Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Our Chicago car accident lawyers recently read on STLToday.com an article about a drunk driver who was driving the wrong-way on a highway, which resulted in a head on collision. The driver was driving south in a northbound lane, and collided head on with a car driving north. The accident resulted in serious injuries for both drivers.

Wrong-way driving is an extremely dangerous situation that we often see happen on highways around Chicago. Wrong-way driving occurs when someone is driving in the wrong direction in one lane, regardless of if it is a two way street, or one-way street. One of the main causes of people driving the wrong-way on roads is because they are driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Another common cause of wrong-way driving occurs when people are getting on or off the freeway. Because freeway exits can be tricky and confusing, it is really important to make sure that when driving, the motorist makes sure they are entering or exiting in the correct direction. Also, when drivers are navigating in areas that they are not familiar with, particularly metropolitan areas with one way streets, they can easily become confused and end up driving the wrong-way down the street. If this should happen, the driver should safely pull over to the side of the road, sort out their directions, and turn around when possible.

One of the easiest ways to avoid wrong-way driving related accidents is to make sure to pay attention to road signs. Often, one way streets and freeway entry and exit ramps have signs that alert drivers that it is a one-way street, and they should not enter. In order to make the road safer for everyone, if our readers see someone who is driving the wrong-way down the road, they should pull over to order to avoid a head on collision and call 911. If it is suspected that the driver is under the influence, make sure to stay a safe distance away from the driver, and call 911 with a description of the vehicle.

Our Illinois car accident attorneys also saw an article by 10TV.com that discussed how police are working to make wrong-way driving a more serious crime with more serious consequences. We hope that our readers will always attention to road signs when entering or exiting the highway, and just be more alert generally. Remember, wrong-way driving is a serious offense with often deadly consequences.

Two days ago, our Chicago car accident attorneys read in The Naperville Sun, about a road rage accident that resulted in the fatality of a Naperville man. Although police have created a drawing illustrating what the alleged negligent driver may look like, and are aware of the car’s make and model, but still have not found both the driver and car. The family members remain hopeful that, with the help of the police sketch, someone will turn the driver in, or provide information about her.

The man’s death highlights the dangers and consequences of road rage. In addition to distracted driving, road rage is one of the biggest dangers on our roads today. With increased traffic and congestion in many areas, drivers easily become frustrated and funnel their aggressions to the drivers around them.

Sites like RoadRagers.com and the AAAFoundation.org offer some helpful tips to avoid becoming involved in an accident involved with aggressive drivers. Some of these tips include:

• Do not provoke other drivers on the road
• Do not tailgate, or ride too closely behind, another driver
• If someone aggressively wants to pass you, let them
• Do not use vulgar hand or face gestures
• Use your horn in appropriate situations only
• When you spot an aggressive or angry driver, let them be and avoid them
• Give the aggressive or angry driver as much physical space as possible

There are also ways for you to avoid aggressive behaviors. As we have cautioned in the past, make sure you are well rested before getting behind the wheel. Always give yourself enough time to drive to your destination so you don’t have to speed. If you find yourself clenching the steering wheel when angry, loosen up and take a deep breath to recollect yourself. Finally, do not take other driver’s behaviors personally. Focus on being safe instead of dwelling on the mistakes of others will help you avoid an accident.

Our Illinois car accident attorneys encourage all of our readers to both know how to react to an aggressive or angry driver, and also avoid being that person with road rage. We understand that at times driving can be stressful, but it is important to recognize that other drivers on the road are not being purposefully malicious to you specifically. You should not take other drivers’ behavior on the road as personal. We hope that after reading this post, our readers will understand the severity of road rage, and how it can cause both serious accidents, and even death.

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.

Chicago Breaking News reports that a Chicago man who was biking in Logan Square was killed when he was hit by a van. According to the report, Chicago police believe that he was caught in the middle of an altercation between two other vehicles. A vehicle rammed the van and forced it into the path of the bicyclist. The van driver apparently fled the scene on foot after hitting the biker. The victim of the bike accident was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center where he later died from the severe personal injuries he sustained in the accident. Read more about this tragic bike accident in Chicago.

A man has been charged with a DUI after he injured five people in a car accident on December 11 in Evanston. According to the Chicago Sun Times, the drunk driver blew through a red light and collided with another car. Three passengers in his car were injured, along with two people in the other vehicle. No one suffered critical personal injuries, but the victims were taken to local Chicago hospitals following the crash. To learn more about this car accident in Evanston, click on the link.

An Illinois man faces felony charges in connection with a fatal Chicago car accident that occurred on December 6th. The Gage Park accident occurred when the driver was driving under the influence and was driving the wrong way on 58th Street, entered the California Avenue intersection and struck a car. According to Chicago Breaking News, the victim was in the car struck by the aggravated driver, and the driver and his passenger refused treatment. The driver was originally ticketed for driving without insurance, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, reckless driving and failing to yield, but upon finding drugs and alcohol in his system the felony charges for aggravated driving under the influence were added. To read more about this Chicago car accident, click on this link.

A Chicago car accident that occurred earlier today resulted in the death of one man and left two others with severe personal injuries. The car accident occurred on West Congress Parkway following a police chase that began when police tried to question a man they believed might have been attempting to break into a car, and the man then jumped in a car that then sped away. According to the Chicago Sun Times, the cops were then pursuing the car and the car lost control and crashed into a tree. At this point, the investigation of the car accident and chase are still under investigation.

The autopsy of a teenager that was severely personally injured, causing her to be pronounced brain dead, is scheduled after she was taken of life support earlier this week. The victim was in a one-car accident on October 16th in Mossville. According to the Peoria Journal Star, the car accident occurred when the car in which the victim was a passenger in made a sharp right turn and slammed into a guardrail after it had been speeding on Route 29 just north of Illinois Route 6. The driver was arrested for driving under the influence after her blood alcohol content was tested and found to be over two times the legal limit (the driver was also a teenager and therefore not old enough to drink), leaving the scene after the accident and fleeing and eluding a cop after being initially approached following the tragic Mossville car accident.

A woman was charged with aggravated DUI after allegedly being the cause of a North Side Chicago car accident on August 1st in which a motorcyclist was killed. The accident occurred in the early morning hours at the Ashland and Wilson intersection. According to Chicago Sun Times, the woman took a field sobriety test and then was given a blood alcohol test when she was taken to a local hospital. In connection with this lawsuit, a nurse at the hospital has filed a civil lawsuit because she was arrested when she refused to give the driver a blood test when she arrived at the hospital. The civil lawsuit claims that an officer ordered the nurse to take a blood test and when she refused telling him that the woman would have to be a patient of the hospital before she could administer the test, she was arrested. For more information on the criminal and civil case in connection with this Chicago car accident, click here.

An arrest has been made in connection with a Park Ridge car accident that occurred on October 11th that left two dead and four more injured. The driver that caused the fatal car accident has been charged with aggravated driving under the influence. According to Pioneer Local, the crash occurred when a car, in which the victims were traveling in, was headed east on Oakton Street when it collided with a car going north on Riverside. The second car claims they had the green light at the time of the fatal Park Ridge car accident.

A car accident that occurred late on the evening of October 8th in the Lakeview area of downtown Chicago, injured 5 people including three children. According to Chicago Breaking News, the driver of the car was drunk and driving on North Western Avenue when he struck the end of a parked car. All of the injured people were passengers in the drunk driver’s car and all but one woman, who denied medical attention, were taken to local hospitals for treatment of their personal injuries. There is no current information on the status of the victims. For more information on this Chicago car accident, click here.

An Ohio man has been charged with drunk driving and reckless homicide in connection with a car crash that occurred in Chicago at 59th and Ashland early on the morning of October 3rd. According to ABC news, the drunk driver allegedly ran a read light and struck a car in which two Chicago residents were riding and were immediately killed. For more information on this Chicago car accident, click here.

The widow of a Chicago man that was killed in a multi-car crash this past weekend is speaking out in anger. According to ABC news, the car crash was caused by a driver who had past reckless driving charges against him who was speeding and had drugs in his system at the time of the crash. The crash occurred in Crestwood on Cicero Avenue and involved eight cars, but the widow’s husband was the only person killed in the accident. She is speaking out over the problem with the driver being allowed on the streets when he already had a reckless homicide charge against him. For more information on this fatal Chicago car accident, click here.

An eight-vehicle car accident occurred on October 1st in which a Chicago suburban man was killed. The Chicago car accident occurred when one of the drivers was speeding and plowed into seven cars in front of him. Other than the one victim which was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, no one else suffered serious personal injuries. According to Chicago Breaking News, the driver that caused the car crash was on parole for a 2006 reckless homicide conviction, but at this point no charges have officially been filed against the driver in connection with this accident. For more information on this eight car Chicago accident, click here.

A Chicago man was charged with reckless homicide following a fatal car accident that occurred on September 19th. The driver that caused the car accident was drunk while driving the car that he then got into a car accident. The driver has been charged with leaving the scene of a car accident resulting in personal injury or death, in addition to drunk driving charges, operating a motor vehicle without insurance and failing to stop at a red light. For more information on this fatal car accident and arrest, click here.

A man from the far Chicago suburb of Essex was killed in an automobile crash after the driver of another vehicle ran a stop sign and their cars collided. The car crash occurred when a Chrysler sedan broadsided the man’s vehicle. His wife, who was in the vehicle as well, was personally injured. The man was pronounced dead at the hospital. The driver of the sedan was cited for failure to reduce speed and disobeying a traffic signal. There was no indication that drugs or alcohol played a role in the automobile accident. To read more about the Illinois automobile crash, please click the link.

A young Illinois man was injured in a motorcyclist accident in the Chicago suburbs on the afternoon of July 28th. The motorcyclist was driving at an excessive speed and then collided with a passenger car. The car driver was not injured, but the motorcycle driver was seriously injured and taken a local hospital. The motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, which may have led to more serious injuries. For more information on this motorcycle accident, click here.

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 61-year-old man from Alexis, IL was killed in a car accident on March 26 while driving near Knoxville. The decedent was driving his Chevy Avalanche in the left lane of I-74 when another vehicle approached his car at a high rate of speed. The second car attempted to pass the Avalanche in the right lane but ended up colliding with the SUV instead. The Avalanche hit the median and rolled, ejecting the driver who was not wearing a seat belt. The driver of the second vehicle had no injuries and was charged with improper lane change. Read the full account of this car accident from the Peoria Journal Star .

A man was pronounced dead after a fatal one-vehicle car accident in Park Ridge, Illinois. The driver had been involved in a hit-and-run collision with some property only minutes before the crash that claimed his life. Witnesses told investigators that the man was driving at high rates of speed when he lost control of his vehicle, ultimately crashing into a tree. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident is being investigated by the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force (NORTAF). Read more about this car accident.

A personal injury lawsuit has been filed in St. Clair Count, Illinois, in response to injuries caused during a multi-car accident. One woman rear-ended a car, causing collisions between four vehicles. The lawsuit filed by one of the drivers claims that the woman was intoxicated, driving unreasonably fast, failed to keep a lookout, and failed to maintain control of her vehicle, among other things. Read more about this car accident lawsuit.

A jury awarded $113,000 to the victims of a January 2007 car accident in southern Illinois. The crash occurred when a True Value Hardware driver was speeding and not properly working his rear brakes. The personal injury lawsuit claimed that the crash caused injuries including hip damage in one victim and shoulder damage in another. Click here to read more about this car accident lawsuit.

A Creve Coeur, Illinois police officer in a squad car rear-ended a small truck, causing the truck to roll onto its side. The police officer caused the car accident by failing to reduce his speed at a stoplight. The driver of the truck, from Peoria, Illinois, was transported to OSF St. Francis Medical Center with injuries. Read more about this car crash.

A Chicago Fire Captain was killed on the Tri-State Tollway near Hindsdale, IL when his Ford Focus touched another moving vehicle and sent his car careening into a tractor trailer parked on the side of the road. Witnesses of the car accident say that the victim and the driver of the other car were seen driving aggressively shortly before the accident. The driver of the other car did not suffer any injuries.

Read about this tragic crash.