Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Chicago Accident Attorneys from Abels & Annes, P.C. have resolved a case for a bike rider that collided with an open car door on California Avenue on August 21, 2008. The plaintiff was riding his bicycle in a northbound direction on California and the defendant was parked on the side of California facing northbound. The at fault driver suddenly and without warning opened her door into traffic.

The defendant was negligent in that she failed to look back and ensure that it was clear and safe to open her door before doing so. The door opened so suddenly in front of our client that he did not have any time to avoid it and collided with the open door.

The law in Illinois on the issue of opening a car door into traffic is as follows: Opening and closing vehicle doors. No person shall open the door of a vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless and until it is reasonably safe to do so, and can be done without interfering with the movement of other traffic, nor shall any person leave a door open on the side of a vehicle available to moving traffic for a period of time longer than necessary to load or unload passengers.

Pursuant to this statute the defendant was negligent in opening her door when it was not reasonably safe to do so and when it would interfere with the movement of other traffic. Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway is granted all of the rights of a driver of a motorized vehicle. 625 ILCS 5/110-1502.

The defendant tried to claim that she had left her door open for an extended period of time prior to the accident and that her door did not just swing open. However, even under this possible scenario the driver was still negligent and is still at fault as under the law it is improper to leave a car door open for any period of time longer than necessary to load or unload passengers.

The defendant was issued a citation from the Chicago Police Department for violation of § 5/11-1407 of the Illinois Motor Vehicle Code.

Continue reading " Chicago Injury Lawyer Reaches Settlement In Bike vs. Car Accident Case " »

A driver and a passenger from Chicago were injured last Wednesday in a car accident when they were hit from behind by another vehicle. The car crash happened on the South Side at 95th and State Street. They were stopped at a red light when a car insured by State Farm slammed into the rear of their vehicle.

The driver was treated at University of Chicago Hospital Emergency Room for low back injuries. The passenger, a student at Chicago State University, was treated for back and neck injuries at Holy Cross Hospital. The accident happened on the way to campus for class.

Both the driver and the passenger are still experiencing significant back and neck pain several days after the accident, and they are both following up with Chicago area orthopaedic doctors for further treatment.

The Chicago Police Department handled the accident investigation. While there is no explanation as to why the at fault driver failed to stop for the light, there is no indication that drugs or alcohol were a factor in the accident.

Most of the time injuries like the kind described above end up being soft tissue in nature, and they resolve over time with conservative therapy. However, sometimes the injuries can be more serious.

For example, a couple weeks ago our law firm started a new case where our client was rear-ended at a red light and he was having was he described as moderate neck pain. Over the next 10 days his pain increased dramatically. He has since had an MRI, he has been diagnosed with a herniated cervical disc, and he will have to undergo surgery. He is going to have a disc fusion in his cervical spine over the coming month.

Car Accident Lawyers from Abels & Annes, P.C. have settled an injury claim for a Chicago resident who was injured after being hit by a car while standing in front of his house when a car crash occurred.

On the evening of the occurrence our client was standing in his front yard when the defendant was driving westbound on 71st Street approaching its intersection with Lafayette. The intersection of 71st Street and Lafayette was controlled by a traffic light. There was a red light for westbound traffic. The defendant ran his red light and crashed into a southbound vehicle. The force of the impact knocked the other vehicle into a fence and yard on Lafayette and into the plaintiff, who fell to the ground.

Our client was seen at St. Bernard Hospital’s emergency room right after the accident complaining of shoulder, back, hip and knee pain. He was diagnosed with a fracture to his left clavicle, acute low back sprain and left knee contusion. Pain medications and physical therapy were prescribed. Despite this treatment he continued to suffer from pain and discomfort in his left shoulder, left hip, low back and left knee. However, our client sought no follow up treatment.

The case settled against State Farm Insurance for $15,000. The claim was resolved without having to file a lawsuit.

Pedestrians getting hit while in the area of auto accidents is not common, but it does happen on occasion. This is the second case we have resolved this year where a pedestrian was collateral damage to a car crash. Our other client was injured while waiting at a CTA bus stop. A car accident took place in front of him, a wheel flew off one of the cars and hit him, and he sustained injuries.

In Chicago, Illinois a CTA bus crash has injured several people this morning, according to chicagobreakingnews.com. The accident involved a bus and two vehicles and over 20 people were injured. The collision took place on the Near West Side near Roosevelt Road and Blue Island Avenue.

One person is in critical condition. More than 12 ambulances were on stand by.

According to a Chicago Transit Authority representative, a bus was stopped at an intersection when it was hit from the rear by another vehicle.

From an injury lawyers view, the passengers on the bus can make an injury claim against the driver that hit the bus. However, an insurance problem could develop because there were so many injured passengers. The question is whether the driver has a big enough insurance policy to cover the accident. If there is not enough coverage, the passengers can look to make uninsured or underinsured motorist claims against their own auto polices.

Insurance coverage issues can get complicated fast in this type of accident. Passengers should contact a Chicago Area injury lawyer for help in handling their claims.

Car Accident Lawyers from Abels & Annes, P.C. have recovered insurance policy limits for a Chicago pedestrian injured by a motor vehicle in a September, 2006 accident. The claim was initially denied by the insurance company until our law firm got involved earlier this year.

The car vs. pedestrian accident happened when the defendant was driving northbound on Martin Luther King Drive in Chicago, Illinois as our client was planning to cross King Dr. from the east side to the west side. There was a parking lane for northbound traffic, on the east side of the street. The plaintiff was standing in front of, and to the north of, cars parked in this parking lane. As he was standing in the parking lane waiting for traffic to clear the defendant swerved into the parking lane and struck our client.

The defendant was issued several traffic citations by the Chicago Police Department and plead guilty to failing to exercise due care and driving on a suspended or revoked license.

The plaintiff was transported by ambulance from the scene of the crash to Advocate Christ Hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital emergency room his most significant complaints were of right leg pain as well as injuries to his head, right wrist and right hand. He was diagnosed with displaced right tibia and fibula fractures. The fibula fracture was comminuted, segmental, with multiple components.

Continue reading " Injured Chicago Pedestrian Collects Policy Limits From Driver's Insurance Company " »

Chicago Auto Accident Attorneys from Abels & Annes, P.C. have resolved a DuPage County injury claim for a Bellwood resident. On April 8, 2008 our client was injured when her vehicle was rear-ended by the defendant. Shortly after the accident the plaintiff developed back, neck, shoulder, pelvic, and right hand pain.

On 4/11/08 she sought treatment with a chiropractic physician in Lombard, Illinois. He noted muscle spasms and tenderness at the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar levels on our client's first visit. She underwent a course of physical therapy. She went for treatment on nine occasions over the next month. The treatment consisted of electrical stimulation, hot/cold packs, neuromuscular re-education, and chiropractic manipulation therapy.

The case was settled without having to file a lawsuit. Hertz Claim Management paid on the claim.

In Kane County, Illinois a motor vehicle accident where a car hit a house has resulted in the death of a passenger, according to the Kane County Chronicle. The car accident occurred just before 1:30 am last Friday morning in the 600 block of East Chicago Street in Elgin.

Both the driver and passenger were taken to Sherman Hospital in Elgin. The passenger, Marcelo Martinez-Ayala, 26, of Carpentersville, was pronounced dead at the hospital. The driver was not seriously injured.

The accident is being investigated by the Elgin Police Department. The cause of the accident has not been reported.

Car accidents involving collisions with houses are more common than you would think. This year one such accident was reported in the Rock Island area and another was reported in downstate Illinois.

Last year our law firm settled a case where a woman was injured while at home in the South Suburbs of Chicago when an elderly woman lost control of her car and crashed into her house. Our client was hit while she was laying in bed.

In Chicago Heights, Illinois a man was killed by a crane accident at a steel plant, according to the Chicago Tribune. The victim, Heladio Ramirez, 32, a Calumet City resident, was operating a crane on Monday at Highway Steel Inc., when part of the crane fell and hit him. He was taken to St. James Hospital and Health Center in Chicago Heights, Illinois and he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The cause of the accident has not been reported. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.

According to the United States Department of Labor, 5,488 workers were killed on the job last year throughout the country. 392 workers were killed in manufacturing jobs, and 20 of those workers were killed in primary metal manufacturing jobs, such as iron and steel mill occupations.

Further, according to CraneAccidents.com, there were 176 reported crane accident deaths in the United States in 2007, up from 109 deaths in 2006.

In Chicago, Illinois a Monday night motorcycle accident resulted in the death of a Richton Park resident, according to the Southtown Star. The accident happened on the North Side of Chicago on Lake Shore Drive near Belmont Avenue and it involved a car and a motorcycle.

The accident backed up traffic for miles and northbound vehicles were diverted at Belmont for an hour. The Chicago Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Unit is handling the crash investigation. It has not been reported what caused the accident.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, motorcycle fatalities have greatly increased in the United States from 2,161, fatalities in 1996 to 4,810 fatalities in 2006. The NHTSA also states that there were 88,000 people injured in cycle accidents in 2006, as compared to only 55,000 in 1996.

It was not reported whether the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet in the Chicago accident on Monday. The NHTSA estimates that helmets saved 1,658 motorcycle riders' lives in 2006, and that 752 more lives may have been saved if helmets were used.

Chicago Car Accident Attorneys from Abels & Annes, P.C. have settled an injury claim for a Bellwood, Illinois resident. On April 8, 2008 our client was injured when her vehicle was hit from behind by another car. The accident took place on Interstate 290 just south of York Road in DuPage County, Illinois

Shortly after the accident the plaintiff developed back, neck, shoulder, pelvic, and right hand pain. On 4/11/08 she sought treatment with a chiropractic physician in Lombard, Illinois. The doctor noted muscle spasms and tenderness at the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar levels on her first visit. My client underwent a course of physical therapy. She went for treatment on nine occasions over the next month. The treatment consisted of electrical stimulation, hot/cold packs, neuromuscular re-education, and chiropractic manipulation therapy.

The case settled without having to file a lawsuit. Hertz Rental Car is paying on the claim.

Continue reading " Chicago Injury Lawyers Settle DuPage County Auto Accident Claim " »

On Saturday afternoon a woman was killed in an auto accident on the Southwest Side of Chicago, according to the Southtown Star. The woman, a 73 year old Chicago resident, was riding as a passenger in a vehicle that was involved in a collision with another vehicle at 43rd and Cicero Ave just before 3:30 p.m. One of the vehicles overturned in the accident.

She was taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn and was pronounced dead shortly after the crash. Others involved in the accident were not seriously injured.

While it has not been reported who was at fault in the car accident, due to the fact that the Chicago woman was a passenger, her family will have a good claim against the driver that caused the collision.

In Chicago, Illinois a woman was killed under her stalled car when it was hit from behind while she was looking under the hood, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The auto accident happened on South Lake Shore Drive, just a few miles south of Soldier Field during the Bears game today.

The car stalled around 2 p.m. When the woman went to lift up the hood, the vehicle behind her slowed, and that slowing vehicle was rear-ended and knocked into the stalled car. The woman was pinned under the car, and she was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Part of Lake Shore Drive was shut down and traffic was diverted during the police investigation.

Click here to read the entire story.