Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog

Illinois Limo Driver Drunk When He Drove 23 Students to Prom

May 16, 2013 | By Dave Abels

The DuPage County Sheriff’s Department reported that an Illinois limo driver had a blood alcohol content of 0.22 when he drove 23 teens to prom on Saturday. The legal limit for blood alcohol content in Illinois is 0.08 for most drivers and 0.04 for commercial license holders.

The teens were transported from Oswego East High School to a banquet hall near Glen Ellyn, the location of their prom, by the drunk driver. During the ride, several of the teens became concerned when the driver backed into a ditch and nearly hit several cars. The teens called their parents who in turn alerted the local police. After investigating the claim, the police arrested the driver who now faces charges of drunken driving and reckless conduct. If convicted, the driver will face a license suspension, fine, and mandatory community service, at a minimum.

The driver later claimed that he was not drunk but that mechanical problems, specifically a misalignment of the bus, was to blame for the erratic driving reported by the students but the owner of the bus said there were no mechanical issues. It has also been reported that the limo driver was fired from his job following this incident.

This is every parent’s nightmare. When your child is in the care of a licensed professional, you expect that individual to operate with the highest degree of care. Instead, the driver in this case allegedly operated drunk and displayed erratic and dangerous behavior to the students on the bus as well as other drivers on the road.

Fortunately no one was injured in this incident but that is not typical for alcohol-related driving. In 2011, 35 percent of the 918 traffic fatalities involved a drunk driver which means that 323 people were killed due to drunk driving. Of those arrested for drunk driving, a disproportionately large number – 76 percent – of individuals were male. This should be surprising because males account for only 50 percent of licensed drivers in the state.

Chicago Driver Hits Police Officer and Drags Her With Car

May 14, 2013 | By Dave Abels

A driver in Chicago struck a police officer at a traffic stop, sped off, and dragged the officer with her car, according to local authorities.The driver was stopped by Gresham District police late on Monday night for a routine traffic stop. When the responding officer approached the stopped vehicle, the driver of the car hit the officer in the face and then fled the scene. As she was fleeing, the driver hit the officer with her car and dragged the officer for an unspecified distance.

The driver was arrested and is facing charges related to the incident but it is not immediately clear what motivated her actions. The police officer has been described as experienced and was injured in the incident but is expected to recover. She was treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital late Monday evening and the nature and extent of her injuries is not currently known.

This collision highlights some of the dangers that exist when motorists drive in a careless or reckless manner. Illinois roads continue to have a large number of crashes every year that cause injury and death to motorists, cyclists, and even pedestrians.

In 2011, there were 281,788 motor vehicle collisions in Illinois resulting in 918 deaths and an additional 84,172 injuries. Many of these injuries required medical treatment and resulted in pain and suffering, disability, or an inability to work temporarily or permanently, further affecting the State of Illinois.

Massive Sink Hole in Southside Chicago Responsible for Swallowing 3 Cars

May 13, 2013 | By Dave Abels

As a driver, probably the last thing you might expect to encounter while driving is the occurrence of a 40 foot wide sinkhole in the middle of the street. However, that’s precisely what several drivers encountered last week on Chicago’s South Side, as they were driving in the area near 9600 South Houston Avenue, where the road spontaneously caved in.

A total of three cars fell victim to the hole, with a fourth car towed out just before it was about to go over the edge. According to sources, two of the cars were driven in, while one was a car parked nearby that fell in as the hole expanded.

According to various reports, one of the drivers was taken to the hospital as a result of the injuries he suffered as a result of crashing into the hole.

The sinkhole in this case was caused by a nearly 100 year old water main break, according to a spokesperson for the Water Department.

Sinkholes are generally the result of major changes in the water balance underground, whether through massive removal, or great saturation such as that experienced following a massive storm or other weather event. You can find more information regarding how sinkholes are formed here and here.
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Inconsistent Statistics Regarding Rate of Teenage Drivers Killed in Auto Accidents

May 12, 2013 | By Dave Abels

According to a report that was recently released by the Governors Highway Safety Association, the number of teenage drivers killed during the first half of 2012 increased sharply. This was in contravention of the general downward trend over the past decade.During the first six months of 2012, statistics regarding deaths in traffic accidents of 16 and 17 year old drivers were as follows:

total number of deaths combined increased by 19%
107 sixteen year olds died between January and June of 2012, compared to 86 drivers during the same period in 2011
133 seventeen year olds died in the first half of 2012 compared with 116 in the first half of 2011

This report was based upon preliminary data, which is sometimes subject to change, due to reporting errors or omissions, or for other reasons. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected to release more definitive data later this year, which may provide further clarification regarding the statistics.

Of all of the states that reported, 25 reported increased rates, whereas 17 reported decreases, and eight states and the District of Columbia reported no change in the number of deaths for sixteen and seventeen year olds.

The overall trend, aside from this anomoly, was a downward trend in the deaths of these new drivers. For example, in 2000, 435 sixteen year old drivers were killed, compared with 173 in 2011.
Results were similar with seventeen year old drivers,with the 564 killed in 2000, and 250 in 2011. This downward trend has been in accordance with a similar decline in nationwide traffic fatalities overall.

Mulitiple Injuries Sustained in Southside Crash After Driver Ran Stop Sign

May 9, 2013 | By Dave Abels

According to various accounts, which include a journalist as an eyewitness, an accident that occurred earlier this month caused quite a disruption in the Woodlawn, South Side area of Chicago.Several people, including children and adults, were injured when their vehicles collided outside of a fire station on the 1400 block of East 67th Street. Witnesses reported that the sound of metal crashing could be heard from at least a mile away. According to one witness, a white van failed to stop at a stop sign, and hit a sedan, causing another van to crash into the white van. A nearby shopkeeper who had witnessed the scene expressed her concern that the sedan would have been headed for her business if it hadn’t been able to correct its trajectory.

Seven individuals were sent to local hospitals for treatment. Three adults were in fair to serious condition, while four children were determined to be in good condition.

Based on what has been reported so far, this is at least the second accident in recent weeks that was caused by a driver failing to stop at a stop sign.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a study of five busy intersections over a period of several months found that, on average, a driver ran a red light every 20 minutes at each intersection. Furthermore, during peak travel times, red light running was even more frequent. An analysis of red light violation data from 19 intersections in four states found that 1,775 violations occurred over 554 hours, which resulted in an overall violation rate of 3.2 per hour, per intersection. While stoplight running is somewhat different than running a stop sign, logically the failure to yield to the traffic signals, as well as the potential for causing devastating car accidents, is the same.

Another IIHS study, this time regarding urban crashes, found that those involving drivers who ran red lights, stop signs and other traffic controls were actually the most common reason for this type of crash in 22% of cases. Regarding car accidents where drivers disobeyed traffic controls, such as the one in this report, injuries resulted 39% of the time.
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Illinois Woman Celebrates End of DUI Penalties By Drinking and Driving

May 7, 2013 | By Dave Abels

A 58-year-old Brookfield woman was arrested for driving under the influence on Friday in Riverside. When asked by police officers, the woman informed them that she had been celebrating earlier in the evening because she got her driver’s licence back after a conviction for driving under the influence last fall.The woman was pulled over for speeding but later tests revealed her blood alcohol content to be 0.155, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. She is facing charges for felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and may face incarceration as a result.

The responding officer ran a check on the woman’s license and learned that it was still suspended from her prior conviction, despite her claims to the contrary. As part of her prior sentence, a breath-alcohol ignition interlock device was reportedly installed in her car. The device requires a driver to exhale into a collection tube before the car can be started. If the presence of alcohol is detected on the driver’s breath, the vehicle will not start. However in this case, it appears the woman was driving someone else’s car that did not have a breath-alcohol ignition interlock device installed, allowing her to drive even with her high blood alcohol content.

Illinois law presumes that any driver with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher is driving under the influence of alcohol and is impaired. This is the level that applies to the general population though specific types of drivers may face more stringent requirements. For example, drivers under the age of 21 and bus drivers are not allowed any alcohol in their system when driving while the limit for commercial drivers is a blood alcohol content of 0.04. According to the Illinois Secretary of State, the average driver arrested for driving under the influence is male, 34 years old, arrested between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. on a weekend, and possesses a blood alcohol content of 0.16 – twice the legal limit.

School Bus Driver Faces No Charges in Fatal Illinois Crash

May 3, 2013 | By Dave Abels

A school bus driver involved in a fatal collision near Wadsworth earlier this month will not face any charges, according to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. At least one witness at the scene of the crash originally indicated the bus driver ran a red light, but officials say that witnesses gave conflicting statements thereafter regarding the cause of the collision.On April 5, the school bus collided with two SUVs at the intersection of Highway 173 and Kilbourne Road, resulting in the death of one of the SUV drivers. A toxicology report on the victim showed what is believed to be prescription drugs in the SUV driver’s system at the time of the crash, adding speculation as to the cause of the collision.

There were 35 children on board the bus that morning which was traveling to Newport Elementary School in Wadsworth. The collision demolished one of the SUVs, caused significant damage to the other, and caused the school bus to roll on its side. In all, 37 people were injured.

In most collisions, people who are injured by the negligence of another driver have a right to bring a claim against at-fault driver’s insurance. The claim may be made to cover things like medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. If the deceased driver of the SUV is determined to be at-fault in this crash, the adults and students on the bus may be able to bring claims against the SUV driver’s insurance.

Most individual automobile insurance policies do not have limits high enough to cover all of the people injured in this collision. Illinois law requires drivers to have a minimum of $20,000 per person and $40,000 per collision in insurance coverage though drivers can carry a greater amount. Even with a large insurance policy, there may not be enough money to cover the damages caused by a crash.

If your damages are greater than the negligent driver’s insurance, you may also have an underinsured motorist claim. In this type of claim, your own insurance company will “step into the shoes” of the at-fault driver and provide another source of potential monetary compensation for your claim.

Many people have private insurance policies that provide underinsured motorist coverage in case of a crash with significant injuries and a small insurance policy. In the case of the crash between the school bus and the SUV, the children on board the school bus may be covered by an underinsured provision in their parents’ policy and/or an underinsured provision in the policy covering the school bus. Some buses provide this type of coverage to their passengers, including PACE, while other buses, like the CTA, do not. It depends on the language of the insurance policy at issue.
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4 Vehicle Crash Injures 5 in Southwest Chicago Suburb

May 2, 2013 | By Dave Abels

Three people were seriously injured, and two more were also taken to local hospitals for treatment, following a four car collision that occurred last week near Palos Hills. According to authorities, the four vehicles were all traveling northbound on LaGrange Road, and crashed into each other near 107th Street.The cause of the crash has not been determined, but authorities described it as a “bumper-to-bumper” crash. The Cook County sheriff’s police towed the vehicles away, and are currently conducting an investigation. The nearby surrounding area is a forest preserve.

Car crashes in and around the Chicago area are probably more common than you may think. According to statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation, based on data collected in 2011, there were:

281,788 crashes, which resulted in

918 deaths, and

84,172 injuries

A commonly reported statement used to ease the minds of anxious flyers, is the fact that you are more likely to die in a car accident than in a plane crash. In Illinois, and in many– if not all– states across the country, car accidents remain the leading killer of 15-24 year olds. Comparing the numbers against time, an average of one person dies every ten hours in a car accident within our state, and someone is injured in a vehicle accident approximately every six and a half minutes.
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Voice Texting Just as Dangerous, New Study Finds

April 30, 2013 | By Dave Abels

Using a voice-activated system to write text messages may not be as preferable to regular texting as lawmakers may have imagined.A new study from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University concluded that sending text messages by way of a voice assisted system is just as dangerous as regular texting. This is true even if you are wearing a headset to assist you.

The researchers asked the 43 participants to first drive along a test track without any electronic devices present, then repeat the drive while texting, and then finally to send text messages while using a speech-to-text device while driving.

While texting, with either method, a driver’s eye contact with the road decreased and response time was significantly delayed. Additionally, according to the study’s abstract, “Results indicate that driver reaction times were nearly two times slower than the baseline condition, no matter which texting method was used.”

Researchers also noted that it took longer to send the voice assisted texts, due to the need to correct errors in the message. The study used three different voice texting programs, with the same results.

According to data from AAA, a national drivers’ organization:

35% of drivers admit to reading a text or email while driving
26% admit to typing a text or email while driving

The results of the study are eye opening, because most texting and cell phone use bans address only manual use of these devices. In fact, they sometimes explicitly state that these uses are acceptible so long as the driver’s voice, rather than eyes and hands, are controlling the communication or other device.

Lawsuit Filed Over Fatal Megabus Crash in Illinois

April 26, 2013 | By Dave Abels

A Megabus crash last summer caused injuries to a passenger and left her disabled and disfigured, according to a new lawsuit filed in Cook County.

The Megabus was traveling between Chicago and St. Louis on I-55 when a front tire blew, causing the driver to lose control and strike a concrete pillar in Litchfield. More than 70 passengers were on board at the time of the crash and several had to be extricated. One passenger died in the collision and dozens were injured, including the woman who filed the recent lawsuit.

The lawsuit names Megabus as a defendant as well as the driver of the bus, the owner and operator Coach USA, and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations which reportedly made the tire at issue. Reports indicate that the driver of the bus was still in training when a front tire blew on the highway. The driver claims he removed his foot from the accelerator but did not brake because he feared causing the double-decker bus to roll over.

After the collision last summer, Megabus released a statement saying the bus had been made just the prior year and had passed a full safety and preventative maintenance inspection within the week before the crash.

Several passengers recounted the crash to media outlets after the collision, saying the force of the impact was significant and threw many passengers forward and out of their seats, some into the aisles. Unfortunately this often occurs with bus accidents of any type because buses rarely have seat belts available for passenger use.

Many people have a false sense of safety while aboard a large passenger vehicle like a bus or motorcoach because of the size of the vehicle compared to the other passenger cars on the road. In reality, bus accidents occur daily and often cause serious injuries, including broken bones, cuts and bruises, head and neck injuries, and even death.