Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Deadly Illinois truck crash – 2 girls killed, 6 others hurt

June 4, 2011 | By Dave Abels

A semi truck vs. car accident that occurred in downstate Illinois has resulted in the death of two girls and injuries to six others, according to herald-review.com. Illinois state police are saying that the victims fatally injured were ages 12 and 15 years old, both from Mattoon. The collision occurred on Illinois 316 just west of Loxa on the morning of June 1.

The two victims were traveling in a van that was involved in a collision with a semi truck. The van rolled over in the accident, ejecting seven people. The driver of the van, a 26-year-old woman from Mattoon, was reportedly in a hurry and passed a vehicle traveling east bound. The driver lost control of her van and then entered the westbound lane.

When the van crossed the center line, a semi truck was passing by in the opposite direction. The trucker was unable to avoid striking the van, making contact with the rear passenger side the vehicle. The van then rolled into a ditch on the North side of the highway.

Weekend DUI Chicago Car Accident Highlights Summer Dangers

June 3, 2011 | By Dave Abels

The fatal Memorial Day weekend Chicago car accident being blamed on drunk driving is a tragic reminder of the consequences of drinking and driving as the summer travel season begins.

The Chicago Tribune reports the crash killed an infant whose first birthday was a week away and closed the Dan Ryan Expressway for hours over the holiday weekend.The crash injured seven people — the 1993 green two-door Oldsmobile was apparently overloaded as it traveled I-90/94. The 47-year-old driver reportedly lost control and struck a guardrail. Four women and four children were inside the vehicle at the time of the crash — three of the four children were ejected.

While we often think of victim’s in another vehicle when we think of car accidents, it is equally possible to file a claim against the driver of the vehicle you are riding in when a serious or fatal accident occurs. Speaking with a Chicago injury attorney as soon as possible after the crash is the best course of action for protecting your rights.

The accused driver is due in court to face charges of aggravated DUI for an accident causing death and reckless homicide.

ABC7 reports the crash occurred near 75th Street and backed up the outbound Dan Ryan for hours during Monday evening’s busy holiday rush.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports one-third of the nation’s fatal accidents involve alcohol, claiming nearly 11,000 lives in 2009.

Illinois car accidents involving alcohol claimed 381 lives that year — 42 percent of the 911 motorists killed on the road. The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is among the most dangerous times on the road.

Those ages 25 to 44 accounted for about half of all traffic fatalities involving alcohol in 2009. However, the 21- to 24-year-old age group had the highest percentage of drivers with alcohol in their system at the time of the crash — 35 percent.

Not surprisingly, motorists at night were about three times more likely to be involved in a crash with a drunk driver. Weekend nights were most dangerous.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving ranks Illinois a dismal 37th when it comes to drunk driving safety. The organization reports the state has nearly 50,000 three-time DUI offenders.
Continue reading

MADD Calls for Parental Involvement to Reduce Teen Car Accidents during 100 Deadliest Days

June 2, 2011 | By Dave Abels

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has issued a warning to parents that our Chicago personal injury attorneys urge you to take to heart: The next 100 days are the deadliest of the year for teen drivers.

We frequently report the risk young people face when it comes to Chicago car crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that car accidents are the leading cause of death for those ages 15 to 20.Put another way, it’s a statistic that bears repeating: Your child is most likely to die in a traffic accident this summer. Your child. This summer. Our Illinois wrongful death attorneys are all too familiar with such tragedies. Dealing with the death of a young person in a car accident is among the most horrific cases a law firm can handle.

In 2009, about 3,000 teenagers were killed and more than 350,000 were treated in emergency rooms as a result of traffic accidents. Nine of the 10 deadliest days for teens are between the months of May and August.

Please speak to your child early and often this summer.

-MADD reports 28 percent of Illinois teens between the ages of 12 and 20 report using alcohol within the past month and 20 percent — or 1 in 5 — admit to binge drinking in the last 30 days.

-Teens are among the worst offenders when it comes to distracted driving. MADD recommends banning the use of electronic devices, including cell phones, while behind the wheel. The government’s Distracted Driving Website reports that 16 percent of those under 20 are distracted at the time of a crash.

-Limit night driving.

-Limit the number of passengers your teen is permitted to have in the vehicle.

-Set clear consequences for violating the rules.

-Consider using an Illinois teen driving contract with your teenager — which will outline the expectations and penalties for violations.

-Set firm rules about seat belt use. Statistics show teens are among the worst offenders when it comes to not buckling up.

-Invest in insurance. While teen car insurance premiums can be a shock in their own right, buy a policy with limits as high as you can reasonably afford. Basic policies or mandatory minimums are a joke in the event of a serious accident — you can spend $10,000 or more before the ambulance even gets you to the hospital.
Continue reading

National Safety Month Aims to Halt to Top Five Preventable Accidents in Chicago and Elsewhere

June 1, 2011 | By Dave Abels

The State of Illinois and other states around the country and urging businesses and communities to join the celebration of National Safety Month. The entire month of June will focus on various safety topics. This awareness month is being put on by the Illinois-based National Safety Council (NSC) in an attempt to increase the awareness of the top five causes of preventable injuries and death from accidents in Chicago and elsewhere.Our Chicago personal injury lawyers understand that there are a number of things that we can all do to help this world be a safer place for everyone, but preventable injuries continue to happen because of the negligence of others. Residents are urged to participate in the activities of this safety month and encourage friends, family and coworkers to get involved to help reduce the risks of these types of accidents.

Top 5 causes of preventable injury or death:

-Injuries in the summer time (June 1-4). Injuries and fatalities during this time of year usually see an increase as more residents are out of school, vacationing or are outside enjoying the summer weather.

-Overexertion (June 5 to 11). These types of injuries are the third leading cause of unintentional injuries as they typical result in sprains and strains in various areas of the body, especially in the lower back.

-Teen Driving Safety (June 12 to 18). The NSC feels that promoting safe teen driving on our roadways is critical as more than 5,500 people are killed every year in traffic accidents that involve a teen driver.

-Slips, Trips and Falls (June 19 to 25). These accidents are among the top causes of unintentional injuries that leave residents in emergency departments throughout the nation.

-Cell phone use by drivers (June 26 to 30). Traffic accidents are the number one cause of unintentional deaths in the United States and a large number of these accidents are caused by distracted drivers using cell phones. The NSC estimates that nearly 25 percent of all traffic accidents involve distracted driving.

These awareness weeks in the month of June come with supplemental safety material to help spread the word about the ways you can help to prevent these unnecessary injuries and deaths.

The NSC reports that the United States witnessed 50 percent more of these types of injuries last year, compared to 1992 — nearly 87,000 unintentional injuries and fatalities. These preventable accidents cause residents and employers nearly $700 billion, an average of roughly $6,000 per American household.

Residents are urged to join “A Million Acts of Safety” to share your stories and to learn about new ways to help keep you and your loved ones safe in your home. These stories and advice are shared with those around the world.

An NSC safety calendar, found on their website, shows you all of the safety events that take place throughout the year.
Continue reading

Chicago trip and fall lawyers file DuPage County lawsuit

May 31, 2011 | By Dave Abels

Illinois premises liability attorneys from Abels & Annes, working with co-counsel, have filed a negligence lawsuit in the Circuit Court of DuPage County. The claim arises out of an incident that occurred back in June, 2009 in Winfield, Illinois.

Our client was walking from a parking lot to a professional building within a freshly painted crosswalk on privately owned property. There she stepped into a large hole in the crosswalk, causing her to fall and injure herself. The hole was difficult for the plaintiff to see, as it had been painted white as part of one of the lines of the crosswalk.

The property owners had knowledge of the dangers condition, as they had recently pain in the crosswalk, and in doing so actually painted the hole itself. They failed to correct the dangerous condition and further failed to place any notices or provide any warnings of the dangerous condition.

New Report Outlines Risks of Pedestrian Accidents in Chicago and Elsewhere

May 30, 2011 | By Dave Abels

A new 2011 pedestrian safety report was recently released with updated figures. The statistics aren’t pretty. The Transportation for America report stated that there were nearly 47,000 pedestrians killed, and another 668,000 pedestrians injured on our nation’s streets from 2000 to 2009. A new plan, Dangerous by Design 2011, looks at way to solve this deadly epidemic of pedestrian accidents in Chicago and elsewhere in the United States.This newly released data includes a detailed report and a fact sheet with references to all 50 states. The website provides a detailed and interactive pedestrian map illustrating accidents on your city’s streets and allows you to see just how unsafe your area may be.

Our Chicago personal injury lawyers understand just how dangerous it can be to travel our local roads by foot or bicycle. We’ve repeatedly asked that motorists practice caution and common sense behind the wheel. While maps, statistics and safer street construction may help to compliment safer pedestrian travel, it is ultimately up to us as travelers to be cautious and considerate of others on our roadways.

According to this new interactive map, a majority of these pedestrian fatalities happen along “arterial” roadways that are dangerous by city design, nationally speaking. These streets have been engineered solely for speedy traffic with virtually no provision for pedestrians, those in wheelchairs or travelers on bicycles.

Ironically, a lump of our federal tax dollars are meant to be distributed to promote pedestrian safety on our streets. Yet, Congress is currently considering eliminating all funding for these types of projects. Not that they would be eliminating much. Currently. less than 2 percent of federal funds for these types of projects are being used to preserve the safety of pedestrians.

Nearly 70 percent of U.S. roadways are aided by federal funds, and highway-only lobby continue to insist that increasing safety measures on these roads is a local government responsibility. Federal programs just continue to encourage state departments of transportation to keep their focus on speedy traffic roads instead on pedestrians.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were more than 4,000 pedestrian fatalities from traffic accident involvement in 2009 in the United States. Another 59,000 pedestrians suffered injuries from these accidents. This equals an average of a pedestrian killed every nine minutes and one being killed every two hours.

Illinois saw nearly 2,000 pedestiian fatalities between 2000 and 2009. These fatalities cost the state more than $7 million. The rate of pedestrian fatalities in the state ranks 27th our of all 50 states, according to the Dangerous by Design 2011 fact sheet.

The Chicago, Naperville and Joliet areas saw nearly 1,500 pedestrian deaths in this time period and the Champaign-Urbana areas saw nearly 30. These two areas made up more than 20 percent of all of the pedestrian fatalities in the state.
Continue reading

Chicago area school worker charged with sex abuse of a female student

May 27, 2011 | By Dave Abels

An information technology worker used to be employed at Lockport Township High School District 205 was arrested on Thursday morning for his alleged sexual abuse of a student in 2009, according to the Chicago Tribune. The defendant, a 39-year-old Darien resident, was charged yesterday with aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He has since been released on bail.

The charge is a class 2 felony that carries a 3 to 7 year prison sentence if convicted. A spokesperson for the Lockport Police Department is stating the alleged victim was a 17 year old minor at the time of abuse and is a Lockport resident.

The charges reportedly alleged that defendant abused his position of trust, authority or supervision with a minor in April, 2009 while he was employed as a senior network administrator for the school district. Police only learned of the alleged sexual abuse earlier this month after the victim told the family friend about what happened.

Chicago injury lawyer settles underinsured claim in pedestrian accident case

May 26, 2011 | By Dave Abels

An Illinois pedestrian accident attorney at Abels & Annes has reached a settlement on behalf of a South Side woman that was struck by a distracted driver reading a text message. The accident happened back in April, 2009 in a 6300 block of S. Pulaski Road.

Our client had just exited a CVS pharmacy with her husband when the defendant drove up onto the sidewalk and hit her. The driver later admitted to Chicago police officers that as he was driving out of the CVS parking lot he received a text message from his wife. He took his eyes off the road to read the text, loss control, and drove onto the sidewalk, striking the pedestrian.

After police spoke to all parties involved, they ticketed the defendant for failing to use due care for pedestrians and improper cell phone use. The driver later pleaded guilty in traffic court.

Illinois car crash caused by texting DUI driver

May 25, 2011 | By Dave Abels

A Chicago area auto accident has reportedly been caused by a motorist who was texting while simultaneously driving under the influence of drugs, according to the Orland Park Patch.

Illinois car accident lawyers from our office recently reported that research shows the use of a handheld cell phone while driving can delay the reaction time of a motorist to the equivalent of a drunk driver. So it would be fair to say that the combination of driving under the influence and texting would be considered especially dangerous.

Last week Orland Park police responded to report of a reckless driver in the area of 151st Street and 94th Ave. By the time police arrived at the location a crash had already occurred.

Chicago motorcycle accident attorney reaches policy limits settlement

May 24, 2011 | By Dave Abels

Illinois motorcycle crash lawyer Gary Annes has reached a settlement on behalf of the client injured in a collision. This claim arises out of a cycle vs. automobile accident which took place at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Paulina Street in Chicago, Illinois, in August, 2010.

The plaintiff was hurt when the motorcycle he was riding was T-boned by a vehicle being driven by the defendant. Our client was northbound on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago, approaching its intersection with Pauline Street.

The traffic light at the intersection showed a green light for north and southbound traffic on Milwaukee. As the plaintiff went to the intersection, the defendant turned left into his motorcycle, failing to yield the right-of-way. The front of the defendant’s vehicle struck the motorcycle and our client’s left leg. After getting hit, the motorcyclist was knocked off his bike, and he slid around 20 feet after landing on the pavement.