Chicago Plagued By Pedestrian-Car Accidents In January

The first month of 2012 was a tragic one for several pedestrians who were struck by vehicles.

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During the first week of January:

• A man was hit by a CTA bus. 
• Then an elderly pedestrian was killed by a motorist just steps from her Merrionette Park home.
• A man in Niles was hit by a car while walking in the street because the sidewalk was impassable due to snow and ice. 
• A teenager was struck and dragged by an 18-wheeler near his school in Chicago. 
• And a visually-impaired man made contact with a Pace bus near Oak Park.

And there were two other serious pedestrian-car accidents that occurred in Chicago last month. Back on January 17, a 72-year old woman was struck on the South Side by a hit-and-run driver. About 4:30pm, the woman was walking on South Carpenter Boulevard near West 63rd Street about a quarter mile west of Kennedy King College. A car driven by a 26-year old woman collided with the pedestrian, and the vehicle then fled the scene. The victim succumbed to her injuries early Monday morning at a hospital in Oak Lawn. The driver, who had had her license revoked before the incident, was placed under arrest and has been charged with felony failure to report an accident.

Then on January 28, a 32-year old man was injured after being hit by a vehicle in the West Town neighborhood. Right before 2am, the man and some friends were walking near the intersection of Ogden and Grand Avenues just southwest of the Kennedy Expressway. The group was crossing Ogden when a 2003 MINI Cooper tried to turn left from Grand and collided with the victim. The 32-year old man was hospitalized with serious-to-critical injuries and had to undergo surgery. The unidentified driver was ticketed for failure to exercise due care.

The family of the 72-year old woman may wish to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the 26-year old woman who was arrested. And the 32-year old victim has strong grounds for a personal injury lawsuit against the driver of the MINI Cooper.