Articles Posted in SUV/Van Accident

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While green initiatives calling for better fuel efficiency and more concern for the environment may be slimming down the number of large vehicles on the road, the American automotive market is notorious for it’s love of the SUV. It’s not uncommon to hear people justify purchasing a larger vehicle with the sentiment that it provides greater safety for their family and themselves. However, in reality, larger high-riding vehicles are no safer than smaller cars for their occupants, and they often pose a much greater danger to other drivers in motor vehicle accidents.

At least 8 people were injured Monday morning after a two-vehicle rollover crash turned into a five-vehicle accident on Interstate 57 near the South Side of Chicago.
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On U.S. roadways, there is no shortage of large SUVs and trucks; Suburbans, Hummers, GMCs, Escalades, F-150s, and various other large models are extremely popular in our country, and with falling gas prices, they are making a resurgence. At some point in your life, you’ve probably heard at least a few people remark that they drive a big SUV because its large size makes it safer than a car. However, with more than 150 years of shared experience in the legal and medical fields, our lawyers know better. In reality, larger high-riding vehicles are no safer than cars for their occupants, and they often pose a much greater danger to other drivers.
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While green initiatives calling for better fuel efficiency and more concern for the environment may be slimming down the number of Suburbans and Escalades you see on the road, the SUV wont be extinct anytime soon. It’s not uncommon to hear people justify purchasing a larger vehicle with the sentiment that it provides greater safety for their family and themselves, but in reality, larger high-riding vehicles are no safer than smaller cars for their occupants, and they often pose a much greater danger to other drivers.
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The United States has some massive vehicles rolling around its roadways. However, large vehicles don’t always mean semi trucks. While green initiatives calling for better fuel efficiency and more concern for the environment may be slimming the number of Suburbans and Escalades you see on the road, the SUV isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Many people justify purchasing a larger car with the fact that it provides greater safety for their family and themselves, but in reality, larger high-riding vehicles are no safer than smaller cars for their occupants, and they often pose a much greater danger to other drivers.

Contrary to popular conception, the accident fatality rate for SUV occupants is actually slightly higher than that of smaller vehicles. Far and away, rollover accidents are the most serious threat to SUV owners, claiming the lives of more than 10,000 individuals each year. Nearly 300,000 of these accidents are reported annually, and this is due primarily to the high center of gravity of many SUVs. Inexperienced drivers are more likely to flip their vehicles than experienced ones, but rollover accidents happen to anyone. According to federal research, 92% of rollovers are initiated by a vehicle being “tripped,” which can be the result of striking a curb, a road guard, or another lower riding vehicle near them. This can also occur when one side of an SUV passes over mud or gravel, as is the case with many soft road shoulders. (HowStuffWorks-Auto; The Detroit Project)

When SUV accidents do happen, the resulting injuries can be extremely severe. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, in 2010, nearly 90,000 people were injured in Illinois car accidents, suffering injuries that ranged from minor broken bones to traumatic brain and neck damage. If you are injured in an SUV or truck accident, it is important to understand your legal rights, and our lawyers have a wealth of experience in this area. In one case example, our lawyers filed suit on behalf of a 23-year-old woman who suffered multiple debilitating leg fractures as the result of a serious accident. Our attorneys were able to secure a $2.07 million verdict for our client, ensuring that she would have her medical bills and insurance costs paid for, both now and in the future.

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The United States has some massive vehicles rolling around its roadways. Not only semi trucks, but also regular everyday passenger vehicles. While Suburbans, Hummers, and other Shaq-sized vehicles are slowly dying off because of soaring gas prices, the SUV isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. At some point in your life, you have probably heard someone say something along the lines of “I got an SUV because the size will keep me and my family safer, those smaller cars are much more dangerous.” But in reality, larger high-riding vehicles are no safer than smaller cars for their occupants, and they often pose a much greater danger to other drivers.

Early this morning, four people were seriously injured after an SUV was involved in a rollover accident on North Lake Shore Drive. Police were forced to shutdown several lanes between Irving Park Road and West Belmont Avenue to clear wreckage and begin their investigation into the accident. While the investigation is ongoing, officials from the Chicago Fire Department said the SUV crashed as it was traveling southbound just after 2 a.m., and was the only vehicle involved. All four occupants were transported to local hospitals, and all are currently listed in critical condition. (Fox Chicago)

Contrary to popular conception, the accident fatality rate for SUV occupants is actually slightly higher than that of their smaller car counterparts. Far and away, rollover accidents are the most serious threat to SUV owners, claiming the lives of more than 10,000 individuals each year. Nearly 300,000 of these accidents are reported annually, and this is due primarily to the high center of gravity of many SUVs. Inexperienced drivers are more likely to flip their vehicles than experienced ones, but rollover vehicles can happen to anyone. According to federal research, 92% of rollovers are initiated by a vehicle being “tripped,” which can be the result of striking a curb, a guard, or another lower riding vehicle. This can also happen when one side of an SUV passes over mud or gravel, as is the case with many soft road shoulders. (HowStuffWorks-Auto; The Detroit Project)

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Time to debunk some myths. Over the years we have heard a lot of people remark that they drive a big SUV because it is safer than a car, but with more than 150 years of shared experience in the legal and medical fields, our lawyers know that this is nothing but a fallacy.

Yesterday four adults and three children where injured in a multiple car accident involving a Chicago police squad car and two SUVs. The collision occurred in the Gresham neighborhood a little after 11 a.m., when authorities witnessed someone fire a gun from their vehicle. According to police reports, the officers were joined by another car and began pursuing the suspect, but the latter vehicle crashed near 76th Street and Halsted soon afterwards. The accident caused one of the SUV’s to flip, coming to rest on its roof, and three passengers were rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in serious-to-critical condition. Four other passengers were also taken to a local hospital, but were listed as being in good condition according to the Chicago Fire Department. None of those injured are believe to have life-threatening injuries.

In reality SUVs are no safer than their smaller counterparts, and often pose much greater danger for other drivers on the road. In fact, the occupant death rates for a large SUV is 6% higher than that of a car, and occupants of larger vehicles are much more prone to being killed or injured in rollover accidents, which result in more than 1,000 deaths each year. While inexperienced drivers are more likely to flip their vehicle, rollovers can happen to anyone, and federal research has shown that 92% of all rollover accidents are the result of a vehicle being “tripped”. This happens when a high riding SUV or vehicle hits a curb, a guard railing, a low-riding vehicle, or when the wheels on one side of the vehicle experience a high level of friction, perhaps from straying onto the mud or gravel on a roads shoulder. This can just as easily happen to safe drivers, and these kinds of accidents often occur when a driver is swerving to prevent an accident after being cut off by a reckless driver. (Chicago Tribune; The Detroit Project)

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A 22-year-old woman died recently in a two-vehicle accident in downtown Springfield, Illinois. According to The State Journal Register, the woman died a day after incurring life-threatening injuries in the accident. The other driver in the accident, who was driving a company provided van, only suffered relatively minor head injuries. According to the police, he ran a red light just before getting in the accident with the woman. The woman’s vehicle was knocked over a curb and toppled a tree.

The driver is now charged with aggravated driving while under the influence, and he is currently being held in the Sangamon County Jail on a $250,000 bond. Additionally, the mother of the deceased is filing a wrongful death lawsuit in Sangamon Country against both the driver and the heating and cooling company that owns the driver’s van.

As per the suit, the company is named because the driver was working when the accident occurred and the company “allowed him to drive the van even though the company knew or should have known that [the driver] had a criminal record involving both drugs and alcohol.” As our Chicago car accident lawyers interpret the law, there are many forms of liability ascribed to companies of various types.

Premises liability, for example, is the concept that a company is responsible for what happens on its land or property. In terms of this case, the company’s potential contributory negligence is at issue. In layman’s terms, the company made possible or fostered negligence on the part of its employees by not taking the necessary actions to prevent such potentially negligent actions.
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Chicagotribune.com recently made a report detailing a car accident near southwest suburban Plainfield that left one person dead and five people, including an infant and a toddler, seriously injured. Our Illinois car accident attorneys read that at about 2:30pm last Saturday, a car carrying a husband, wife, infant, and toddler was westbound on Route 126 waiting to turn left onto County Line Road. As the car was about to turn, an SUV, also traveling westbound, rear-ended the car and rolled over several times. After being hit by the SUV, the car spun and side swiped a motorcycle traveling eastbound on Route 126.

A Fire Department Deputy Chief states the family traveling in the car was extricated from the vehicle by firefighters and was transported to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet. The man, toddler and infant were transported by ambulance in serious condition, while the woman was listed in critical condition. The deputy stated that both children were properly restrained in car seats, ultimately saving their lives. The driver of the SUV was thrown from his vehicle upon impact and was taken to Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital in serious condition. The motorcyclist was transported to Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora in critical condition. According to Illinois State Police, he unfortunately went into traumatic arrest in the ambulance and died later that evening. He was not believed to have been wearing a helmet.

In addition to the fire department deputies and Illinois state policemen at the scene, Plainfield police and Kendall County police arrived as well. Plainfield Emergency Management blocked the roads at the intersection and surrounding the area after the accident, and they were reopened later that evening.

Although the report does not confirm who was to blame in this particular accident, our Chicago car accident attorneys understand that these types of accidents are very common throughout the state of Illinois and can ultimately become fatal if the proper precautions are not used while driving on roadways. An accident involving young children can potentially kill them upon impact if the children are not properly restrained in car seats. The children in the above report were both in their car seats, ultimately saving their lives. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of accidental death for children ages four through fifteen, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Every year, about 2,000 children under the age of fifteen die and nearly 300,000 are injured in passenger vehicle crashes; more than half of these children were not properly restrained.
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Yesterday, in the Detroit News our Illinois accident attorneys read an article about a study that reflected on the new construction and design of sport utility vehicles and pick up trucks. According to a study, these newer models of the larger vehicles are less of risks to other smaller vehicles on the road. The automobile industry has made changes to design in order to lower the likeliness of larger cars causing serious damage or injury when involved in accidents. According to the article, in the past “SUVs and pickups were more likely than cars or minivans of the same weight to be involved in crashes that killed occupants of other cars or minivans.”

The decrease in deaths caused by SUV and pickup truck accidents is due to crash prevention technology in cars and vans, side airbags, and stronger designs. The new designs align front-end energy absorbing structures and have been made more “crash-compatible.” Building new bumpers reduces the chance that a larger car can override a smaller one in case of an accident. These changes came as a result of the The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration instructing automobile companies to address crash-compatibility when designing new cars.

Our Illinois accident attorneys applaud and encourage automobile companies to continue improving vehicle design and safety. Newer structural changes and advances help to reduce the amount of fatal ollisions on the road, and new technological advances help drivers to avoid distractions. Companies are creating new guidelines that all of their automobiles comply with in order to have their car certified for production. Contributing to the decrease in roadway accidents is something that these automobile manufacturers can be proud of.

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Over the weekend, NBCChicago recounted an Illinois car accident that occurred on the Bishop Ford Freeway. An 18-year-old man, his mother (a mother of five), and another man, were all killed in a car accident that happened during the early hours of Sunday morning. It appears that the car accident happened because the victims’ car was either moving very slowly or stopped in the middle lane when an oncoming SUV rear-ended their car. The man driving the SUV claims that he did not notice the car because their lights were not on. His daughter was a passenger in his car, and neither of them suffered from any serious injuries; they were both wearing seatbelts. NBCChicago says that even hours after the crash, “there were no indications that drugs, speeding or alcohol were to blame”.

The teen driver who died was not wearing a seat belt, but his mother and the other man were. It is reported that the teenager’s mother was a wonderful caretaker, with incredible strength and faith. Reports from NBCChicago, the Chicago Tribune, and CBSChicago all conclude that the cause of the car stalling is currently unknown and it does not sound like any particular driver was at fault.

Although we are unsure of if this accident could’ve been avoided or not, it is important to know what to do if your call should stall in the middle of a lane. According to RoadSense, if possible you should try to safely signal and move to the shoulder of the road. You should then put on your emergency lights. Monitoring your fuel level and keeping your car maintained can help prevent this from happening. As discussed in previous posts, it is crucial to move your car safely away from traffic if a problem should arise. Also, if you witness a stalled car, or a driver that may need help, make sure to pull over away from traffic as well, and cautiously walk over to try to help. If necessary, call 911. We hope that readers will use this knowledge if their car should stall or if they witness an accident of this type.

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