Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog

Alcohol Believed to Be a Factor in Chicago Crash that Injured 4

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:37:32 -0600

A Friday morning crash in Avondale that left four people seriously injured may have been caused by alcohol and possibly narcotics, according to Chicago police officers.

The crash happened just before 3:00 a.m. near the intersection of Kedzie Avenue and Elston Avenue on the northwest side of Chicago. A 21-year-old was driving a 1995 Honda Accord when he lost control of the vehicle, left the road, and struck a light pole. Authorities believe the car was traveling at a significant speed because upon impact, the car wrapped around the pole and sustained serious damage.

When emergency responders arrived at the scene, the vehicle was so damaged that the occupants could not be removed through the doors, forcing the fire department to cut apart the car and remove each of the four occupants.

The driver and another male were taken to Illinois Masonic for their injuries while the two females in the car were taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital. The driver was in critical condition and all four passengers appear to have suffered head and other injuries.

After conducting an investigation, police officers believe that alcohol and possibly narcotics played a part in the one-car crash and charges are now pending against the driver of the vehicle.

Drunk drivers who cause their passengers to be injured may also face civil claims including lawsuits for injuries and damages. Many people do not realize that if they are in the car with a person who causes their injuries, a claim can still be made.

In accidents like the one described above, most insurance companies will provide coverage to the three passengers so that they can recover for all of their damages, including medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and any other expenses they incur. This can be very important to keep in mind because according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one in every seven nighttime weekend drivers are under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

Semi Truck Crash Leaves 1 Dead in Chicago

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:38:22 -0600

A collision on the Kennedy Expressway left one dead and backed up traffic for hours last week in Chicago.

The crash occurred Monday morning near Cumberland Avenue as traffic began to slow. A 65-year-old man in a Ford Explorer began to slow his vehicle for heavy traffic and was struck from behind by a semi truck that failed to slow or stop. The collision forced the Ford to strike a Lincoln Town Car in front of him, causing a second impact for the Ford driver. His vehicle was destroyed and unfortunately the driver died as a result of his injuries.

The driver of the Lincoln was taken to Resurrection Medical Center where he received treatment for his injuries. The semi truck driver was not injured and did not receive medical treatment, according to authorities.

The collision closed all outbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway between the Edens Expressway and Cumberland Avenue for three hours during morning rush hour but all lanes were reopened in the late morning.

Police have determined that the semi truck driver caused the collision when he was unable to slow down in time to avoid the crash. It is not clear whether the semi driver has been charged or will be charged with any violations in relation to the accident or why he failed to stop for traffic.

Crashes involving semi trucks are particularly dangerous due to the large size and mass of the truck when compared to a standard passenger vehicle. In fact, a semi with a trailer can be 20 times the size of an opposing car. This means that in a car versus semi collision, the car almost always sustains extreme damage and the passengers often are injured.

This size differential makes truck crashes more deadly than almost any other type of crash, as indicated by the collision that occurred earlier this week. With trucks making up a large portion of all vehicles on the road, it is nearly impossible to avoid them, making innocent car drivers at risk for crashes.

What many people do not realize is that commercial drivers, including semi truck drivers, have a different standard of conduct in some situations than others. This is because of the inherent danger that comes with driving a truck and the responsibility that is entrusted to truck drivers. While the increased regulations are designed to keep the roads safer, many of the semi crashes that result often occur as a violation of one or more safety standards or general regulations.

Repeated Building Crashes in Downtown Area Raise Safety Concerns

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:43:27 -0600

There has been several incidents this year where a driver jumped the curb and crashed into a building in downtown Hinsdale. They all occurred on the same block of the village's downtown district, one in March and two other similar accidents occurred in February.

This accident involved a Clarendon Hills woman attempting to park her 2007 Mercedes ML500 along South Washington Street. Apparently, she hit the accelerator instead of the brake, sending her car into a vacant building that formerly housed the restaurant Zak's Place. The woman was not injured, but was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision.

The two other accidents, which as previously mentioned occurred within the same street block, occurred on February 21 and February 23, when the Steinway Piano Gallery was struck twice by vehicles on separate occasions.

In the first accident, which took place on February 21, a man was trying to park his car into one of the angled spaces, but instead drove onto the curb and struck the building. Luckily, the only damage was a few fallen bricks. The second accident, which was on February 23, caused substantially more damage. "We heard a loud crash, and the doors were broken through and there was glass everywhere," said Diane Duncan, sales manager at the store. Apparently the driver came to a stop within just a few feet of some of the store's pianos. This accident was also the result of a driver attempting to park, but accidentally jumping the curb and hitting the accelerator.

Authorities have begun to discuss whether some sort of obstacle, such as a large planter box, might be the solution to these sorts of accidents. It may be the case that these accidents are just a highly unlikely coincidence. While there has been a mention of drivers averaging 65 years of age, there has also been an acknowledgement that it is not necessarily an age correlated with decreased driving abilities. Based on the limited information presented, it remains unclear whether perhaps all the vehicles involved were SUVs, or perhaps the curb in that area is lower or less sloped compared with other curbs, providing two additional potential explanations.

Illinois Limo Driver Drunk When He Drove 23 Students to Prom

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:55:10 -0600

The DuPage County Sheriff's Department reported that an Illinois limo driver had a blood alcohol content of 0.22 when he drove 23 teens to prom on Saturday. The legal limit for blood alcohol content in Illinois is 0.08 for most drivers and 0.04 for commercial license holders.

The teens were transported from Oswego East High School to a banquet hall near Glen Ellyn, the location of their prom, by the drunk driver. During the ride, several of the teens became concerned when the driver backed into a ditch and nearly hit several cars. The teens called their parents who in turn alerted the local police. After investigating the claim, the police arrested the driver who now faces charges of drunken driving and reckless conduct. If convicted, the driver will face a license suspension, fine, and mandatory community service, at a minimum.

The driver later claimed that he was not drunk but that mechanical problems, specifically a misalignment of the bus, was to blame for the erratic driving reported by the students but the owner of the bus said there were no mechanical issues. It has also been reported that the limo driver was fired from his job following this incident.

This is every parent's nightmare. When your child is in the care of a licensed professional, you expect that individual to operate with the highest degree of care. Instead, the driver in this case allegedly operated drunk and displayed erratic and dangerous behavior to the students on the bus as well as other drivers on the road.

Fortunately no one was injured in this incident but that is not typical for alcohol-related driving. In 2011, 35 percent of the 918 traffic fatalities involved a drunk driver which means that 323 people were killed due to drunk driving. Of those arrested for drunk driving, a disproportionately large number - 76 percent - of individuals were male. This should be surprising because males account for only 50 percent of licensed drivers in the state.

Chicago Driver Hits Police Officer and Drags Her With Car

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:44:07 -0600

A driver in Chicago struck a police officer at a traffic stop, sped off, and dragged the officer with her car, according to local authorities.

The driver was stopped by Gresham District police late on Monday night for a routine traffic stop. When the responding officer approached the stopped vehicle, the driver of the car hit the officer in the face and then fled the scene. As she was fleeing, the driver hit the officer with her car and dragged the officer for an unspecified distance.

The driver was arrested and is facing charges related to the incident but it is not immediately clear what motivated her actions. The police officer has been described as experienced and was injured in the incident but is expected to recover. She was treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital late Monday evening and the nature and extent of her injuries is not currently known.

This collision highlights some of the dangers that exist when motorists drive in a careless or reckless manner. Illinois roads continue to have a large number of crashes every year that cause injury and death to motorists, cyclists, and even pedestrians.

In 2011, there were 281,788 motor vehicle collisions in Illinois resulting in 918 deaths and an additional 84,172 injuries. Many of these injuries required medical treatment and resulted in pain and suffering, disability, or an inability to work temporarily or permanently, further affecting the State of Illinois.

Massive Sink Hole in Southside Chicago Responsible for Swallowing 3 Cars

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:44:44 -0600

As a driver, probably the last thing you might expect to encounter while driving is the occurrence of a 40 foot wide sinkhole in the middle of the street. However, that's precisely what several drivers encountered last week on Chicago's South Side, as they were driving in the area near 9600 South Houston Avenue, where the road spontaneously caved in.

A total of three cars fell victim to the hole, with a fourth car towed out just before it was about to go over the edge. According to sources, two of the cars were driven in, while one was a car parked nearby that fell in as the hole expanded.

According to various reports, one of the drivers was taken to the hospital as a result of the injuries he suffered as a result of crashing into the hole.

The sinkhole in this case was caused by a nearly 100 year old water main break, according to a spokesperson for the Water Department.

Sinkholes are generally the result of major changes in the water balance underground, whether through massive removal, or great saturation such as that experienced following a massive storm or other weather event. You can find more information regarding how sinkholes are formed here and here.

Inconsistent Statistics Regarding Rate of Teenage Drivers Killed in Auto Accidents

Sun, 12 May 2013 06:44:52 -0600

According to a report that was recently released by the Governors Highway Safety Association, the number of teenage drivers killed during the first half of 2012 increased sharply. This was in contravention of the general downward trend over the past decade.

During the first six months of 2012, statistics regarding deaths in traffic accidents of 16 and 17 year old drivers were as follows:

total number of deaths combined increased by 19%

107 sixteen year olds died between January and June of 2012, compared to 86 drivers during the same period in 2011

133 seventeen year olds died in the first half of 2012 compared with 116 in the first half of 2011

This report was based upon preliminary data, which is sometimes subject to change, due to reporting errors or omissions, or for other reasons. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected to release more definitive data later this year, which may provide further clarification regarding the statistics.

Of all of the states that reported, 25 reported increased rates, whereas 17 reported decreases, and eight states and the District of Columbia reported no change in the number of deaths for sixteen and seventeen year olds.

The overall trend, aside from this anomoly, was a downward trend in the deaths of these new drivers. For example, in 2000, 435 sixteen year old drivers were killed, compared with 173 in 2011.
Results were similar with seventeen year old drivers,with the 564 killed in 2000, and 250 in 2011. This downward trend has been in accordance with a similar decline in nationwide traffic fatalities overall.

Mulitiple Injuries Sustained in Southside Crash After Driver Ran Stop Sign

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:31:14 -0600

According to various accounts, which include a journalist as an eyewitness, an accident that occurred earlier this month caused quite a disruption in the Woodlawn, South Side area of Chicago.

Several people, including children and adults, were injured when their vehicles collided outside of a fire station on the 1400 block of East 67th Street. Witnesses reported that the sound of metal crashing could be heard from at least a mile away. According to one witness, a white van failed to stop at a stop sign, and hit a sedan, causing another van to crash into the white van. A nearby shopkeeper who had witnessed the scene expressed her concern that the sedan would have been headed for her business if it hadn't been able to correct its trajectory.

Seven individuals were sent to local hospitals for treatment. Three adults were in fair to serious condition, while four children were determined to be in good condition.

Based on what has been reported so far, this is at least the second accident in recent weeks that was caused by a driver failing to stop at a stop sign.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a study of five busy intersections over a period of several months found that, on average, a driver ran a red light every 20 minutes at each intersection. Furthermore, during peak travel times, red light running was even more frequent. An analysis of red light violation data from 19 intersections in four states found that 1,775 violations occurred over 554 hours, which resulted in an overall violation rate of 3.2 per hour, per intersection. While stoplight running is somewhat different than running a stop sign, logically the failure to yield to the traffic signals, as well as the potential for causing devastating car accidents, is the same.

Another IIHS study, this time regarding urban crashes, found that those involving drivers who ran red lights, stop signs and other traffic controls were actually the most common reason for this type of crash in 22% of cases. Regarding car accidents where drivers disobeyed traffic controls, such as the one in this report, injuries resulted 39% of the time.

Illinois Woman Celebrates End of DUI Penalties By Drinking and Driving

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:25:52 -0600

A 58-year-old Brookfield woman was arrested for driving under the influence on Friday in Riverside. When asked by police officers, the woman informed them that she had been celebrating earlier in the evening because she got her driver's licence back after a conviction for driving under the influence last fall.

The woman was pulled over for speeding but later tests revealed her blood alcohol content to be 0.155, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. She is facing charges for felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and may face incarceration as a result.

The responding officer ran a check on the woman's license and learned that it was still suspended from her prior conviction, despite her claims to the contrary. As part of her prior sentence, a breath-alcohol ignition interlock device was reportedly installed in her car. The device requires a driver to exhale into a collection tube before the car can be started. If the presence of alcohol is detected on the driver's breath, the vehicle will not start. However in this case, it appears the woman was driving someone else's car that did not have a breath-alcohol ignition interlock device installed, allowing her to drive even with her high blood alcohol content.

Illinois law presumes that any driver with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher is driving under the influence of alcohol and is impaired. This is the level that applies to the general population though specific types of drivers may face more stringent requirements. For example, drivers under the age of 21 and bus drivers are not allowed any alcohol in their system when driving while the limit for commercial drivers is a blood alcohol content of 0.04. According to the Illinois Secretary of State, the average driver arrested for driving under the influence is male, 34 years old, arrested between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. on a weekend, and possesses a blood alcohol content of 0.16 - twice the legal limit.

School Bus Driver Faces No Charges in Fatal Illinois Crash

Fri, 03 May 2013 04:32:54 -0600

A school bus driver involved in a fatal collision near Wadsworth earlier this month will not face any charges, according to the Lake County State's Attorney's Office. At least one witness at the scene of the crash originally indicated the bus driver ran a red light, but officials say that witnesses gave conflicting statements thereafter regarding the cause of the collision.

On April 5, the school bus collided with two SUVs at the intersection of Highway 173 and Kilbourne Road, resulting in the death of one of the SUV drivers. A toxicology report on the victim showed what is believed to be prescription drugs in the SUV driver's system at the time of the crash, adding speculation as to the cause of the collision.

There were 35 children on board the bus that morning which was traveling to Newport Elementary School in Wadsworth. The collision demolished one of the SUVs, caused significant damage to the other, and caused the school bus to roll on its side. In all, 37 people were injured.

In most collisions, people who are injured by the negligence of another driver have a right to bring a claim against at-fault driver's insurance. The claim may be made to cover things like medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. If the deceased driver of the SUV is determined to be at-fault in this crash, the adults and students on the bus may be able to bring claims against the SUV driver's insurance.

Most individual automobile insurance policies do not have limits high enough to cover all of the people injured in this collision. Illinois law requires drivers to have a minimum of $20,000 per person and $40,000 per collision in insurance coverage though drivers can carry a greater amount. Even with a large insurance policy, there may not be enough money to cover the damages caused by a crash.

If your damages are greater than the negligent driver's insurance, you may also have an underinsured motorist claim. In this type of claim, your own insurance company will "step into the shoes" of the at-fault driver and provide another source of potential monetary compensation for your claim.

Many people have private insurance policies that provide underinsured motorist coverage in case of a crash with significant injuries and a small insurance policy. In the case of the crash between the school bus and the SUV, the children on board the school bus may be covered by an underinsured provision in their parents' policy and/or an underinsured provision in the policy covering the school bus. Some buses provide this type of coverage to their passengers, including PACE, while other buses, like the CTA, do not. It depends on the language of the insurance policy at issue.

4 Vehicle Crash Injures 5 in Southwest Chicago Suburb

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:36:12 -0600

Three people were seriously injured, and two more were also taken to local hospitals for treatment, following a four car collision that occurred last week near Palos Hills. According to authorities, the four vehicles were all traveling northbound on LaGrange Road, and crashed into each other near 107th Street.

The cause of the crash has not been determined, but authorities described it as a "bumper-to-bumper" crash. The Cook County sheriff's police towed the vehicles away, and are currently conducting an investigation. The nearby surrounding area is a forest preserve.

Car crashes in and around the Chicago area are probably more common than you may think. According to statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation, based on data collected in 2011, there were:

281,788 crashes, which resulted in

918 deaths, and

84,172 injuries

A commonly reported statement used to ease the minds of anxious flyers, is the fact that you are more likely to die in a car accident than in a plane crash. In Illinois, and in many-- if not all-- states across the country, car accidents remain the leading killer of 15-24 year olds. Comparing the numbers against time, an average of one person dies every ten hours in a car accident within our state, and someone is injured in a vehicle accident approximately every six and a half minutes.

Voice Texting Just as Dangerous, New Study Finds

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:42:34 -0600

Using a voice-activated system to write text messages may not be as preferable to regular texting as lawmakers may have imagined.

A new study from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University concluded that sending text messages by way of a voice assisted system is just as dangerous as regular texting. This is true even if you are wearing a headset to assist you.

The researchers asked the 43 participants to first drive along a test track without any electronic devices present, then repeat the drive while texting, and then finally to send text messages while using a speech-to-text device while driving.

While texting, with either method, a driver’s eye contact with the road decreased and response time was significantly delayed. Additionally, according to the study's abstract, "Results indicate that driver reaction times were nearly two times slower than the baseline condition, no matter which texting method was used."

Researchers also noted that it took longer to send the voice assisted texts, due to the need to correct errors in the message. The study used three different voice texting programs, with the same results.

According to data from AAA, a national drivers’ organization:

35% of drivers admit to reading a text or email while driving

26% admit to typing a text or email while driving

The results of the study are eye opening, because most texting and cell phone use bans address only manual use of these devices. In fact, they sometimes explicitly state that these uses are acceptible so long as the driver's voice, rather than eyes and hands, are controlling the communication or other device.

Lawsuit Filed Over Fatal Megabus Crash in Illinois

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:13:50 -0600

A Megabus crash last summer caused injuries to a passenger and left her disabled and disfigured, according to a new lawsuit filed in Cook County.

The Megabus was traveling between Chicago and St. Louis on I-55 when a front tire blew, causing the driver to lose control and strike a concrete pillar in Litchfield. More than 70 passengers were on board at the time of the crash and several had to be extricated. One passenger died in the collision and dozens were injured, including the woman who filed the recent lawsuit.

The lawsuit names Megabus as a defendant as well as the driver of the bus, the owner and operator Coach USA, and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations which reportedly made the tire at issue. Reports indicate that the driver of the bus was still in training when a front tire blew on the highway. The driver claims he removed his foot from the accelerator but did not brake because he feared causing the double-decker bus to roll over.

After the collision last summer, Megabus released a statement saying the bus had been made just the prior year and had passed a full safety and preventative maintenance inspection within the week before the crash.

Several passengers recounted the crash to media outlets after the collision, saying the force of the impact was significant and threw many passengers forward and out of their seats, some into the aisles. Unfortunately this often occurs with bus accidents of any type because buses rarely have seat belts available for passenger use.

Many people have a false sense of safety while aboard a large passenger vehicle like a bus or motorcoach because of the size of the vehicle compared to the other passenger cars on the road. In reality, bus accidents occur daily and often cause serious injuries, including broken bones, cuts and bruises, head and neck injuries, and even death.

Chicago is a major hub for busing both locally and across the nation with service by PACE, CTA, Greyhound, and private buses. When you ride on a bus or motorcoach, you place your safety in the hands of the driver, assuming the driver is knowledgeable, skillful, and safe. That is not always the case and bus drivers can be negligent like any other driver on the road.

Illinois Senate Votes to Increase Highway Speed Limit to 70

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:56:25 -0600

The Illinois Senate voted to increase the state maximum speed to 70 miles per hour on highways, a 5 mile per hour increase over the state's current limit of 65 mph. The bill has some flexibility and would allow Cook County, some collar counties, and two counties near St. Louis to opt out of the increase if officials determined it would be proper to do so.

Sponsored by Senator Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, the bill has been touted as being business-friendly by allowing commerce to move at a quicker pace. The bill passed easily in the Senate with a 41-6 vote and now moves onto the House. If the bill becomes law, the speed increase would take effect January 1, 2014.

Faster speed limits allow all drivers to get to their destinations quicker than they would in a slower speed zone. But fast transit time is not the only thing to be concerned of when considering highway speeds. Studies have routinely found that higher highway speeds are correlated with greater numbers of fatal accidents in the State, which in turn costs the state millions of dollars each year.

In 2009, car accidents caused by speeding on interstates resulted in 51 fatalities in Illinois alone. Of those fatalities, 41 took place in areas with a speed limit in excess of 55 miles per hour. This is because as vehicles travel at higher rates of speed, the force of a collision likewise increases, causing the vehicles involved to suffer greater damage and more serious injuries than they would in a crash with slower speeds.

Increased speeds also cause drivers to have slower reaction times, a critical tool when it comes to defensive driving and avoiding dangerous situations. With less time to react to danger, a crash is more likely to occur.

As car crash lawyers, we handle cases every day where one driver caused a collision by driving faster than necessary. Many of these collisions could be eliminated or at least reduced in severity if drivers slowed down and paid attention to their surroundings. While an increased speed limit may appear to have some benefits, it certainly has some negatives that should be considered before new law is enacted.

Firey Truck Crash Seriously Injures 4 in Illinois

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:41:00 -0600

A three vehicle crash on the Edens near Northbrook left four people injured on Sunday night, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Illinois State Police Department reported that a truck traveling northbound attempted to switch from the right lane to the center lane when it was not clear to do so, striking a vehicle in the center lane. The truck then veered hard to the right where it struck a second vehicle. After the second impact, the driver of the truck lost control, veered left across all lanes of traffic, and stuck a wall on the highway shoulder.

After the truck came to a rest, one of its gas tanks caught fire. Four people were injured in the collision and transported to local hospitals. A 10-year-old girl and a woman both suffered life-threatening injuries and their present conditions are not known.

Another woman and a man also were injured in the crash which caused traffic in both lanes to be diverted for a period of time.

Illinois State Police confirmed they cited the driver of the truck for improper lane usage, failure to have insurance, and failure to display a medical card and log book.

This collision is a reminder of just how serious crashes with semis can be. Semi trucks can be 20 times larger than a standard passenger car with a mass to match. This means that in a collision, a standard passenger vehicle is no match for a semi and often suffers extreme damage.

In 2011, there were 10,033 crashes involving semi trucks and 93 fatal crashes involving semis in Illinois. This number accounted for 3.6 percent of all crashes but 9.7 percent of fatalities. Of those fatalities, 74 were occupants in vehicles other than the semi and 4 were pedestrians, meaning that 15 of the deaths involved semi-truck drivers and occupants.

Semi truck collisions are also particularly deadly because semis often travel at high rates of speed. Truck drivers spend a large percent of their time on highways and freeways which allows the truckers to drive fast. Increased speeds means that the forces involved in any collision are significant and can lead to serious injuries.