Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Our Chicago accident attorneys want to remind drivers to drive with caution. According to a recent report by the National Safety Council, Illinois is one state where motor vehicle deaths have increased in 2010 even though the nation as a whole has reported a 4% decrease in deaths.

The National Safety Council reported 31,740 motor vehicle deaths for the months of January – November 2010, a decrease from the previous year, which reported 33,180 traffic fatalities. The last three years have reported a 13% decrease in motor vehicle deaths, according to the NSC.

Considering the fact that passenger vehicle registrations continue to rise each year, that is a considerable accomplishment. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported an increase in vehicle registrations, from 200,012,521 in 1999 to 239,890,985 in 2008. During the same 10-year span, the fatality rate per 100,000 vehicle registrations decreased from 16.06 in 1999 to 10.57 in 2008.

Illinois reported 861 motor vehicle deaths from January – November 2010. This is a 2% increase from the previous year recorded at 847 for the first 11 months. Though the number increased this year, there is still an 8% decrease for the last three years.

The NSC is now measuring nonfatal injuries by medically consulted injuries rather than a disabling injury. Meaning any injury requiring medical attention is considered a nonfatal injury. There were a total of 3,100,000 medically consulted injuries from motor vehicle crashes during the first 11 months of 2010.

The real concern to Illinois drivers is the economic repercussions of a motor vehicle accident. The NSC reported $216.5 billion as the estimated cost of motor vehicle deaths, injuries, and property damage during the first 11 months of 2010. This is a 12% increase over 2009. Though this covers everything from medical expenses to lost wages to administrative costs, it is overwhelming to most in a struggling economy. Chicago motorists should seek help if they find themselves in the midst of an accident claim in order to protect their current and future financial well-being.

Continue reading " Illinois bucks national trend -- more car accidents reported in 2010 " »

Harsh winter weather and snowy conditions have done more than cause flight cancellations in Chicago and across much of the nation. Area roads have gridlocked and a host of Chicago car accidents have been reported so far this year, including six accidents across Illinois involving snow plows, WREX-13 reports. Most of the motor vehicle-snow plow crashes have been rear-end accidents.

Wet, snowy or icy roads played a role in 173 fatal Illinois car accidents in 2009 and left more than 17,000 motorists, passengers and pedestrians injured. Of those, 64 crashes were involved rear-end collisions that killed 72 and caused another 17,900 injuries, the Illinois Department of Transportation reports. Overall, there were 800 Illinois car accidents a day in 2009, two of them fatal. On average, every 10 hours during 2009 a motorist was injured due to an Illinois car accident.

The Oneida Dispatch reports that a snow plow travels about 35 m.p.h. to maximize clearing potential, and, that often on highways snow plows will travel side-by-side to cover more ground. So, if the snowy conditions don’t snarl traffic, the rate of speed and buddy-system clearing practices will.

Illinois motorists and pedestrians are encouraged to practice the following guidelines when sharing roadway with a snow plow:

~ More often than not when a passenger vehicle driver is involved in an accident with a snow plow, the car driver rear-ends the snow plow. With that in mind, give snow plows maximum following distance. In fact, the safest place for a passenger car is in the area where the snow has been cleared and the road has been salted.

~ Always yield to a snow plow and never assume the driver can see you. If you must pass a plow, be prepared for a change in road surface conditions and give the plow a wide berth. Only pass a plow if you can clearly see the road ahead and on roads where passing is permitted. Be aware that the plow may dump deicing materials.

~ Anticipate that snow plows may operate alongside the road as well as in the travel lanes. Snow plows often move along the shoulder or at entrance and exit ramps and medians. Remember that aside from traveling well below the posted speed limit, a snow plow is likely to back-up in a travel lane. Note that when passing a snow plow a driver can experience “white out” conditions either due to plow discharge or actual weather.

~ Make sure that during the winter weather season you travel with an emergency kit. Your kit should include: a bag of sand or salt, a shovel, a flashlight or flares, jumper cables, an ice scraper, a working cell phone, enough non-perishable food and water, and a change of warm, dry, clothes.

Continue reading " Snow plows involved in six Illinois car accidents so far in 2010 " »

The St. Charles Patch reports nearly 200 new state laws went into effect starting January 1st one of which permits Roadside Memorials at the site of fatal accidents.

Our Chicago auto accident attorneys sympathize with families who have lost a loved one in a fatal accident and hope that the new law can preserve memories as well as bring awareness to the risk of fatal accidents in the Chicago area and throughout Illinois.

This new law will allow families to buy and erect a fatal accident memorial at the site of their loved one's accident. It is the hope of state officials that this program will bring awareness to reckless driving by remembering its victims. Previously, only victims killed by drunk drivers were permitted to place a memorial at the spot of the accident.

A spokesman for the Department of Transportation said victims' families currently make their own roadside memorials and as long as they are not distracting they can stay in place. This law will bring uniformity to the memorials and will eliminate the potential risk to friends and families trying to place these memorials themselves.

An article in the Rockford Register Star reported Senator Linda Holmes was the bill's sponsor. She was contacted by a constituent who had lost her 5 year old son. Her husband and son had been in the car when they got a flat tire.

Since there was no shoulder they pulled into the right hand lane and put on the emergency flashers. Though many vehicles went around the disabled car, one sadly did not. The driver was distracted by a fallen cigar and crashed into the disabled vehicle at 55 mph. The impact was so great the rear of the car was caved in 3 feet and the car was propelled 173 feet up the road. The 5 year old was in his safety seat in the rear of the car. He survived the impact but died two hours later at the hospital.

The memorial marker will have the message "Reckless Driving Costs Lives" with the victims name and date of the crash.

Additional laws that went into effect include:
-Brian's Law: Creates teams to investigate deaths of state operated facility residents with mental and/or developmental disabilities.

-Child Protection: Increases fines to drivers who don't secure children in child restraint systems.

-Dangerous Animals-Primates: You are not allowed to possess any primate unless you are a designated facility.

-Intoxicated Vehicle Instructors: You can not be instructing a minor driver who has an instruction permit if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

-Railroad Safety: It is a crime to place any object on railroad tracks making an unsafe railroad condition.

Continue reading " New 2011 laws include permission for roadside memorials in wake of Chicago car accidents " »

Our Chicago auto accident lawyers know there is nothing more tragic then a fatal traffic accident around the holiday season. Tragedies happen far too often so it is important to take a step back and reflect on the risks that we take for granted each day on the roadways.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports the body of a 40-year-old woman was found in a field this week, about a mile south of where her husband was killed in a car accident a month ago. At the time of the crash, police found a slipper before her footprints disappeared in a remote soybean field.

It was reported by the Herald News that the couple from Ransom left a holiday party in the early morning of December 5th during a snow storm. Their vehicle hit a light pole and the husband, and father of four, was found dead behind the wheel. Tragically his blood alcohol content (0.266) was three times over the state limit of 0.08. An autopsy concluded that spinal injuries were the cause of his death.

His wife was not found in the vehicle, a slipper and footprints were found heading away from the scene in the snow. Rescuers on foot, on horseback and with helicopters attempted the difficult search. Heavy snow postponed their efforts until conditions improved.

The Chicago Tribune reported that almost a month after the crash, the wife was found dead in a field located three quarters of a mile from the crash site. The results of her autopsy have not been released.

The Illinois Department of Transportation reported 848 fatal crashes statewide in 2010, resulting in 916 deaths. Of those crashes, 246 were alcohol related. Alcohol related crashes and deaths have gone down dramatically over the past 7 years. Crashes and deaths reached an all-time high in 2004 when there were 472 crashes resulting in 531 fatalities.

This story is a sad reminder that drinking and driving don't mix. Please remember if you are going to drink while you are away from home, appoint a designated driver. Call someone if you find yourself in a condition where you can't drive home. If you notice someone that is too drunk to drive take their keys, call a cab, or offer to drive them home. If you don't feel safe doing this for a stranger then tell someone who can help them rather than allowing them to get behind the wheel.

Driving in inclement weather under the best of circumstances is very dangerous. If you are out and the weather turns ugly, try to stay put. If you must drive, take it slow and give yourself plenty of space between your vehicle and others.

Continue reading " Woman found dead month after suburban Chicago car accident " »