Six people were injured in an accident on Sunday night involving a motorcycle and a car, Chicago Breaking News reported.
The Chicago traffic accident in the Humbolt Park neighborhood occurred at Mozart and Division Streets at about 11 p.m., Chicago Police spokesman David Banks told CBS2.
Media reports indicate four people were critically injured in the crash involving a motorcycle and a car.
A 58-year-old Lincolnwood man has died in a Chicago car accident after being rear-ended by a hit-and-run driver Tuesday afternoon on the Kennedy Expressway.
William Nanz, was involved in a crash on the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) near North Kostner Avenue and was pronounced dead at 2:49 p.m. Tuesday at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Nanz suffered a heart attack following the crash. However, the Chicago Breaking News Center reported the coroner has determined that Nanz died as a result of spinal injuries suffered in the crash.
Bridge collapse at fireworks show sends at least 16 to the hospital
At least 16 people were hospitalized after a wooden footbridge collapsed at the conclusion of a fireworks celebration at Hidden Lake Park in Merrillville, about 45 minutes south of Chicago.
Media reports were unclear about whether it was a public park. But injured participants could have a premise liability claim against the park owner or the company that provided the fireworks display.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene, estimating that the roughly 90-foot-long bridge was full of people before it fell, according to the Associated Press as reported by Fox News.
While authorities have released few other details, it is possible that event organizers allowed far too many people onto the 90-foot wooden bridge, which collapsed about 10 p.m., just as the grand finale concluded, sending people plummeting into the water below.
A dive team was called in to pull people and items from the water and the investigation continued through the weekend. There were estimates that thousands had attended the annual fireworks display at the park in years past.
“They had to rescue quite a few people,” Ross Township firefighter Perry Herzog said in a newspaper account.
Herzog said 16 people were transported to local hospitals for treatment. He said others might have been taken to hospitals by family members.
He did not know the nature of their injuries, and said there were no fatalities in the accident. About 50 emergency vehicles responded to the scene, along with helicopter and dive teams.
Robert Walker, of Merrillville, blamed the collapse on the number of people crossing the bridge.
“It was a mass of confusion,” he said. “People were walking across the bridge when it collapsed. People were grasping and hanging onto the bridge itself.”
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About 5,000 boaters are expected to request some type of on-the-water assistance this holiday weekend as the country braces for the busiest day of the year for recreational boaters, according to the Boat Owners Association of the United States.
The Chicago personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at Abels & Annes urge boaters to follow the proper safety precautions so everyone on the water can have a safe holiday weekend.
Now through Labor Day is the height of boating season in the Chicago area and with it comes the chance for serious accidents. Two people died and a third went missing in separate boating accidents last weekend, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
A 15-foot fishing boat capsized on the Little Calumet River near East 127th Street and South Michigan Avenue. The Coast Guard found one boater dead and later suspended the search for a second boater believed to be missing.
Several hours later, two people fell off a sailboat in Dusable Harbor at 401 N. Lake Shore Drive, authorities said. Both were rescued but one of the boaters was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
In both cases, high winds were reported in the area.
This holiday weekend, Jack Manley of TowBoatU.S. Chicago advises boaters to keep an eye on fuel-hungry generators as well as battery charge levels, but alcohol and excessive speed after dark are safety issues.
Here are Five Lessons Learned about July 4th boating from the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety:
1. Plan Ahead: Ensure you have enough fuel; make sure all navigation lights and hand held spotlights are in working order. It’s a good idea to check the engine and mechanicals, such as fan belts, battery connections, fuel filters and engine fluids ahead of time. Don’t invite more guests aboard than your vessel can safely handle. Keep an ear to the weather forecast on VHF radio.
2. Avoid Alcohol: Combined with the effects of a hot sunny day, alcohol will leave an operator impaired when they can least afford it – navigating at night in heavy boating traffic. It’s okay to party – just save it until after you’ve put the boat to bed and you’re back at the dock, homeport or beach (dry land). The captain is also ultimately responsible for everyone’s safety aboard.
3. Life Jackets: Ensure kids have the right sized life jacket, and it would be wise to have the crew wear life jackets on the way home after the show. For adults, inflatable life jackets will keep you safe without compromising comfort.
4. Navigation: Know where any security zones exist. Go slow, post extra lookouts, and don’t make sudden course changes unless necessary. When departing an anchorage pay attention to other vessel’s anchor lines and understand where they lie just below the water’s surface. Never take a shortcut home after dark.
5. Chill: Don’t let crowded harbors or long boat ramp lines get you down. Simply prepare for a wonderful evening of fireworks, knowing it will take you a while to get safely home. Having lots of patience and giving lots of courtesy will make it memorable.
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The Chicago personal injury lawyers at the Abels & Annes wish you a safe and happy holiday weekend and we urge you to stay safe around fireworks displays this Fourth of July.
While some types of small fireworks are permitted in Illinois, it depends on the regulations in your village or municipality.
Fireworks are divided into two categories:
• consumer fireworks, which include such items as fountains, repeaters and parachutes.
• pyrotechnic displays, which use professional grade fireworks such as mortars, cake bundles, and ground displays that depict a picture.
It’s important to note that several well-known types of fireworks, such as firecrackers, bottle rockets and Roman candles, are not allowed in Illinois under the new regulations, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
Novelty fireworks, such as snakes, sparklers, and party-poppers, are not regulated by the state, although municipalities have the authority to enact an ordinance prohibiting the sale and use of sparklers on public property.
While legal, sparklers present a serious danger because of the high temperature of the wire during and after its use. Sparklers burn at temperatures of up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit and remain extremely hot long after the sparks have stopped.
Many children are injured each year by sparklers. Children playing with novelty fireworks must be closely supervised by adults to prevent injury.
Visit the OSFM website for information about Illinois fireworks’ regulations.
In 2006, 11 people died and more than 9,000 were injured by fireworks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which offers more information about fireworks and fireworks safety. Fireworks can cause blindness, third-degree burns and permanent scarring and are a source of life-threatening residential and motor vehicle fires.More than 100 people were injured by fireworks in Illinois last year, according to the Associated Press. The Chicago Fire Department reported 18 fireworks-related fires and four injuries.
Your best bet and safest route to seeing great fireworks this weekend is to go to a fireworks show put on by professionals. Even at a professional show, organizers have an obligation to keep burning debris are other material from falling into the crowd and causing injuries.
In Mount Vernon, the fire department is offering fireworks safety courses leading up to the Fourth of July.
“On fireworks safety, one of the biggest things we try to teach is that there is no safe firework out there,” MVFD Assistant Chief Kevin Sargent told the Register-News.
“Fireworks in the U.S. are regulated and the state of Illinois has decided to allow some fireworks. … We try to teach people what fireworks are legal and illegal and the safety in handling and distance.”
Sargent, who also teaches the classes, said one of the biggest surprises he has noticed many people express during the training is the safety distances.”Some fireworks project over 400 feet, and we need to keep spectators away that far so they aren’t injured or hit by debris from falling fireworks,” Sargent said. “… They need to be aware of the weather. Is it windy? The wind will change the direction of fireworks after it has left the shell or tube. Also, everybody thinks since it has rained and rained that a fire can’t start. But it is dry underneath the grass on top, and that can get hit and cause it to burn.”
The National Council on Fireworks Safety offers the following safety tips:
Use fireworks outdoors only.
Obey local laws. If fireworks are not legal where you live, do not use them.
Always have water handy. (A hose or bucket).Only use fireworks as intended. Don’t try to alter them or combine them.
Never relight a “dud” firework. Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.
Use common sense. Spectators should keep a safe distance from the shooter and the shooter should wear safety glasses.
Alcohol and fireworks do not mix. Have a “designated shooter.”
Only persons over the age of 12 should be allowed to handle sparklers of any type.
Do not ever use homemade fireworks of illegal explosives: They can kill you! Report illegal explosives to the fire or police department in your community.
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In Chicago, Illinois 6 people were hurt in a car accident on Sunday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Two of the injured were children. The auto accident occurred around 2 am in the 8200 block of South Chicago Avenue on the Southeast Side. The driver of an SUV lost control and crashed.
There were no other vehicles involved in the accident. Occupants of the SUV were pinned in and 5 ambulances were sent to the scene. The Chicago Police Department handled the crash investigation.
The children, ages 9 and 10 were taken by ambulance to University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital. The driver was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and a female passenger was taken to Jackson Park Hospital. Two others who were reportedly injured refused treatment.
There are fewer instances of trains blocking Chicago streets, Canadian National Railway told regulators Tuesday, but acknowledged more work needs to be done after its purchase of Chicago area-tracks from Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway.
The company said it had 11 instances of trains blocking Chicago-area streets for 10 minutes or longer in May, compared to 14 in April and 50 in March when it first acquired the tracks that arc westward around Chicago through Illinois and Indiana suburbs, according to a report Tuesday in the Journal of Commerce.
The Chicago car accident lawyers at Abels & Annes monitor the local railway industry and its impact on motorists’ safety. In addition to the deadly Rockford, IL, train crash last week, which was also operated by Canadian National Railway, instances of trains blocking area roads for an extended length of time can lead to car accidents.
Rear-end collisions are common. Motorists also can become understandably frustrated with the delay and attempt to drive around down-track gates, leading to the potential for accident and injury once the train begins moving again. And, when train blockages at intersections become a common occurrence, motorists can sometimes try to get through ahead of an oncoming train.
The Canadian railroad company also reported the duration of the delays is declining — from several instances of roadway traffic being stalled for hours because of stopped trains in March, to two lengthy delays in April and one last month.
That train stretched more than a mile long with 106 loaded railcars and blocked a road at Joliet, Ill., for an hour, after stalling on an uphill climb as it headed out of town.
The company reports corrective action for each blockage in an attempt to pacify suburban complaints, where the acquisition is being contested in federal court. It also admitted the problem has been alleviated somewhat by a down economy and fewer freight loads and train trips.
Canadian National Railway also said it has made safety presentations at several area schools, and has posted 225 “no trespassing” signs on its railroad property from Gary, Ind., to West Chicago.
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In Rockford, Illinois a woman was killed Friday night after a Canadian National Railway Co. freight train derailed, according to the N.Y. Times. The victim was in a car waiting for the train to pass by. The rail cars were carrying ethanol, and when 18 cars derailed there was a large explosion. Hundreds of people from nearby homes had to be evacuated.
At one point 14 train cars were on fire, and 5 were still burning the next morning. The flames lasted though Saturday. 74 cars on the train were carrying ethanol.
Three other people at the scene were able to flee from their cars and survive, however they were severely burned. They were taken to area hospitals for treatment. The woman who died, Zoila Tellez of Rockford, also tried to flee, but only made it 20 feet and then collapsed.
The Chicago personal injury lawyers at Abels & Annes have recovered $255,000 on an underinsured motorist claim for a woman who was struck by a car leaving church following Good Friday services.
The client was hit in a crosswalk at Irving Park and Austin as she left Polish Jesuit Fathers. A driver turning left did not see the client, who was crossing the street on a walk sign.
Chicago attorney David Abels said the driver’s insurance carrier, Allstate, paid $50,000. The firm then collected an additional $200,000 on an underinsured claim from the client’s insurance carrier, which were the limits of the policy, as well as $5,000 in medical payment coverage.
Abels said timely recovery of the $255,000 will assist the woman in recovering from serious injuries.
The woman was rushed to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge with severe head injuries and underwent emergency surgery, Abels wrote in a previous blog. The client had a large piece of her skull temporarily removed and spent time in a coma.
“In reality, no amount of money is ever going to change the situation for our client. This is a lifelong injury that is going to affect her for the rest of her life,” Abels told CBS2 in Chicago about pending legislation that would require motorists to come to a complete stop when someone is crossing the street.
The serious injury or death of pedestrians who are struck by motorists continues to be a serious problem — more than 4,600 pedestrians were killed in 2007, including 171 people in Illinois.
The Chicago Department of Transportation is stepping up enforcement in conjunction with the Chicago Police Department. The operation puts undercover officers in crosswalks posing as civilians. Drivers who fail to yield face fines of $50 to $500.
“Providing a safe pedestrian environment is our No. 1 goal,” said CDOT Commissioner Thomas G Byrne. “This initiative is designed to increase awareness among motorists about the importance of stopping for pedestrians. People should be able to safely cross the street in their neighborhoods.”
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In Romeoville, Illinois an elderly husband and wife were killed Thursday afternoon when their car was hit by an Amtrak train after they allegedly went around a descending crossing arm and started across the tracks, according to the Naperville Sun. The train accident occurred at New Avenue and Romeo Road around 1 pm.
The couple, Harry C. Hoffman, age 74 and his wife, Doreen J. Hofman, age 64 died at the scene. The damage to the vehicle was so bad that the police are not yet able to state who was driving the car. One occupant was ejected from the vehicle and the car was badly damaged and knocked several hundred feet down the tracks.
There are several issues related to the train crash being reported. First, while the gates descended there was still a green light for traffic, which police are speculating may have confused the driver. Further, witnesses are reporting that the car made a right turn on to the tracks as the gates were still descending, not after they were already down.
It is likely that Chicago train crash lawyers will soon be involved. The attorneys that handle the case will likely retain train safety experts to help them determine the causes of the accident.
One issue that I am curious about is the the fact that the couple’s car was hit while the gates were still on the way down, or had just gotten down, by a train traveling at a high speed through a congested suburban area. (Were the gates dropping too late? Was the train speeding?) Further, I would like to know more about the traffic lights and whether the crossing is confusing to drivers.
It is being reported that this deadly accident is not the first train vs. motor vehicle collision at this crossing.
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Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
