Pedestrian Accident

Chicago pedestrian accident lawyer settles case

September 4, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Chicago injury attorneys at Abels & Annes have reached a settlement in a pedestrian accident case that occurred on the north side.

The accident took place on December 16, 2009 at the intersection of Sheridan Road and Estes. Our client was walking northbound on the west side of Sheridan Road. The defendant was driving westbound on Estes. Our client had a walk signal at the stop light and began to cross Estes within a marked crosswalk. At that time the driver, who was in an SUV, had a red light. The defendant entered the crosswalk on red and the front of the SUV struck our client, causing her to fall to the ground. She landed on her backside and head.

The Chicago Police Department responded to the accident. At the scene the defendant admitted to the investigating police officer that he did not see our client in the crosswalk. An independent witness also reported to the police that our client was crossing within the crosswalk on a green light.

Study of Lakefront Trail could reduce congestion, Chicago bicycle and pedestrian accidents

August 27, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Just last week a Chicago injury lawyer at Abels & Annes entered into an agreement to represent a bike rider that was injured on the Lakefront Trail. She was struck by a taxicab that failed to stop at a stop sign near Soldier Field.

Authorities hope the first comprehensive study of Lakefront Trail in more than a decade could reduce the number of serious Chicago bicycle accidents and pedestrian accidents that occur during peak congestion, the Sun-Times reported.

Safety advocates are looking to determine the busiest times and spots on the trail. More than 100 Active Transportation Alliance volunteers counted pedestrians, in-line skaters and cyclists at 30 trail locations last week, including entry points along Lake Shore Drive.”We all know it’s busy,” said Gia Biagi, the Chicago Park District’s director of planning. However, “we wanted to really establish quantitatively, ‘What is the usership?’ ”

As officials determine how the path is utilized by commuters and recreational users, they will be seeking strategies to make the path safer and more efficient. Last summer, the Sun-Times reported that crashes on the path occur quite frequently but are not specifically tracked.

Chicago pedestrian accidents killed 52 and injured more than 3,200 in 2008, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. Five cyclists were killed and more than 1,700 were injured in Chicago bicycle accidents.

City leaders say the analysis is not motivated by safety issues, but rather the need for maintenance and improvements, including trail widening.
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Hit-and-run drivers increase risk of serious or fatal injuries for victims of Chicago car accidents

August 13, 2010 | By Dave Abels

The Chicago Daily Herald is calling for tougher punishment for those caught leaving the scene of a Chicago car accident.

The paper said it was raising the issue after two high-profile cases: The son of the Elk Grove Village mayor was fined $195 for leaving the scene after striking a parked car; and a DuPage County judge was fined $500 after leaving the scene of an accident involving a parked car in Glen Ellyn.

But hardly a week goes by that our Chicago car accident lawyers are not reporting serious or fatal injuries caused in a hit-and-run accident.

The newspaper questions whether the law is tough enough, since a driver is likely to suffer less punishment for leaving the scene of an accident than for DUI; and research suggests an offender convicted of DUI is much more likely to have their driver’s license suspended.

While the penalties are much more severe for leaving the scene of serious or fatal accidents, the media continues to report almost daily occurrences. Often a driver panics, but the decision can be life-threatening for a victim, especially in cases involving a cyclist or pedestrian who is left on the ground, often in the dark, usually with very serious injuries.

The law requires that you stop and offer assistance to an injury victim; that you trade basic information with other drivers involved; and that you notify authorities, according to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office. Those caught leaving the scene can be fined up to $2,500 and sentenced to up to one year in jail. If a driver fails to report a crash for over 30 minutes after it occurred, they may be fined up to $25,000 and sentenced to up to three years in prison.

Common reasons that drivers do not stop at the scene of a crash include impaired driving, speeding, and driving without a license or proper insurance. The Illinois Department of Transportation reports that 86 unlicensed drivers have been involved in the state’s 459 fatal crashes so far this year.

Teen sentenced to probation for Chicago pedestrian accident that leaves classmate suffering from a traumatic brain injury

August 11, 2010 | By Dave Abels

A suburban teenager has abruptly pleaded guilty to charges in connection with a Chicago pedestrian accident that critically injured a fellow New Trier High School student.

ABC7 reported that the 18-year-old woman pleaded guilty to one felony count of leaving the scene of an accident and one count of misdemeanor DUI for driving with marijuana in her system. She was sentenced to two months probation with drug treatment and will not be permitted to go to college out of state. She also must complete 120 hours of community service at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where the teenager she struck is in rehab.

The 16-year-old girl suffered a brain injury in the May 14 hit-and-run accident in Winnetka. She is now in out-patient rehabilitation and goes several times a week. We first reported this case on our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog in May, when an anonymous donor posted the teenager’s $500,000 bail.

Illinois semi accident, Chicago car accident result in fire fatalities

August 10, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Two people were killed in a suburban Chicago car accident on Sunday night when a Porsche flipped over and caught fire after side-swiping a van near Naperville, the Chicago Breaking News Center reported.

The Porsche was westbound on I-88 when it struck the Dodge Caravan shortly after 11 p.m., according to Illinois State Police. The vehicle flipped at least twice before landing in a ditch and catching fire. Both occupants of the Porsche were killed. No one in the van was injured.

Two people were killed in an Illinois semi accident involving three tractor-trailers early Monday morning, WQAD reported.

Texting teen guilty of causing fatal Illinois pedestrian accident that claimed life of elderly Chicago resident

July 31, 2010 | By Dave Abels

A Champaign teenager has admitted to texting while driving in the fatal Illinois pedestrian accident that killed an elderly Chicago resident, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The 19-year-old pleaded guilty in court to failure to reduce speed to avoid and accident and to texting while driving. As our Chicago injury attorneys reported last week on our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, many states, including Illinois, have outlawed texting while driving.

Police say the teenager struck the 84-year-old Chicago resident in downtown Urbana. The man had been at a downtown restaurant to celebrate a relative’s graduation. He had gone to check on his dog in a parked car when he was struck and killed.

Fewer Chicago car accidents reported but high risk of Chicago pedestrian accidents among the significant challenges that remain

July 26, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Nearly 300,000 Chicago car accidents occur each year, killing at least one motorist per day. That’s an astounding 821 crashes every day.

Yet the Chicago Tribune reports that new statistics released by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning show that the rates of traffic deaths and serious injuries have declined dramatically in the last decade. In all, about 200 fewer lives are being lost per year.Our Chicago accident lawyers will review this study and the upcoming release of 2009 data from the Illinois Department of Transportation, as we continue monitor traffic safety trends in the greater Chicago area. As we have reported both here and on our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, statewide traffic fatalities declined to the lowest level in almost a century of reporting last year. This year’s numbers are on track to beat last year’s.

Authorities credit safer vehicles and more aggressive enforcement measures, as well as tougher primary enforcement seat belt laws and distracted driving initiatives that ban things like cell phone use and text messaging while behind the wheel. As we have reported here previously, traffic experts also believe the high unemployment and tough economy has reduced the number of accidents as fewer people are commuting to and from work or traveling on vacation.

The study did reveal a number of challenges, including:

-Reducing the number of serious and fatal Chicago pedestrian accidents.

-Recognizing trends in the high number of late-night fatal accidents that occur across the metropolitan area.

-Reducing the number of teenage driving accidents.

-High accident rates in areas of rapid suburban expansion, including Kendall, Lake and Will counties.

Overall, the annual number of deaths and injuries resulting from traffic accidents in the seven-county region declined by 12.5 percent from 2002 to 2005 and 18 percent from 2005 to 2008. Fatalities decreased 30.5 percent from 2005 to 2008, from 629 deaths to 437 deaths.

The report also found that travel times can be significantly reduced by improving the overall safety of the system. “If we are serious about reducing congestion, one way is to reduce crashes,” said Tom Murtha, a senior planner and the report’s co-author. “There is positive reinforcement between the two.”
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Chicago car accidents, pedestrian accidents, account for the majority of city’s traffic fatalities

July 14, 2010 | By Dave Abels

As our Chicago accident lawyers await the release of crash statistics for 2009, we are taking a look at information released by the Illinois Department of Transportation, which provides a comprehensive review of Chicago accident data in 2008, the last year for which information is available.

Chicago reported 111,693 traffic accidents — or more than 300 accidents per day. A total of 166 motorists were killed and 21,313 were injured. Rear-end collisions and accidents involving parked cars accounted for almost half of all accidents.Chicago pedestrian accidents accounted for the largest number of fatal accidents. One-third of all fatal accidents (52 of 156) involved pedestrians and nearly one-third of all fatalities (52 of 166).

Chicago car accidents involving a fixed object resulted in the second-highest number of fatal accidents (50) and fatalities (57).

Weather/Road Conditions

Four of five accidents occurred in clear conditions, on dry roads, during the day. Of the 11,693 accidents,

-Clear: 83,737
-Rain: 12,792
-Snow: 7,846

-Dry: 73,289
-Wet: 19,196
-Ice: 3,351

-Daylight: 71,287
-Dark/lighted road: 26,354
-Dark: 5,876
Of the 219,337 vehicles involved in accidents:

-Passenger cars: 148,971
-SUV: 19,274
-Vans: 13,866
-Pickup: 7,389
-Bus: 2,699
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Chicago railroad crossing accidents in focus as Illinois under federal mandate to improve safety

July 9, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Illinois is among 10 states ordered by the federal government to improve safety at railroad crossings, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Our Chicago car accident attorneys continue to report on the large number of Chicago railroad crossing accidents. Our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog has reported at least one fatal railroad crossing accident in each of the last three months.Between 2006 and 2008, a total of 98 people have been killed at 588 railroad crossing accidents in Illinois, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. In fact, Illinois had more railroad crossing accidents than any state in the nation except Texas.

States must submit a plan by August 2011 to reduce railroad crossing accidents and must pay extra attention to crossings that have been identified as particularly dangerous. Options include shutting down crossing or building tunnels or bridges to separate trains from vehicle traffic.

In Northeastern Illinois, four crossings in Chicago and the Bensenville Rail Yard in Franklin Park top the list of crossings where multiple accidents have occurred. Five crashes have been reported at each location during the past five years.

Other states under the federal mandate to improve crossing safety are Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas. Federal statistics show that 7,077 crossing accidents have killed 873 people during the last three years. Just over half of those accidents occurred in the 10 states targeted for safety improvements.

Federal authorities rejected an argument by some states that fatalities be determined based on the number of crossings in a state and the number of vehicles traveling through crossings. Instead, the enforcement action is being taken based on the total number of railroad crossing accidents that each state has reported.

State authorities have yet to finalize a separate plan meant to reduce Illinois pedestrian accidents at railroad crossings. Twenty-eight pedestrians have been killed at crossings in the last three years, according to the Illinois Commerce Commission.
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Chicago pedestrian accident claims life of 11-year-old girl

June 23, 2010 | By Dave Abels

A hit-and-run Chicago pedestrian accident has claimed the life of an 11-year-old girl, the Sun-Times reported.

The girl was dragged by the vehicle and pronounced dead at Comer Children’s Hospital less than an hour after the South Side crash, which occurred shortly before 7 p.m. on the 2500 block of E. 79th St. The intersection is heavily traveled by pedestrians.

Police report that a man was driving a 1993 Chevy van eastbound on 79th Street when he struck the girl while she was crossing the street at the corner of 79th and Colfax. The girl was dragged for several feet and suffered a head injury. Police say the driver initially stopped but apparently became fearful of a crowd that had gathered and drove away.