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In Henry County, Illinois a fatal single vehicle car crash has left 2 people dead, according to Galesburg.com. A 61 year old male lost control of his car on a slick road while driving north on Illinois 82 near Illinois 17 on Monday afternoon. He drove into a ditch and hit a tree. The driver and his 57 year old wife, who was a passenger, were pronounced dead at the scene. The couple’s 10 year old grandson was also in the car and was not seriously injured. He was taken to OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg, Illinois. The couple was reportedly headed to Geneseo, Illinois. The Henry County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the deadly accident.

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U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman has dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the City of Chicago’s method of using cameras to ticket drivers who fail to obey red lights, according to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Judge Gettlemam ruled that the plaintiffs complaint failed to state claims based on equal protection and substantive due process.

How does this ruling affect Chicago personal injury lawyers? I think the law could resolve a lot of disputed liability personal injury claims and lawsuits. A contested red light case is hard and problematic to prove up in court. It is a “he said, she said” case and you never know who a jury is going to believe.

Last month I settled a red light personal injury car accident case from a 2004 accident. The plaintiff and an independent witness said the plaintiff had the green light, but the defendant and a different independent witness said the defendant had the green light. I recommended that my client settle the case, as he only had a 50% chance of getting past the jury on the issue of liability. If this case happened in front of a traffic camera, I could have subpoenaed the City for the photos, and the case could have resolved years ago. Continue reading

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Illinois car crash deaths are way down this year, according to an article recently published by the Chicago Tribune. 16 people have died in fatal Illinois auto accidents as of January 11, 2008, which is down from 37 last year. As of today’s date of January 21, 2008 the number of fatals is 38, which is down from 71 at this time in 2007, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). There have been 12 fatal auto accidents in Chicago and 15 deadly car crashes in all of Cook County, Illinois.

Last year 1,245 people were killed in motor vehicle collisions in Illinois, which is actually the lowest number of fatal accidents since 1924. That is an amazing statistic if you consider how few cars were on the road back then as compared to 2007. The state’s goal is to keep the number of auto accident related deaths in Illinois below 1,000. Illinois is currently on pace for only 660 fatalities. Continue reading

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En Chicago, Illinois abogados de accidente de trafico, de David Abels & Associates, P.C. ha alcanzado un arreglo para un residente de la zona. El fue implicado en un choque de trasero en la rampa de acceso de la calle 79 a Interestatal 94 en Chicago. El y el vehículo detrás de él aflojaron para el tráfico, y el tercer vehículo en la línea golpeó el segundo vehículo, quién alternadamente fue golpeado hacia adelante en nuestro cliente.

El fue llevado al St. Bernard Hospital para heridas de cuello. El trató luego con un medico y un fisioterapeuta para sus heridas. El caso se asentó para $17,000. El acusado fue asegurado por AAA.

Nuestra pasajera del cliente más fue herida gravemente y su caso está todavía pendiente.

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A personal injury auto accident lawyer from Waukegan, Illinois has made a nice pre-litigation settlement, according to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. The case stems from an auto accident that happened in Gurnee, Illinois. The defendant allegedly ran a red light and struck an elderly plaintiff’s vehicle which then flipped over. The Lake County driver sustained multiple injuries, including spinal fractures. The Gurnee passenger sustained a torn rotator cuff and multiple fractures. The Lake County car crash case settled for a combined $1,100,000. The driver received $700,000 and the passenger received $400,000.

What makes this settlement nice is it happened without having to file a lawsuit. Typically, the average insurance company is not going to offer this kind of money unless a lawsuit is filed and a significant amount of discovery has been completed (interrogatories, depositions). This type of pre-litigation is great for clients, as they save the cost of litigation which can run thousands of dollars. Further, most plaintiff attorneys work on a one third fee before litigation, but most have the contractual right to take a 40% fee after a lawsuit is filed. Here, the lawyer most likely took a one third fee, saving the plaintiffs over $75,000.

The plaintiff lawyer in this case was Matthew Williams. Williams graduated from DePaul University Law School just 10 years ago (1998) and already has a million dollar plus settlement. Nice work.
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Less than 2 months after a jury awarded the family of former Chicago Blackhawk Keith Magnuson 9.5 million in a wrongful death auto accident lawsuit, the at fault party, former NHL player Rob Ramage was sentenced to 4 years in prison. The case stems from a fatal drunk driving accident that killed the former Chicago Blackhawk in 2003. The two former NHL players were traveling from a funeral together outside of Toronto, Canada when the accident took place.

A judge in Ontario, Canada sentenced Ramage for impaired driving causing death, and banned him from driving for five years after his release. Ramage played 15 years in the NHL as a defenseman with eight teams, and was on Stanley Cup winners with the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens.

Magnuson played in the NHL from 1969-1979, and all of his 589 career games were with the Chicago Blackhawks. He went to the Stanley Cup twice with the Hawks in 1971 and 1973, both times losing to the Montreal Canadiens. He was also captain of the Blackhawks for several years.

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In Chicago, Illinois car accident attorneys from David Abels & Associates, P.C. have reached a settlement for a local resident. He was involved in a rear end collision at the 79th Street entrance ramp to Interstate 94 in Chicago. He and the vehicle behind him slowed for traffic, and the third vehicle in line struck the 2nd vehicle, who in turn was knocked forward into our client.

He was taken to Saint Bernard Hospital in Chicago, Illinois for neck and back injuries. He later treated with a medical doctor and a physical therapist for his injuries. The case settled for $17,000. The defendant was insured by AAA.

Our client’s passenger was more seriously injured and her case is still pending.
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A construction worker was killed on Monday at the Trump Soho in New York City when a wooden mold used to set concrete collapsed and he fell 42 floors to his death, according to the New York Times. The worker who died in the construction accident was decapitated in the fall and landed in an alley on the west side of the site. Another worker was thrown from the 42nd floor, but was caught by a safety net on the 40th floor.

The cause of the work accident is still under investigation. The New York City Buildings Department has issued a stop work order on the project until the General Contractor, Bovis Lend Lease, can show that work will continue in a safe manner. Bovis was issued four safety violations as a result of the accident. There have been 11 previous building code violations at the project site.

This accident happened just weeks before the Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago is scheduled to open. Five floors of the hotel are scheduled to open on January 30, 2008, according to the Chicago Tribune. The hotel will occupy floors 14-27, and the remaining levels are supposed to gradually open through the spring.

What is interesting is that as the hotel operates, there will still be a large construction project going on overhead as crews work to complete the 92 story tower. You have to question if Chicagoans will feel safe entering the hotel in light of the N.Y.C. accident. The hotel was originally scheduled to open December 3, 2007 but Trump was delayed in obtaining a city occupancy permit due to still having to complete fire safety work. Continue reading

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In Chicago, Illinois auto accident attorneys from David Abels & Associates, P.C. have reached a pedestrian accident settlement for a Cook County resident. She was involved in a pedestrian knock down in Chicago at the intersection of Pulaski and Ferdinand. She was struck by a car as she was crossing the street in the crosswalk by a driver who was turning left and did not see her.

She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago for neck and back injuries. She later treated with a medical doctor and an osteopathic doctor (D.O.) for her injuries. The case settled for $8,000. The defendant was insured by the Avis Budget Group.
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We previously wrote about a teen from Carpentersville who died in a Barrington Hills head-on collision car crash. The Kane County Coroner is now stating that the teen was drunk at the time of the crash where he swerved into oncoming traffic, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Edgar Rico, 17, was killed on December 8, 2007 in a 2 vehicle crash on Illinois Highway 62 near Autumn Trail. To other people in the car were treated for injuries at Sherman Hospital in Elgin. Rico did not have a valid drivers license according to the Barrington Hills Police Department. He also reportedly was driving a friend’s car that was borrowed without permission.

According to the coroner, the teen’s blood alcohol level (BAC) was .24, which is 3 times the .08 legal limit in Illinois. It was originally thought that the crash was just caused by bad weather, as it was very icey and snowy at the time. Continue reading

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