing the driver to lose control of the bike and crash. The victim was unfortunately not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash and that caused him to suffer severe head injuries which he was unable to recover from. According to Chicago Breaking News, there were no other people or cars involved in this accident. To read more about this Illinois motorcycle accident, please click on this link.

Motorcycle accidents can be very dangerous, mostly because the driver or passengers have nothing surrounding them to protect them if they crash. This is the reason why it is so important for motorcyclists and their passengers to always wear a helmet when on a moving bike. While many motorcycle riders believe that an accident will not occur when they are just going for a quick ride in the neighborhood or that since they have not crashed before that they will not crash now, according to a study funded by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, most motorcycle accidents occur on short trips and close to the point of trip origin. Illinois accident attorneys remind you that even though Illinois does not require adult motorcycle riders to where a helmet, that accidents can easily occur even on a short trip and that the best way to protect yourself and your passengers is to require helmets everytime the bike is moving.

A Chicago police officer that was involved in a fatal car accident over two years ago is now expected to be called in a civil lawsuit over the same accident, now that the criminal charges against him have been dropped. The police officer was seen on tape drinking earlier in the night prior to the November 2008 car accident in which two Chicago men were killed. According to CBS, in the criminal case, the police officer defendant chose to exercise his right to not testify in the trial, and therefore did not testify about the amount of alcohol that he consumed the night of the accident. The breathalyzer test was also not admitted in the criminal case, and the police officer ended up being found not guilty. To read more about this Chicago car accident lawsuit, please click on this link.

The families of the victims are now suing the bar that was serving the police officer shortly before the accident, in a civil lawsuit. In this lawsuit, the police officer cannot exercise the same right to not testify and is expected to have to testify as to how much alcohol he consumed the night in question. In this civil suit the family is seeking monetary damages from the bar for serving the police officer and allowing him to leave the bar and drive, given the condition the officer was in at the time he left the bar that evening. Chicago accident attorneys remind all citizens that the place of business, or person serving, an intoxicated driver that caused a crash is often held liable or can faces civil lawsuits for serving the driver and failing to stop them from driving. Please stop anyone you know is about to drive when they have been drinking to safe both their life and the lives of others on the road.

Recent legislation is currently underway on a federal level to address the issue of the safety standards with automakers. These actions are in response to the recent issues that the Toyota Corporation has faced due to their cars' acceleration problems. The new laws that are being proposed are attempting to force the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to create, as well as enforce, stricter safety standards for all automakers in an effort to hopefully reduce the number of car accidents that occur due to unsafe vehicles. This new act is called the Motor Safety Vehicle Act of 2010 and would require set standards for electronic components in cars, as well as increased penalties for car companies that fail to maintain the safety standards that are in place.

The bill, as it stands now, has been amended and changed some from the original proposal and may go to the U.S. House as soon as later this week. According to The Washington Post, some people who are strong advocates of the original bill contend that the bill as it stands now does not impose the level of safety standards that are needed to keep drivers safe and argue that the original bill is what is really necessary. Regardless of what the bill says, there is no doubt that new safety measures and requirements need to be implemented in light of the recent safety issues with Toyota vehicles that have led to several fatal car accidents. To read more about the proposed federal legislation known as the Motor Safety Vehicle Act of 2010, aimed at creating safer cars and reducing auto injuries and fatalities, please click on this link.

A Fieldon,IL motorcycle accident occurred on June 6th when a motorcycle driver tried to pass a car and the car being passed veered into the motorcycle's lane. The motorcycle then scraped against a guardrail and turned onto its side, causing the driver and passenger to be thrown from the bike. Both suffered serious personal injuries and were hospitalized in Jerseyville. The car who swerved into the path of the victim's motorcycle was not involved in the accident itself and did not even stop at the scene. According to The Telegraph, no citations were issued in connection with this Illinois motorcycle accident. To read more about this Illinois accident, please click on this link.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's Annual Traffic Safety Facts report, in 2008 over 5,000 motorcycle riders were killed in motorcycle accident and accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities in that year. Our Illinois injury attorneys remind riders that they are at a higher risk for being seriously injured in an accident because they are not protected by anything, like a driver of a car is. Therefore, it is very important for motorcyclists to be aware of cars' blind spots and be extra cautious when driving next to a car or passing a car. Similarly, we ask truck and passenger vehicle drivers to be cautious and always do head checks so as not to hit motorcycles which can easily be hidden in a car's blind spot. These small steps can make all the difference in the number of motorcycle accidents that occur each year, and can help keep motorcycle riding a safe and enjoyable activity for many.

An Aurora man suffered serious personal injuries in a car accident that occurred on June 5th on Route 25. The car accident occurred when the victim crossed his car into the lanes of oncoming traffic and struck another car head on. The driver and passengers in the car that was struck by the victim's car did not suffer any serious injuries. At this point, the Kane County Police Department is still investigating the crash and are not sure what caused the driver to cross into oncoming traffic. According to Suburban Chicago News, alcohol and drugs have not been ruled out as factors so far in the investigation. The Route on which the accident occurred was closed for several hours following the crash for clean up. To read more about this Kane County car accident, please click on this link.

Many accidents occur in Illinois everyday that are the result of distracted or impaired drivers. It is very important for drivers to never drive when under the influence of drugs or alcohol or if they are too tired or do not feel well enough to be behind the wheel. Illinois accident attorneys also remind drivers that even if you are not impaired while driving, that allowing distractions to take your focus off the road can be just as dangerous. Never talk on your cell phone, send or recieve texts, let the radio distract you, or try to do other things such as eating while driving. These seemingly minor distractions can be enough to lead to a car crash.

A Lakeview Chicago car accident that occurred on June 3rd was likely caused by a drunken driver who lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a three foot divider on Lake Shore drive. Luckily, no other cars were involved in the Chicago accident and the driver only suffered minor personal injuries and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment of those injuries. According to The Chicago Sun Times, following the accident the driver was temporarily stuck in his car, but was able to be extracted and was not seriously injured. No one else was traveling in the car when the accident occurred and at this time it is unknown what charges are likely to be filed against the driver. If you would like to read more about this Lakeview car accident, please click on this link.

While luckily no one died in this drunk driving accident, many people are injured or killed at the hands of drunk drivers every year. According the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, thirty two percent of all highway fatalities were caused by impaired drivers. These accidents are completely avoidable because no one should ever get behind the wheel after they have been drinking. Our Illinois injury attorneys remind readers that even "buzzed" driving is drunk driving and ask that you do not get behind the wheel if you have been drinking. It is always better to be safe than sorry so please hand the keys over to someone else or call a cab or another ride. Illinois police will charge you with drunk driving if you are pulled over and are found to be over the legal blood alcohol limit, so please err on the side of safety to protect yourself, your loved ones, along with other passengers and pedestrians on our streets and highways.

A young Rogers Park boy was killed when he was crushed between two sports utility vehicles while trying to cross the street. The deadlypedestrian accident occurred on May 30th after the young boy and his sister got out of their father's car to cross the street to go to their aunt's house. An allegedly drunk driver crashed into the back of one of the two parked cars causing that car to crash into the parked car in front of it, trapping the young boy between the two. According to The Chicago Tribune, the boy's younger sister who was crossing the street with him was not hit and did not suffer any personal injuries. The suspected drunk driver is still in custody pending charges for this horrific incident. To read more about this terrible Rogers Park accident, please click on this hyperlink.

This is one of the many accidents that are the result of drunk drivers during holidays such as memorial day weekend. Given the holiday weekend, the number of accidents greatly increases, the traffic on the road becomes more dense and busy, and the number of drunk drivers on the road increases. Chicago injury attorneys remind drivers not only to make sure to never drink and drive, but remind pedestrians and drivers to be even more aware and cautious of drunk drivers during holiday weekends. While the Chicago police do try to take extra measures to ensure the safety and well-being of Chicago residents, they can not be there to stop every drunk driver, so if you see a driver that you believe may be under the influence of alcohol, please call 911 immediately. Your vigilance may help to prevent others from being harmed or killed by an impaired driver.