Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Blog

An Aurora man is facing 30 years in prison after being charged 17 times for driving without a license, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Our Chicago injury lawyers applaud any move that will get unlicensed and uninsured drivers off the streets. Too many of the serious and fatal accidents in Chicago and the surrounding area are caused by a driver that should never have been on the road. Frequently, such unlicensed drivers have been arrested and convicted of multiple DUI offense. The fact that they have no driver's license means that they also lack insurance. The result is that little or no insurance is being carried by some of the most dangerous drivers on the road.

Thus far in 2010, the Illinois Department of Transportation reports that 139 unlicensed drivers have been involved in the state's 697 fatal crashes -- a number that accounts for 1 in 5 of fatal accidents in Illinois.

The 34-year-old defendant has not possessed a valid driver's license since 1996. In addition to 17 charges of driving without a license, he was charged with two gang-related murders in 2007 and has been tried and acquitted in one of them. Charges were dropped in the second case.

In the most recent cause of driving without a license, a woman told police she let him borrow her car, which had been involved in a hit-and-run accident.

Continue reading " Chicago car accident leads to man's 17th charge of driving without a license " »

Our Chicago Personal Injury attorneys know that becoming a parent, whether for the first or the last time, comes with a host of concerns about keeping their child safe and healthy. Choosing the right car seat – one that is safety tested, affordable, comfortable, even stylish – is one of those critical safety items that most parents fret over long before their new baby arrives.

And car seats aren’t just important during those first couple years of life. Most state laws now require our youngest passengers to graduate from car seat to booster seat to lap and shoulder belt to seat belt. Essentially, at every stage of development – even into adulthood – some type of protective restraint is either required by law or recommended.

On Oct. 15, Evenflo – maker of the Maestro series of car seats and boosters – voluntarily recalled 13,792 certain Maestro Combination Booster Seats that cracked under simulated high-impact frontal collisions in laboratory testing. To date, no injuries or deaths have been reported in the field.

The recall includes seats that begin with the model number 310, were manufactured between November 24, 2009 and April 26, 2010, and distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada. Seats built after April 2010 – and other Evenflo Maestro models – are unaffected.

Evenflo is advising consumers that the seat should NOT be used if child passenger weighs less than 40 pounds until the repair bracket has been installed. But for children heavier than 40 pounds, continued use of seat as a belt-positioning booster is safe.

The company is sending notices to all registered owners and are removing all remaining booster seat units from store shelves. Owners are encouraged to visit Evenflo.com or contact Evenflo by phone at 1-800-233-5921 (U.S.) and 1-800-265-0749 (Canada) for a free reinforcement kit. It is not recommended that customers return seats to retail stores where purchased.

In September, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety evaluated the safety belt fit for 72 booster seats, issuing 21 “best bet” ratings, 7 “good bet” ratings and 7 “not recommended” rankings. Three models of Evenflo boosters earned the IIHS “not recommended” status. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that either backless or back-and-head-support booster seats be properly installed in the back seat of vehicles and used by passengers aged 4 to 8, who weigh at least 40-lbs. and are less than 4’9” tall.

Continue reading " Evenflo issues voluntary recall of certain booster seats to preempt Illinois defective product injuries " »

Our Chicago car accident attorneys know that car crashes kill more teenagers each year than homicides, suicides and cancer combined. We also know, that despite how it may seem at times, teenagers are far more likely to listen to and emulate their parents, particularly when it comes to teaching and reinforcing safe driving techniques.

In an effort to help parents and teens find common ground during the learn-to-drive process, the American Automobile Association (AAA) in partnership with the Illinois Secretary of State have launched an interactive online teen-driver safety resource. This new website arms parents with educational tools and tips that can be used to successfully guide both parents and teens through the instructional driving experience.

As part of the arsenal of tools, here are a few lesson tips for those first few practice driving sessions. With that said, before testing a young driver’s skill on the open road, have your inexperienced driver gain comfort and confidence behind the wheel by running through a series of drills in an empty parking lot.

~ STARTING/STOPPING: One of the most important lessons a young driver can learn is that every car handles differently. That larger, heavier, vehicles take more time to stop than smaller compact cars. That there is a gap between perceived stopping distance and actual stopping distance. With the goal of a smooth start and stop in mind, have your teen explore braking sensitivity for different vehicles. Make sure to remind them to put the car in park once the vehicle has come to a complete stop.

~ TURNING: Have your driver practice making both left- and right-hand turns while stopped and while moving. For this exercise, repetition is the key (and it reinforces the brake sensitivity lesson as well). Practice the five-second rule for signaling and remind your teen to scan all points along the roadway before entering a turn. Make sure to teach them to look ahead and anticipate how far they will have traveled in 20-30 seconds.

~ BACKING UP: Before moving into reverse, remind your driver to check all around the vehicle for people and things. This requires they use rear-view and side-view mirrors and that they actually turn and look out the back window. Reinforce that backing up should never exceed a “walking pace” speed.

A total of 6,428 motorists were killed in traffic collisions involving teenage drivers in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Illinois car accidents involving teenagers killed 164 motorists. By taking an active role in the education of your teen, you can help ensure that he or she has the knowledge and skills necessary to help stay safe on the road.

Continue reading " AAA and Illinois Secretary of State join forces to reduce crash risks for Chicago teen drivers " »

Our Chicago pedestrian accident lawyers know that the city can be particularly deadly for pedestrians. Over the span of just hours, two women this week were struck in a pair of hit-and-run incidents – one critically and one fatally – while walking along Chicago roadways, the Chicago Examiner reports.

The 66-year-old female, who died, sustained extensive head and chest injuries after being hit shortly after midnight while walking in Long Grove. A 21-year-old was struck shortly before 7 p.m. while walking along North Long.

In the Chicago area alone, there were 52 fatal pedestrian accidents in 2009 and 3,484 traffic accidents that involved pedestrians. Of those, more than 2,900 victims reported some injury and another 461 sustained incapacitating injuries. In Illinois, in 2008, fatal traffic accidents claimed the lives of 1,043 drivers and passengers and 135 pedestrians, or nearly 13 percent of all traffic-related deaths.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, across the U.S., pedestrian-related traffic fatalities occur every 120 minutes and pedestrians are injured about every 8 minutes. Almost three-quarters of fatalities happen in urban settings. In an effort to promote safety, the NHTSA offers a handful of precautionary tips for drivers and pedestrians alike:

FOR DRIVERS:

~ Make scanning sidewalks and shoulders for foot traffic a habit.

~ Before making a turn, check for pedestrians as well as fellow drivers.

~ Yield to pedestrians – especially when signage and signaling indicate they have the right-of-way.

~ Drive slowly and anticipate unexpected, if not distracted, foot traffic when driving in a parking lot.

~ Respect that in or near school-zones and public parks, children and families are likely to pop out from anywhere.

FOR PEDESTRIANS:

~ During the day, wear bright colors.

~ When walking at dusk and dawn – or any time in between – carry a flashlight and wear reflective gear.

~ Don’t assume crosswalks and traffic signals will protect you. Anticipate driver inattention – in most cases they are watching other cars and road conditions – they aren’t looking for you.

~ Make eye contact with drivers before stepping onto any roadway. Look both ways before entering a crosswalk.

~ Avoid distractions like headphones or cell phone chatter – pay attention to your surroundings.

~ If there is a sidewalk, use it; if not, walk facing traffic. DON’T jaywalk.

Continue reading " Just hours apart, two Chicago pedestrians involved in separate hit-and-run accidents " »