Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Illinois announces crackdown on drunk drivers through Labor Day weekend

August 21, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Chicago injury lawyers at Abels & Annes often represent Illinois residents who have been injured by DUI drivers. One car accident case we are currently working on involves the death of two minor children.

The State of Illinois has announced a crackdown on drunk drivers that launches this week and runs through the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Robert Brasky, Illinois Traffic Safety Leaders president, announced officers from all departments will be out in force beginning Aug. 21 and cited motorcycle riders as being at particularly high risk through the holiday weekend.

The Chicago car accident lawyers and motorcycle accident attorneys at Abels & Annes blogged recently about the increase in motorcycle fatalities.

Police will join thousands of other law enforcement and highway safety agencies throughout the nation as they take part in the “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest” crackdown on impaired driving.

In 2007, nearly 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. About 1 in 3 road fatalities involves drunk driving.

For motorcycle riders, 2007 statistics show a higher percentage (27 percent) had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher than any other type of motor vehicle driver.

The Chicago Sun-Times recently reported Illinois motorcycle accidents are up 22 percent, from 2,180 in 2007 to 2,663 last year.

“Make no mistake. Our message is simple. No matter what you drive-a passenger car, pickup, sport utility vehicle or motorcycle-if police catch you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions. No excuses,” said Brasky. “Driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal in every state. Yet we continue to see far a tragic number of people with debilitating injuries and deaths as a result of impaired driving. This careless disregard for human life must stop. To help ensure that happens, police are dedicated to arresting impaired drivers wherever and whenever they find them.”

The national “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” program is organized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness and publicity.

For more information, visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.
Continue reading

Chicago bicyclist severely injured by opening car door

August 19, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Chicago personal injury lawyers at Abels & Annes have entered into an agreement to represent a Chicago bike rider that was seriously injured this past week by an opening car door on the North Side. The accident took place in the 3600 block of Southport between Addison and Waveland on August 15, 2009. Our client was riding southbound when a driver who was not paying attention swung his car door open into traffic, causing him and another biker to fall. The Chicago Police Department investigated the accident.

The Chicago bicyclist was treated the same day in the ER at John Stroger Cook County Hospital in Chicago. There he was x-rayed and diagnosed with fractures in his right wrist, left elbow, and left clavicle.

Since the accident he has followed up with Greenleaf Orthopaedics in Lake County, Illinois, and has been informed that he will need to undergo surgery to repair his elbow fracture. The procedure is scheduled for later this week.

Firefighters injured in Chicago car accident with passenger vehicle

August 17, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Five Chicago firefighters and two motorists were injured Saturday in a car accident on the city’s South Side.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the fire truck was responding to a call just after 5 p.m. when it was struck by a passenger car.

Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said a woman in the car was “very critically injured,” and the driver was in serious condition. He said four firefighters were treated and released Saturday evening, while one was being kept overnight for observation.

Chicago car accident critically injures pregnant woman

August 15, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A pregnant woman was among two people critically injured in a Chicago car accident on Thursday. News Radio 780 reported one person may have died in the rollover accident, which involved multiple vehicles on the city’s Northwest Side.

The crash happened about 5:30 a.m. at West Devon and North Nagle avenues, according to CBS2 Chicago.

A white delivery van, which is registered to Michele Baking Co., on Mannheim Road in Franklin Park, remained on its side hours after the wreck.

Boy killed in Chicago construction accident

August 13, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A boy was crushed to death this week in a Chicago construction accident after he fell from a front loader being driven by his father, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Bystanders were alerted by the father’s shouts at the South Side building being converted to condos. Investigators believe the boy, Valente Torres, 9, fell from his father’s lap atop the front loader and was killed by the front loader’s falling bucket of dirt.

He was still on his feet when his father rushed to his aid shortly before 10 a.m..

Chicago motorists need to watch for buses, children as school begins

August 11, 2009 | By Dave Abels

The Chicago personal injury lawyers at Abels & Annes remind motorists that over 400,000 children head back to the city’s 666 schools over the next month.

The Chicago Public School’s first day of classes for most students is September 8th, and Track E students already started this week. Most of the suburban schools start in the coming weeks of August.

The start of the school year puts school buses back on the road, kids at bus stops and crosswalks, school zones where children are likely to be in the roadway and kids walking or bicycling to school.

Chicago injury lawyers discuss concert premises liability as Lollapalooza comes to town

August 9, 2009 | By Dave Abels

The Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago’s Grant Park is drawing more than 75,000 people a day this weekend. (Attorney Gary Annes of Abels & Annes attends Lollapalooza almost every year).

The Chicago Tribune blog reported the death of a 39-year-old concert goer on Friday. Rain followed by searing heat may have caused the man to collapse near the stage.

The personal injury and wrongful death lawyers at Abels & Annes know that serious injury at such large concerts are a frequent occurrence and are often reported as the fault of the fans in attendance. But injuries can also result from the negligence of a concert promoter or employee, leading to a premise liability claim to recover damages.

To reduce Illinois car accidents, text messaging becoming illegal for Illinois drivers

August 7, 2009 | By Dave Abels

The New Year will bring with it a new ban on text messaging for Illinois motorists after Gov Pat Quinn signed a ban this week in an effort to reduce car accidents caused by distracted drivers.

The Chicago car accident attorneys at Abels & Annes have been following this issue for months. Earlier this month we blogged about the fact that the Illinois law was one of only about 10 laws passed to combat distracted driving this year. Nationwide, about 170 laws were introduced, according to a study by The New York Times.

Federal statistics suggest more than 4,000 people a day are involved in a car accident because of distracted driving.

“It’s really bad that we have to legislate logic,” said Secretary of State Jesse White, who pushed the measure. “Common sense would tell you that when your eyes are off the road, who’s driving?”

A companion law also makes it illegal to use a cell phone in a school or construction zone unless it is equipped with a hands-free device.

The laws take effect Jan. 1. The Chicago Tribune published the following tips for complying with texting ban come New Year’s Day.

You cannot do the following:

Cannot send a text message, read a text message, send e-mail, use the internet, download ringtones, and/or send an instant message.

You can do the following:

Can continue to use your GPS device, continue to use your cell phone’s GPS device, text if traffic is stopped and your car is in park or neutral, can text if you pull over onto shoulder, and can text if you’re reporting an accident or emergency.

Violators face a fine of $75 and three or more violations in a year could lead to a license suspension.
Continue reading

Chicago Injury Lawyers to represent bicycle riders from 3 accidents

August 5, 2009 | By Dave Abels

In the past week the Chicago bike accident lawyers at Abels & Annes have agreed to represent three bicyclists that were injured recently in three separate bike vs. car accidents.

One case involves a 29 year old Chicago woman who was riding her bicycle eastbound on Lawrence Avenue in a designated bike lane. As she entered the intersection of Lawrence & Washtenaw an eastbound vehicle turned right and failed to notice the plaintiff. Our client was knocked to the ground, landing on her left side.

She was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Swedish Covenant Hospital where she was diagnosed with a fracture in her left foot, and left knee and shoulder injuries. She has since followed up with a medical doctor and has been scheduled for surgery to repair the fracture.

Fatal Chicago auto accident caused by wrong way driver

August 3, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A Chicago, Illinois car accident that was caused by a wrong-way driver on I-55 has left one person dead and another injured, according to the Chicago Tribune. The woman killed was a 38 year old North Side resident.

The car crash happened in the northbound lanes of the Stevenson early Saturday morning near South Halsted Street. The female victim was a passenger in a northbound Toyota that was struck by a driver of an Audi headed the wrong direction, according to the Illinois State Police.

The Chicago Fire Department had to remove her from the car and transport her to Northwester Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later. The driver of the Toyota was also taken to Northwestern.