Wrongful Death

Police seek hit-and-run driver responsible for fatal Chicago bicycle accident

February 7, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Police are looking for the vehicle responsible for a suburban Chicago hit-and-run accident that killed a bicyclist, according to ABC7 News.

Family members of the 61-year-old man gathered at the scene of the Chicago bicycle accident over the weekend to pray and ask for help in locating the suspect in the fatal hit-and-run crash. The victim was hit while riding his bicycle in suburban Ford Heights, near Cottage Grove and 11th Street.

The accused driver fled and left the man lying at the side of the road.

Four friends die in suburban Chicago car accident

February 1, 2010 | By Dave Abels

A suburban Chicago car accident claimed the lives of four boyhood friends over the weekend, when their car flipped over and struck a tree in Crest Hill.

The black Lexus ES 330 flipped over and hit a tree about 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning near the 2000 block of Weber Road, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center. The men, ages 22, 27, 30 and 32, all died at the scene. Family and friends say the four grew up in Romeoville and were all close friends.

Three men were inside the car, while the fourth was ejected, according to NBC Chicago. Authorities indicated speed was a possible in the crash. Investigators are also examining the possibility of an equipment malfunction, which is standard procedure. The crash reconstruction could be complete in several weeks.

Fewer Chicago car accidents follow state trend: Lowest Illinois fatality rate since 1923

November 12, 2009 | By Dave Abels

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.

Rash of Chicago hit-and-run accidents endangers pedestrians

October 25, 2009 | By Dave Abels

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.

Woman charged in Chicago car accident that killed motorcyclist

October 17, 2009 | By Dave Abels

An August car accident that killed a Chicago motorcycle rider has resulted in felony DUI charges against the car’s driver.

The 47-year-old North Ashland Avenue woman has been charged with aggravated DUI in connection with the Chicago car accident that killed a North Side motorcyclist, ABC7 reported.

The case made news after a nurse sued the city after she reported being arrested by police for failing to give a blood test to the woman charged, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Chicago area car accident kills 2, injures 4 in Park Ridge, Illinois

October 11, 2009 | By Dave Abels

In the Chicago Northwest suburb of Park Ridge, Illinois a man and a woman were killed in a deadly auto accident early Sunday morning, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Four others were hurt in the car crash.

The accident took place at Oak Street and Riverside Drive around 2:10 a.m. Emergency response workers arrived at the crash site and found one damaged car with one person inside and another vehicle 75 feet from the intersection with 5 people inside. All six involved were taken to area hospitals by the Park Ridge, Des Plaines, Niles and North Maine fire departments.

The victims have been identified as Younan Chalabi, 25, of Des Plaines and Christine Merza, 37, of Morton Grove, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center. Both were passengers, and therefore played no role in causing the accident.

Ohio man charged in fatal Chicago drunk driving accident

October 8, 2009 | By Dave Abels

An Ohio man faces charges in connection with a weekend Chicago drunk driving accident that claimed two lives.

The 27-year-old Cleveland man had a blood-alcohol level of .148 — nearly twice the legal limit — when the car he was driving slammed into another car, killing two South Side men, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Cook County prosecutors report the man had just gotten into another car accident before Saturday night’s fatal crash. Prosecutors allege the man downed a bottle of Arbor Mist and three vodka martinis, struck a car at 62nd and Ashland, and took off at a high rate of speed after berating the victimized motorists.

Chicago teen killed in auto accident, several others injured

September 13, 2009 | By Dave Abels

As a result of a Chicago car crash, a 16 year old teenager has died, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center. The accident took place on Wednesday in the Garfield Park neighborhood around 6:30 p.m. and the teen died a day later. Several others were hurt.

The car accident happened in 300 block of North Hamlin Avenue. The boy who died was a backseat passenger in an Oldsmobile headed south on Hamlin that was being driven by a 20 year old. There was also an 18-year-old passenger in the car. The Olds hit head on with a northbound Saturn. The Saturn was occupied by a 37 year old female driver and a teenage passenger.

Chicago paramedics initiated an EMS Plan 1 response that immediately sends five ambulances to the accident site. All 3 in the Oldsmobile were taken by ambulance to Mt. Sinai Hospital. The two in the Saturn were also taken by ambulance to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County. The Cook County medical examiner’s office says the 16 year old pronounced dead at 2:16 p.m. on Thursday.

Chicago area driver killed in car accident

August 30, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A motorist from the far southwest Chicago suburb of Essex, Illinois was killed Saturday evening in a car crash, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center. The accident reportedly happened when the driver of another vehicle ran a stop sign at an intersection near Wilmington, Illinois.

The deadly auto accident occurred around 6:50 p.m at the intersection of Illinois Highway 129 and Stripmine Road. The 34 year old victim and his wife were traveling southbound on Route 129 in a Hyundai when the driver of a westbound Chrysler 300M failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with them.

The Illinois State Police are handling the car accident investigation. The at fault driver, a 43 year old Oak Forest resident, was ticketed for disobeying a stop sign and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. There was no indication that drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash, however lab tests were taken as a precaution and the police are awaiting results.

All three people involved in the automobile accident were taken by ambulance to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Illinois. The victim was pronounced dead around 8 p.m. The Will County coroner’s office plans to conduct an autopsy Monday.
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Chicago car accident alert – one in seven weekend-night drivers test positive for drugs

August 2, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A new federal study released last month found one in every seven nighttime weekend drivers tested positive for drugs.

The Chicago car accident lawyers at Abels & Annes urge weekend drivers to remain on the lookout for erratic drivers. Studies have long shown drivers are most likely to be drunk and driving between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

While the study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found the percentage of motorists driving drunk continued to decline, the study for the first time tested for drug use and the results were sobering:
– 16.3 percent of nighttime weekend drivers were drug positive.
– Marijuana (8.6 percent)
– Cocaine (3.9 percent)
– Medications (3.9 percent)

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he is concerned about the prevalence of drivers who use drugs.

“I’m pleased to see that our battle against drunk driving is succeeding,” said Secretary LaHood. “However, alcohol still kills 13,000 people a year on our roads and we must continue to be vigilant in our efforts to prevent drunk driving.”

The percentage of drunk drivers identified in the survey has fallen from 7.5 percent in 1973 to 2.2 percent in the most recent survey. This study was the first to measure for the presence of drugs.

“This troubling data shows us, for the first time, the scope of drugged driving in America, and reinforces the need to reduce drug abuse,” said Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. “Drugged driving, like drunk driving, is a matter of public safety and health. It puts us all at risk and must be prevented.”

The NHTSA is conducting further research to assess how drug traces correspond to driver impairment since some drugs can remain in the body for days or even weeks.

Among the findings of the latest roadside survey:

– The percentage of male drivers with illegal BAC levels was 42 percent higher than the percentage of alcohol-impaired female drivers.

– Drivers were more likely to be illegally drunk during late nighttime hours (1 a.m. to 3 a.m.) than during daytime or early evening hours.

– Motorcycle riders were more than twice as likely as passenger vehicle drivers to be drunk (5.6 percent compared with 2.3 percent).

– Pickup truck drivers were the next most likely to have illegal BACs (3.3 percent).