Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog

Chicago Police Officers Hit And Injured By DUI Driver

March 14, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Two Chicago Police Officers that were responding to a battery call on the Northwest Side early this morning were struck by a drunk driver, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The driver, a Chicago resident, was charged with DUI, negligent driving, making an improper left turn, and no proof of insurance.

The police officers were moving eastbound on Irving Park Road in the area of North New England Ave. when the defendant pulled off of a side street. The at fault driver was in a Ford Taurus and the police car was traveling with emergency lights and siren activated.

Both officers were injured and taken to local hospitals. One officer suffered a shoulder injury and the other sustained neck and back injuries. The officers were treated at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center. They are both said to be in good condition.

Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Obtains Insurance Policy Limits for Illinois Driver

March 12, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Chicago Auto Accident Attorneys from Abels & Annes have reached a policy limits settlement for an Illinois resident. The case arises out of an automobile accident which occurred on February 7, 2008 at about 10:00 a.m. The plaintiff was westbound on Armitage, just west of Keeler, in the City of Chicago. Our client stopped for traffic in front of him. As he was at a stopped,another driver rear-ended his car with great force. The impact was so substantial that it pushed his stopped vehicle into the vehicle stopped in front of him.

Our client was seen at West Suburban Hospital Emergency Department on February 9, 2008. He was complaining of shoulder and neck pain following having been rear-ended in this automobile collision. His pain had been increasing over the two days since the collision. A history was taken and an exam was performed. Muscular spasms were found. He was instructed to not work and was prescribed pain medication and instructed to seek follow-up care.

On February 12, 2008 the plaintiff sought follow up care with a chiropractic physician in Chicago. He was suffering from headaches and neck pain that radiated to his left shoulder/arm and low back pain. He had suffered injuries when he was rear-ended, and his symptoms had progressively worsened over time. Diagnostic tests were ordered and a course of therapy was prescribed. He was instructed to stay off work. The doctor ended up keeping him off work through February 24, 2008, during which time period our was “totally incapacitated”.

Chicago Auto Accident Lawyer Settles Claim For Barlett, Illinois Resident

March 6, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Illinois Car Accident Attorneys from Abels & Annes have resolved an injury claim for a Bartlett woman who was injured in a 2007 accident. The crash occurred at Aurora Avenue and Indian Trail in Aurora, Illinois when the defendant was Southbound on Aurora Avenue and his foot slipped off of the brake and struck a vehicle, knocking said vehicle into our client’s car. My client was hit from the rear. After the first impact, the defendant lost control again and the plaintiff for a second time.

Shortly after the collision the plaintiff had pain and discomfort in her neck and left hand, with complaints of dizziness. That evening her pain increased and she had difficulty sleeping.

The pain did not resolve on it’s own and she sought medical care at Saint Alexius Medical Center on 3/24/07 with the abovementioned complaints. A history was taken and our client was examined. X-rays were ordered and pain medicine was prescribed. The x-rays indicated cervical muscle spasms. The ER doctor diagnosed her with cervical strain.

In Chicago, Illinois SUV Hits Viaduct Killing Driver And Injuring 3 Passengers

March 3, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A single car accident on the South Side of Chicago just before 9:00 p.m. on Saturday night has resulted in the death of it’s driver and severe injuries to three passengers, according to WBBM News Radio. The SUV, a Chevy Blazer, crashed into a viaduct. The vehicle was moving northbound on South California Avenue, just south of its intersection with West 31st Street at the time of the accident. At least two of the men involved in the accident were reportedly trapped in the SUV. The viaduct, which is just north of the Chicago River, supports railroad tracks.

Emergency crews responded to the scene where they found the SUV wrapped around the support of the viaduct and they then extracted two of the occupants. The driver and one passenger were transported to Mount Sinai Hospital. The other two passengers were taken to Stroger Hospital. The driver was pronounced dead a short time after the accident. The passengers were reportedly in critical condition.

From the perspective of a Chicago personal injury attorney, it has been my experience that passengers riding in an at fault vehicle sometimes mistakenly believe that they do not have a claim. For example, in the above case, while it is tragic that the driver past away, the three injured passengers can still make a claim against the driver’s insurance company. Further, because all three passengers’ injuries were severe, the driver may not have enough insurance to cover the loss. If that is the case, the passengers will have the right to make an under-insured motorist claim against their own insurance policies.

Chicago Pedestrian Killed in Car Accident

February 25, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A pedestrian was hit and killed by a car in Chicago last Saturday while walking across the street near his Chicago home, according to Chicagobreakingnews.com. The victim was Berthel Walters, 69, a South Side resident who lived on the 800 block of East 46th Street.

The accident occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m. when the pedestrian was walking in the area of the 3000 block of South Moe Drive. He was hit by a 2000 Dodge Ram pickup truck. The pedestrian was taken from the scene of the accident to a local Chicago area hospital where he was pronounced dead at approximately 11:00 a.m.

The driver of the pickup truck was also a Chicago resident. As a result of the accident, she was cited for striking a pedestrian in the roadway. Under Illinois law, drivers have a duty to use due care to avoid hitting pedestrians.

Illinois State Trooper Injured In Chicago Traffic-Stop

February 24, 2009 | By Dave Abels

An Illinois State Police Trooper was injured yesterday on the Stevenson Expressway in Chicago, according to chicagobreakingnews.com. The officer’s patrol car was struck during a traffic stop in the southbound lanes of Interstate 55 near Ashland. The car crash involved 3 other vehicles and it blocked all but the left lane of traffic during the morning’s rush.

The officer and one other were taken by ambulance to Rush University Medical Center and Stroger Hospital of Cook County. What caused the accident has not been reported and the injuries are supposed to be none-life-threatening.

This type of accident reminds us that being a police officer can be a very dangerous job for many reasons. Routine traffic stops can become hazardous. It is bad enough that the officer has to worry about the driver he has pulled over, he also has to worry about other negligent drivers on the road.

Valentine’s Day Crash in Bartlett, Illinois — Uninsured DUI Driver Causes 6 Car Accident, Flees The Scene

February 18, 2009 | By Dave Abels

In the Chicago area suburb of Bartlett, Illinois, a DUI driver has caused a six car accident, according to Chicagobreakingnews.com. The accident occurred at the the intersection of Illinois Route 59 and Army Trail Road on Saturday night as the defendant weaved in and out of traffic moving southbound in a 1995 Nissan Maxima.

The at fault driver fled the scene of the accident on foot. However, he was quickly apprehended by Bartlett police not far from the accident. He now faces criminal prosecution for felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a suspended license, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and failure to reduce speed to avoid and accident. The defendant was taken into custody and transported to the DuPage County Jail in Wheaton, Illinois.

Often, hit-and-run drivers do not have valid and/or adequate car insurance. If you are the victim of a hit-and-run car accident in Illinois or if you have been hit by a driver who did not have valid automobile insurance, you may still have an opportunity to recover damages caused by the car accident.

Chicago Resident Killed In Car Accident

February 11, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A Chicago resident has been killed in a car crash that occurred at Racine and Garfield Blvd. on the South Side, according to the Chicago Tribune. The collision occurred on February 8, 2009 at around 9:30 am.

The victim, age 65, was driving southbound on Racine when his car was struck by a driver that was westbound on Garfield who allegedly ran a red light. The impact caused the victim’s vehicle to hit a pole.

The at fault driver, a Hoffman Estates resident, was ticketed with running the light and failure to yield. The accident was investigated by the Chicago Police Department.

Chicago, Illinois Car Accident — Hit-and-Run Driver Cited in Fatal Crash

February 5, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A woman who hit a Chicago pedestrian and fled the scene has been located and cited by police. According to CBS 2, the driver was driving through the South Side at around 2 a.m. on Nov. 30 when a 71-year-old man emerged from between two parked cars. She hit him and fled the scene, but was found just an hour and a half later by police. The man died about a half hour later at the hospital. She was cited for multiple traffic violations, including failure to reduce speed, disregarding a traffic signal, driving without insurance and reckless driving, as well as failure to report an accident.

This accident is a good example of why it never, ever pays to hit and run. As you can see from the article, it took the police very little time to locate this woman, which suggests that there may have been a witness or a camera nearby.

Hitting and running can also make things much worse for drivers who are hit with a Chicago auto accident lawsuit. Leaving the scene of an accident doesn’t necessarily mean that a driver is responsible for the crash, but it looks bad in court. Juries are not sympathetic to defendants who seem to refuse to take responsibility for their own actions. If they are caught, hit-and-run drivers who have caused serious injuries are likely to be cited or criminally charged, which is also considered damaging in any related lawsuit. I can see how a person might panic in the heat of the moment and flee, but leaving the scene almost always makes things worse in the long run.

Chicago Victim Of Hit-And-Run Accident In Hospital

January 23, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A Chicago resident that was hit by a vehicle on Monday evening remains in a hospital, according to the Chicago Tribune. The accident happened in the area of Harlem Avenue and Lake Street in River Forest, Illinois.

After the accident, the driver fled the scene. The car was later stopped in Oak Park and the driver, a Chicago resident, was taken into custody.

The severity of the pedestrian’s injuries have not been reported, but the fact that she is still hospitalized is not a good sign. Statistically, pedestrians involved in accidents are seriously injured. Click here to read a recent article we posted on pedestrian injuries.