A 32-year-old cyclist was killed in a Chicago bicycle accident on the Northwest Side after being struck by a van in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, The Chicago Tribune reported on Tuesday.
After the accident, the driver left the van and fled, according to police.
The bicyclist was riding in the 3800 block of West Diversey Avenue shortly after noon when the van veered into his path, police reported. He was pronounced dead at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
Illinois recorded the fewest traffic fatalities since 1923, according to an exhaustive report on 2008 traffic fatalities released by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The Chicago car accident attorneys and the Chicago injury lawyers at Abels & Annes are taking a look at the report in a series of blog here at our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog and our sister site, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog.
“We believe these reductions are evident that Illinois’ traffic safety efforts are working,” Gov. Pat Quinn said.
Two men died last weekend in separate Chicago hit-and-run accidents as police continue to battle drivers who fail to stop after pedestrian accidents.
CBS2 reported a 47-year-old Texan and a 60-year-old grandfather were killed in the latest crashes and in both cases the drivers fled the scene.
The 60-year-old grandfather was struck down before dawn last Saturday on Cicero Avenue near Roosevelt Road, where his granddaughter erected a memorial on Sunday. The granddaughter expressed frustration, saying he might have been saved with proper medical attention.
Traffic fatalities in 2009 are down nationwide, according to statistics released this past weekend by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which reviewed data for the first six months of the year.
So far in 2009, 16,626 people have been killed in traffic accidents, a 7 percent reduction compared to the 17,871 traffic deaths reported in the first half of 2008.
The Chicago car accident lawyers and personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at Abels & Annes continue to monitor state and national traffic statistics. While overall traffic deaths are declining, instances of drunk driving and motorcycle accident fatalities continued to increase last year.
And in Cook County, bicycle and pedestrian fatalities continue to be a problem. Through September, more than one-third of Chicago’s 110 traffic fatalities involved a Chicago pedestrian accident or a Chicago bicycle accident.
In Ilinois, where crash statistics are available through the end of September, the downward trend in traffic fatalities continues: 698 motorists died in 628 fatal crashes through the first 9 months of the year, compared to 796 fatalities last year. The 96 fewer fatalities represents a 12 percent decrease year-over-year.
Of the 628 fatal accidents, 204 deaths were attributed to alcohol-involved traffic crashes and 131 involved unlicensed drivers, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Also of note, is that the pace of decline in nationwide traffic fatalities slowed as the economy recovered. In the first quarter of 2009, a 10 percent reduction in fatal accidents was reported, compared to the 4 percent reduction in the second quarter amid a significant recovery in the stock market and reports of an improving economy.
Traditionally, the deadliest time on the nation’s roads has been the second half of the year — which includes back-to-school, and the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays as well as the start of the winter driving season.
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Chicago personal injury lawyers from Abels & Annes have agreed to represent a 15 year old boy who was hit by a car in Cicero, Illinois on August 22, 2009. The child was riding his bike on a sidewalk in the area of 59th Avenue and 37th Street when a woman driving a car failed to yield while exiting an alley and hit him.
The Cicero Police Department investigated the cause of the car vs. bike accident. The police report states the car hit the bicycle’s front tire, causing the boy to flip over the hood of her car. The woman then got out of her vehicle and asked if he was ok. The child said he was not ok, and the woman got back in the car and fled the scene. The police located the woman later the same day at her home in Cicero.
The child sustained low back injuries and pain on both rib cages. He was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital on the date of the accident where x-rays may have detected a spinal fracture. He was seen again at the hospital 2 days later for an MRI. The boy is going to follow-up treatment with an orthopaedic doctor in Chicago.
Chicago bicycle accident lawyers and Illinois car crash attorneys at Abels & Annes have entered into an agreement to represent a Chicago resident who was critically injured in a bike accident on July 20th. The accident happened when our client was riding his bicycle on W. North Avenue when a driver in a parked car opened her car door as the plaintiff was riding by.
The bicyclist fell to the ground and sustained life threatening injuries. He was taken by ambulance to Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago and diagnosed with internal head injuries and a collapsed lung. He has undergone multiple surgeries since the date of the accident.
The plaintiff has remained in the hospital since the crash, and he is about to be transferred to a long care facility.
The Chicago bicycle lawyers at Abels & Annes are representing a cyclist injured last week (July 8) after being rear-ended by a driver.
The client was northbound on LaSalle in the bike lane. As he approached Schiller he was rear-ended.
The at-fault driver was ticketed and the client was taken by Chicago Fire Department ambulance to the emergency room at Northwestern where he was treated for injuries to his left leg and foot and multiple abrasions.
The Chicago personal injury lawyers at Abels & Annes continue to see vehicles colliding with bicyclists on a regular basis. Please remember, cyclists have the same rights on the road as a motor vehicle.
The Illinois Department of Transportation is running a public service announcement this summer. “There is plenty of room for us all, Please Don’t Squeeze,” emphasizes the legal requirements to give cyclists at least three feet of clearance when making a pass.
IDOT estames more than 4,000 Illinois residents are seriously injured each year in bicycle accidents. Nationwide, cyclists join motorcycle riders as the only group to see an increase in accidents and fatalities during 2008, which saw a historic drop in accident rates for passenger cars and trucks, according to annual statistics released this week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In 2008, 716 cyclists were killed, compared to 701 in 2007. The 52,000 riders who were injured was a 21 percent increase from the 43,000 hurt in 2007 — by far the largest increase in any category.
In Illinois, cycling fatalities jumped from 18 to 27; the state estimates another 4,000 are seriously injured each year.
High gas prices and a down economy has more people riding bicycles out of necessity than ever before. Thousands more bicycle for recreation and fitness– taking advantage of Chicago’s extensive system of bike trails, which is slated to grow to more than 500 miles by 2015.
An excellent map of Chicago-area bike paths and trails is available by clicking here.
As a motorist, please remember: Each bicycle on the road is one less car adding to the congestion. Please give our bicycling friends and neighbors a break. Every bicycle accident has the potential to be very serious or life threatening.
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A Chicago resident was hit by a car on Friday night while riding a bicycle past a White Sox parking lot. The accident happened on West 33rd Street just before the Sox game started. The bicyclist was eastbound in a bike lane when a driver did not see the bike when turning right into a fan parking lot.
The bike rider sustained right shoulder, clavicle and other injuries, and was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital for treatment. The hospital referred him to an orthopaedic physician for follow up treatment.
The Chicago Police Department investigated the accident and ticketed the driver with failing to yield the right-of-way. A court date has been set for June at the Daley Center.
Chicago Car Accident Lawyers from Abels & Annes, P.C. have resolved a bicycle accident claim for a DuPage County resident who was hit by a State Farm driver. The accident happened on June 28, 2008 in front of 529 S. Ardmore in Villa Park, Illinois. Our client was riding his bicycle southbound along the curb of the northbound lanes when the northbound defendant hit him with his car.
Our client was taken from the scene of the crash by ambulance to Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. He had complaints of right ankle pain. X-rays were negative for fracture and he was discharged with instructions to return if pain increased.
Over the next few days his right leg and ankle pain remained. He also had headaches, weakness, and trouble walking. His pain was exacerbated by movement.
Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog