Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Chicago Injury Lawyers file pedestrian accident lawsuit

August 23, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Chicago car accident attorneys at Abels & Annes have filed a personal injury lawsuit in Cook County on behalf of an injured pedestrian. The automobile vs. pedestrian collision which took place on June 18, 2009.

The defendant was driving his truck northbound on Monticello approaching Leland in Chicago, Illinois. He stopped at a stop sign for northbound Monticello at Leland. The pedestrian was walking eastbound across Monticello in the marked pedestrian crosswalk and when he had crossed almost the entire street the defendant suddenly accelerated and struck our client. The plaintiff was fully within the marked crosswalk when he was hit. The force of the impact threw our client to the pavement.

The driver was issued traffic tickets by the Chicago Police Department for failing to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk and for failing to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian.

Following the collision our client had an immediate onset of back pain, neck pain and shoulder pain. He was transported from the scene of the collision by ambulance to Swedish Covenant Hospital.

Over the next couple of days the pedestrian’s condition worsened and his back pain started radiating into his right leg. Due to his increasing pain and discomfort he sought follow up treatment with a physician. He was prescribed pain medication and therapy was recommended.

After several months of treatment the client was not experiencing significant relief of his injuries. A lumber MRI revealed herniated/bulging disks at L3-4 and L4-5 which pressed against the L4 and L5 nerve roots and a herniated/bulging disk at L5-S1. Due to the nature and extent of his problems, the doctor referred him to a pain specialist.
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Suburban Chicago injury lawyer reaches $1 million settlement after pregnant woman dies in Chicago car accident caused by drunk driver

August 21, 2010 | By Dave Abels

A West Side strip club has agreed to pay a $1 million settlement in the wake of a Chicago car accident caused by a drunk driver, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The January 2006 accident claimed the life of a pregnant woman, her unborn child and a patron of the club. Diamonds Gentlemen’s Club paid $800,000 to the husband of the 27-year-old woman, who was eight-months pregnant when her vehicle was struck head-on by an SUV near South Elgin.

The rest of the settlement went to the relatives of a 25-year-old St. Charles man who was a passenger in the at-fault vehicle, according to court records. The lawsuit alleged that the driver and passenger had gotten drunk in the club and were ejected by bouncers after the driver was found vomiting in the bathroom. The bouncers put the driver in his car before he drove off and slammed into the victim’s car about 15 minutes later on Illinois Highway 25.

CTA bus accidents occurring once a day on average

August 19, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Somewhere in the metro area, a Chicago Transit Authority bus accident happened today. And yesterday. And tomorrow. In fact, the system is averaging an accident a day — more than nine of the other largest bus systems in the United States, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Our Chicago injury lawyers have often reported on the large number of CTA bus accidents occurring in and around the Chicago area. Just last week we reported that a Chicago bus accident sent nine people to the hospital. We are also about to file a lawsuit on behalf of a pedestrian that was struck in a crosswalk by a CTA bus.

Now, the Federal Transit Administration reports that accidents are occurring about one per day, although drivers are logging more miles between accidents. On average, an accident occurred for every 34,566 trips, an improvement of about 9 percent over 2008. The CTA said it is not satisfied with the accident tally, but attributed the improvement to a focus on defensive-driving and the presence of new technology, including 18 bus simulators deployed at CTA garages.

Drivers must be recertified every two years and are required to attend a retraining course if they are involved in accidents or are ticketed for moving violations. Despite those efforts, the CTA has been in the middle of the pack in collision rates among large bus companies.

Last year there were 271 reportable collisions involving CTA buses. In 2008, a total of 303 reportable collisions were reported. A reportable collision is defined as one resulting in $25,000 or more in property damage or a crash that sends one or more people to the hospital. Thus, safety advocates report that many more collisions go unreported.

A total of 521 people were injured in accidents last year, including 270 bus passengers, 122 bus drivers, 90 occupants of other vehicles, 29 pedestrians and 10 cyclists.

The Chicagoist article is available here.

The CBS 2 report is available here.
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NPR host recovering from suburban Chicago bicycle accident

August 17, 2010 | By Dave Abels

The host of NPR’s “Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me,” was injured in a Chicago bicycle accident while riding through the west suburbs, Trib Local reported.

Peter Sagal, who is an Oak Park resident was hurt in an accident with a hatchback at an intersection. He remained hospitalized with minor injuries last week, while awaiting additional testing.

Our Chicago injury attorneys continue to report on the large number of serious and fatal bicycle accidents. The next two months will be especially dangerous for riders, as cyclists seek all the riding time they can get before the onset of winter. More kids will also be riding to and from school as classes resume.

Teens know distracted driving increases risk of a Chicago car accident — but they use their phones anyway

August 16, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Most teen drivers are engaging in distracted-driving behavior despite knowing better, according to the result of a new study published by USAToday.

As our Chicago injury attorneys frequently report, teens are at high risk when it comes to being involved in a serious or fatal car accident in Chicago or the surrounding area.Illinois has banned text messaging by all drivers and it is illegal for drivers to use hand-held cell phones within the City of Chicago. Other states have not been so proactive in reducing the risk of distracted driving accidents. Twelve states have adopted no rules at all when it comes to the use of cell phones by drivers: Florida, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico and Hawaii.

In any event, teens appear to understand the dangers. But whether they are listening is a different story. The recent survey by Seventeen Magazine found that nearly 90 percent of young drivers engaged in risky behavior, including text messaging or talking on a cell phone while driving, despite knowing the risks.

“Teens do continue to drive distracted even when they recognize the dangers,” says William Van Tassel, manager of AAA’s driver training programs. “Driving is the first real adult responsibility, but let’s face it, they’re still teens whose brains aren’t fully developed.”

A total of 1,999 teens ages 16 to 19 were surveyed. Eighty-four percent said they were aware that distracted driving increased their risk of an accident. However, 86 percent admitted to risky behavior, including talking on the phone, texting, applying makeup, eating, using in-car electronics or riding with four or more passengers.

Other study findings include:

-Drivers 16 and 17 were less likely to be distracted than those ages 18 and 19.

-Teens who had their own vehicle were more likely to drive distracted than those who had to share a vehicle.

-Reasons for using a mobile device while driving included: Didn’t think they would get hurt (35 percent); made driving less boring (22 percent); and felt the need to stay connected (21 percent).

Safe Teen Driving Tips in Illinois are available here.
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Chicago bicycle accident lawyers settle injury claim for North Side resident

August 14, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Chicago injury lawyers at Abels & Annes have reached a personal injury settlement for a bicycle rider that was injured earlier this year on the North Side. The bike vs. car accident happened at the intersection of Clark and Cornelia back on February 6, 2010 in the afternoon. Our client was riding his bicycle southbound on Clark Street when the driver of a 2005 Ford Escape that was northbound turned left and hit him. The driver was attempting to turn to go westbound on Cornelia and failed to look for bike riders.

The Chicago Police Department investigated the accident and ticketed the driver for failing to yield when turning left.

The bicycle rider suffered left shoulder and right knee injuries in the accident. He went to the emergency room at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. There x-rays were taken that were negative for fractures.

Over the next week our client’s pain did not go away. He went for further treatment with an orthopaedic physician. The physician in turn ordered physical therapy for the client.

After several weeks the bicyclists shoulder pain remained so the doctor ordered an MRI. The scan showed our client had a mild AC joint separation in his shoulder.

Our client continued with physical therapy and the pain eventually dissipated.

The case settled for just over $31,000 and no lawsuit needed to be filed. Nationwide Insurance paid on the claim.
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Chicago bus accident sends nine CTA passengers to the hospital

August 12, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Nine people were hospitalized after a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus accident on Friday morning, ABC 7 News reported.

Police say the accident happened when a car rear-ended the bus at Roosevelt and Central Park. Five ambulances were called to the scene shortly after 8 a.m. Nine passengers were injured when the No. 12 Roosevelt CTA bus was rear-ended by a car while at a stop on South Central Park.

Our Chicago accident attorneys continue to report on frequent accidents involving buses in Chicago and the surrounding area. Several serious accidents have occurred in the last several months, involving multiple victims.

Chicago area police search for hit-and-run driver that killed bike rider

August 10, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Police are searching for a hit and run driver that killed a bicyclist in Stone Park, a northwest suburb of Chicago, according to Chicago Breaking News. The victim, a 47 year old woman who lives in the 1700 block of North Mannheim Road was struck and killed Monday night.

The accident occurred in the 1800 block of Mannheim when she was hit by a southbound vehicle. The driver fled the scene of the accident. It is being reported that police are possibly looking for a Chevy with front end damage.

The victim, Marina Gonzalez, was rushed to Loyola University Hospital in Maywood and was pronounced dead a short time later.

Chicago Bike Accident Lawyer interviewed regarding new bicycle sharing program

August 9, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Chicago B-cycle — a new bike sharing program operated by Bike and Roll Chicago — debuted a week ago and runs through Oct. 31, according to Explore Chicago.

Our Chicago injury lawyers have high hopes for this program. It’s another sign that Chicago has become one of the premiere cycling cities in the nation. We reported in May when Chicago was named the 10th best city in America by Bicycle Magazine. The city has made great improvements to area bike lanes and other cycling infrastructure. With B-cycle, Chicago joins Denver, Montreal and other European cities where bike-sharing has become a popular public service.

But we remain concerned about the danger for serious and fatal bicycle accidents. David Abels was interviewed by Medill Reports Chicago regarding safety concerns for the new program.

“We do see a lot of bicycle accidents in the Chicago area,” Attorney Dave Abels said. “The concern here is with new bikes hitting the streets in The Loop — where driving is especially aggressive — that these drivers are paying attention.”

Click here to watch the story from Medill Reports Chicago.The program is designed to allow pedestrians to make short bike rides for health or for fun. Simply check out a bike at any of six conveniently located “B-Stations” located throughout downtown:

•John Hancock Center, Michigan Ave. & Delaware Pl.
•Daley Plaza, Dearborn St. & Washington St.
•Buckingham Fountain, Columbus Dr. & Congress Pkwy.
•Shedd Aquarium, Museum Campus •McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive •541 Fairbanks Court at Grand Ave.

Bikes may be dropped off at any of these locations or at Bike and Roll’s rental stations at Navy Pier, North Avenue Beach and Millennium Park. Visit www.chicagobicycle.com for a map and look for the iPhone App coming soon.

This is the latest in a series of efforts by the city that have allowed for significant increases in the number of cycles on the road, even as safety advocates work to reduce the number of serious and fatal Chicago bicycle accidents.

Still, the Illinois Department of Transportation reports more than 3,000 serious bicycle accidents occur each year in the state, primarily in the Chicago area. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 27 people were killed in Illinois bicycle accidents in 2008 — up significantly from the 18 riders killed in 2007. Nationwide, 716 riders were killed and more than 52,000 riders were injured in cycling accidents.
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Fatal Chicago car accident lands drunk driver behind bars for death of friends

August 7, 2010 | By Dave Abels

A man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for a drunk driving Chicago car accident that claimed the life of two friends, the Sun-Times reported.

The 26-year-old Batavia man pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated DUI and one count of DUI in connection with the August 2007 crash that killed two friends. The victims were both 21 years old. The judge rejected a defense argument of extraordinary circumstances and declined to give credit for time served at home on electronic monitoring.

An accident reconstruction expert testified the vehicle was traveling 104 to 113 mph when it left Dugan Road in Sugar Grove Township. The car was nearly split in half after striking a tree. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The defendant survived and was arrested after being treated at the hospital. Blood tests showed the defendant’s blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit of .08 and that he had marijuana in his system at the time of the crash. The defendant initially admitted to being the driver of the vehicle but later changed his statement.