The Law Offices of Barry G. Doyle, P.C. Blog

2 Illinois Motorcycle Accidents Exactly 72 Hours Apart Could Lead to Wrongful Death & Personal Injury Lawsuits.

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Riding a motorcycle in Illinois can be dangerous in certain conditions or at certain times of day. But if you are a motorcyclist, perhaps you should stay off your bike at 12:56pm each weekday. That's because on Friday and Monday at that precise time, authorities reported motorcycle accidents which were caused by other motorists.

Friday's crash occurred in Aurora when a 1990 Honda GT647 was traveling north on Hill Avenue. Aurora Police say that a Chevy Traverse crossover vehicle heading east on Summit Avenue pulled out in front of the motorcycle. The bike struck the rear passenger side of the Chevy, and the 23-year old man riding it had to be transported to Rush Copley Medical Center with serious head injuries. The Chevy sped away from the scene, and police are still searching for its driver.

Then exactly 72 hours later in Chicago, another motorcycle accident occurred near the intersection of Marquette Road and Evans Avenue, less than a half mile northeast of I-90. Chicago Police say that the bike was struck by another vehicle, which propelled the motorcycle into a tree. The motorcyclist was rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center, but later died of his injuries. The driver of the vehicle remained on scene and was questioned by police.

In both cases, it appears that the drivers of the "four-wheeled" vehicles are at fault. The family members of the Chicago crash victim may choose to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver of the offending vehicle. And once the driver of the Chevy is located and identified in Aurora, the 23-year old man who was hurt could file a personal injury lawsuit against him or her. These suits could order the defendants to pay reimbursement for hospital expenses as well as damages for pain and suffering.

Wrongful Death: Coles County Man Dies While Standing Near Accident Scene on I-57

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

When people are involved in a fender bender, a lot of thoughts go through their minds. They want to check on the auto damage, see if anyone is injured, exchange insurance information, and rearrange their schedules because of the unexpected delay. But one thing they should never forget - but often do - is that they could be in danger of becoming victimized in another auto accident.

Tragically, this phenomenon was illustrated in on I-57 in Coles County over the weekend. On Saturday morning around 5:45am, a Toyota Camry sideswiped a musician's tour bus on the southbound side of I-57 near the interchange with Route 16 just east of Mattoon. The car wound up on the guardrail but blocking both the left lane and the left shoulder of the interstate. A 48-year old man who was a passenger in the Camry stepped out of the vehicle to inspect the damage.

About 20 minutes after the crash, a Chevy Suburban tried to pass the accident scene on the right shoulder. But another car struck the Suburban and then slammed into the side of the disabled Camry, propelling it into the man. He later died from his injuries.

From the news article, it's not quite clear who was at fault in the fatal accident. If the 40-year old Suburban driver made an illegal and/or unexpected maneuver which caused the wreck, then she could be held partially or fully responsible for the wrongful death of the 48-year old man. But if not, the 50-year old woman driving the car which struck the disabled Camry (who was issued a ticket for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident) will likely be the one who is completely at fault and could be in jeopardy of a lawsuit. That determination will affect who could be named as a defendant in a future wrongful death lawsuit filed by the victim's surviving family members.

Mother's Day Weekend: Tragic West-Side Car Accident Kills 4 Chicago Moms

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Mother's Day is supposed to be a time of joy and relaxation for all of the moms in Illinois and throughout the country. On this special day, families take time out to recognize just how unique and precious that their mothers are. But for four Chicago families, this Mother's Day will be indelibly etched in their minds for a horrifying reason.

Four young mothers lost their lives over the weekend in a deadly single-vehicle car accident in Chicago. It happened around midnight Sunday morning on Lake Street near Cicero Avenue on a stretch of road that runs directly underneath the Green Line elevated train tracks. In this area, the two-lane road is quite narrow, and tall train track support beams are placed very close to the roadway. Some of these concrete beams are in the middle of the road between the eastbound and westbound lanes of traffic.

The car reportedly struck one of these mid-road beams at a high rate of speed, and the impact was so great that it sheared the car in half. A 25-year old woman, a 22-year old woman, and a 21-year old woman were all pronounced dead at the scene - while another 21-year old woman was taken to a nearby hospital but died from her injuries less than an hour later. The four women were reportedly friends who were out celebrating Mother's Day. They leave behind a total of six young children between them.

 Investigators are not certain which one of the women was driving the car, but relatives of the victims believe that the one behind the wheel was the 21-year old who was transported to the hospital. Whoever the driver turns out to be, she could be named as the defendant in wrongful death lawsuits filed by the surviving family members of the passengers. That's because Illinois law states that drivers are ultimately responsible for the safety and well-being of their passengers.

Rockford Police Officer Charged With DUI After Injury Accident In Boone County

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Given all of the media attention and law enforcement awareness campaigns surrounding drunk driving, there's really no excuse for choosing to get behind the wheel after you have been drinking. The potential consequences of driving under the influence are well-documented, and Illinois residents are responsible for adhering to the laws banning drinking and driving. This is especially true for police officers who work in the state.

That's why an injury accident in Boone County this week is so disturbing. On Monday night sometime after 9pm, a 37-year old man from Machesney Park was driving a 2010 Dodge Caravan minivan south on Beloit Road about a mile and a half east of Poplar Grove Airport. The Boone County Sherriff's Department says that the minivan tried to pass a sport utility vehicle while traveling uphill in a no-passing zone near the intersection of Town Hall road. The minivan struck a pickup truck head-on and also collided with the SUV. Four occupants in the SUV were injured, one of them critically.

The 37-year old attempted to flee the scene on foot, but was eventually arrested. He was charged with aggravated driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an injury accident, aggravated reckless driving, and improper passing and lane usage. But here's the worst part: the suspect was a 13-year veteran of the Rockford Police Department.

It appears that the occupants of the SUV have very strong grounds for personal injury lawsuits against the minivan driver. However, because the man was not on-duty for Rockford PD when the accident occurred, any case against the police department would not be as strong. Nevertheless, the plaintiffs could receive reimbursement for their hospitalization costs, medical expenses, and physical therapy. They could also be compensated for lost time at work as well as pain and suffering stemming from the entire ordeal.

UPDATE: Tractor-Trailer Accident in Montgomery Illinois; Teen Driver Dies, Truck Driver May Be at Fault

Fri, 11 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

We told you about a horrible collision Tuesday night in Montgomery where a tractor-trailer slammed head-on into a minivan at the intersection of Route 30 and Orchard Road. Three female occupants of the minivan were transported to area hospitals with injuries.

Now, new information has come to light about this truck accident. Tragically, the driver of the minivan, a 16-year old girl from Big Rock, succumbed to her injuries at a Downers Grove hospital on Wednesday afternoon after being airlifted from the scene of the crash. The two minivan passengers - a 38-year old woman and a 13-year old girl - have been treated and released from an Aurora hospital.

There are also more details about the collision itself. The Montgomery Police Department says that the tractor-trailer was making a left turn at the intersection when the accident occurred. Earlier reports had indicated only that the minivan was struck head-on, which implied that the teen driver had perhaps crossed into oncoming traffic.

The status of the investigation remains the same: a Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team is still sorting out exactly what happened, and no traffic citations have been issued by police. But if the investigation reveals that the tractor-trailer caused the accident by trying to turn left before oncoming traffic had cleared (or even on a red light), then the truck driver may be held liable for the crash. In this instance, the truck driver and the freight company which owned the truck could both be named as defendants in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of the teen driver, as well as personal injury lawsuits filed on behalf of the other two injured victims. (Though the news reports don't say it, there's a strong possibility that all three crash victims were related; the teen driver had the same surname as the woman).

Tractor-Trailer Accident in Logan County; Wrongful Death Lawsuit?

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

This blog has frequently highlighted tractor-trailer accidents in Illinois. During these discussions, it has been reiterated that is the responsibility of truck drivers to take numerous precautions in order to avoid becoming involved in motor vehicle collisions. However, there is a limit to what truckers can do to prevent a crash.

A tragic wreck in Logan County raises the question about the limits of trucking accident avoidance responsibility. On Tuesday night shortly after 11:15pm, a tractor-trailer was traveling south on I-55 just southwest of Lincoln when it slammed into a Hyundai car in the right lane around mile marker 124. The tractor-trailer ran over the car before pushing it across traffic and through the center guardrail. The truck then continued down a steep embankment and into a creek bed that sits underneath I-55.

The Illinois State Police says that the Hyundai was stopped in a lane of traffic with its lights off for no discernible reason. Its driver, a 23-year old Chicago woman, was ejected from the vehicle. The 67-year old Kansas truck driver was also ejected from his cab. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

It's difficult to determine which driver was at fault in this horrific tractor-trailer accident. Usually, when a tractor-trailer rear-ends a car, the driver of the tractor-trailer is held responsible for the accident and any resulting injuries or deaths. But since the Hyundai was stopped in a lane of the interstate at night with no lights, it can be argued that the tractor-trailer driver shouldn't have been expected to be able to avoid a collision - which would imply that the Chicago woman is to blame for the Kansas man's death. The outcome of the ISP investigation will have a direct impact on which victim's family is entitled to damages in any future wrongful death lawsuits that may be filed.

3 Women Hurt in Minivan and Tractor-Trailer Accident in Montgomery Illinois

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

We don't comprehend just how much courage it takes to drive on Illinois roads and highways every day - until we have been involved in an auto accident. That type of incident illustrates just how fragile our safety is when we're out on the roadways. It's also why so many people get nervous or scared while driving right after they've experienced a crash (and a few never do). Because many times, the time between a normal drive and a horrific collision can be as little as a second or two.

An example of this can be seen when examining a head-on collision between a tractor-trailer and a minivan this week on the Kane-Kendall County Line. On Tuesday night around 8:15pm, the minivan was traveling north on Orchard Road in the village of Montgomery. At the intersection of Route 30 (also known as Base Line Road), the vehicle somehow swerved into oncoming traffic and was hit head-on by an tractor-trailer. Three women in the minivan were rushed to nearby hospitals with injuries.

A Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team is investigating the cause of the tractor-trailer accident. But there's a strong possibility that the blame for the wreck can be placed on the driver of the minivan for crossing into oncoming traffic. If this turns out to be the case, the three injured women (or the two passengers, if one of them was the driver) could file personal injury lawsuits in Kane County. As the result of this legal action, a jury may order the defendant to pay damages for pain and suffering, compensation for lost time at work, and reimbursement funds for past (and future) medical expenses. But this lawsuit doesn't have to go to trial in order for the plaintiffs to receive money. It's quite possible that the two sides could reach an acceptable settlement before the trial date.

Geneva Car Accident Injures Driver and Passenger; Drowsy Driving Suspected

Wed, 09 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

We've all heard the warnings about drowsy driving. If you are driving late at night and/or over longer distances, you should be aware that your chances of falling asleep at the wheel increase dramatically - as do your odds of being involved in an auto accident. However, it is important to remember that drowsy driving can happen anywhere, anytime, and in any conditions - even on sidestreets during the late morning hours.

Authorities in Kane County believe that drowsy driving played a role in a single-vehicle collision in Geneva last week. On Friday around 10:30am, a Chevrolet Cavalier driven by a 20-year old Geneva woman traveled west on Dodson Street, ran a stop sign at Bennett Street, crossed completely through the intersection, and slammed into a tree just south of Bennett Park (which borders the Fox River).

The driver and the passenger, a 22-year old Batavia woman, both had to be extricated from the vehicle after its roof was torn off by rescuers. The 22-year old remains in critical condition at a Downers Grove hospital. Police are saying that the driver fell asleep at the wheel and the passenger was trying to wake her up when the car ran off the road. There is no evidence that alcohol or drugs were involved, but the 20-year old was cited for running a stop sign.

Based on the information available, it appears that the Geneva woman is fully responsible for the auto accident - and, by extension, the injuries suffered by her passenger. If she chooses to do so, the Batavia woman could file a personal injury lawsuit against the driver in order to receive both reimbursement for her medical bills and compensation for lost time at work. Such a suit could also allow the victim to collect damages for pain and suffering and mental anguish.

UPDATE - Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Street Sweeping Company in April’s Orland Park Auto Accident

Fri, 04 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Last month, we told you about an Orland Park auto accident in Cook County which claimed the lives of three family members while leaving a fourth relative alive. On the night of April 15, a car tried to turn left at an Orland Park intersection but slammed into a street sweeper. A 24-year old woman survived the collision, but her 62-year old father, 49-year old mother, and 15-year old sister all died.

In many cases, the driver trying to turn left is at fault in these types of collisions because he or she does not let traffic clear before turning into oncoming traffic. At last report, police were still investigating the crash. But since that time, new information has come to light - and the family is taking action.

This week, the daughter and the rest of her extended family decided to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that owns the street sweeper. Police have cited the 53-year old driver of the street sweeper with running a red light on the way to a cleaning job. A witness to the auto accident said that the street sweeper sped past him and did not even tap his brakes as it entered the intersection.

The family is suing the maintenance company for unspecified damages. But if the suit is successful, the company could be ordered to pay damages relating to loss of care and companionship being suffered by both the 24-year old survivor and a sister who was not in the vehicle. Because she reportedly is too traumatized to go into her deceased sister's room or even drive a car, the daughter could also receive damages for mental anguish. A court could also order the defendant to reimburse the family for burial expenses and compensate them for any future wages that the adults and the child would have earned in their lifetimes had the accident never occurred.

The 20 Most Dangerous Intersections in Chicagoland

Thu, 03 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The 20 most dangerous intersections
in Chicagoland, Illinois.

There are numerous ways to alter your driving and reduce the chances of being in an auto accident.

Lowering your speed and driving defensively are two of the most common approaches. You can also stay off the roadways at night when possible - and never drive after drinking alcohol.

But the odds of avoiding auto accidents can also be lowered by paying attention to where you drive as well as how you drive.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has compiled a list of the 20 most dangerous intersections when it comes to motor vehicle accidents. The list is based on crash statistics from 2010 in the six-county area. Here are those intersections.

Rank	Intersection	City	# of Crashes
1	Stony Island Avenue at South Chicago Avenue	Chicago	63
2	La Grange Road at the westbound ramp to I-80	Will County	56
3	Cicero Avenue and 127th Street	Alsip	53
4	North Avenue at First Avenue	Melrose Park	52
5	Ogden Avenue at Illinois 59	Naperville	48
6	Western Avenue at Peterson Avenue	Chicago	47
7	Kedzie Avenue at Belmont Avenue	Chicago	47
8	Hunt Club Road at Grand Avenue	Gurnee	47
9	22nd Street at Kingery Highway	Oakbrook Terrace	47
10	Lincoln Highway at Cicero Avenue	Matteson	46
11	Bolingbrook Drive at the southbound ramp to I-55	Bolingbrook	45
12	Waukegan Road at Willow Road	Northfield	45
13	Busse Road at Thorndale Avenue	Bensenville	43
14	Roosevelt Road at Canal Street	Chicago	43
15	Weber Road at the southbound ramp to I-55	Romeoville	43
16	Lake Street at Barrington Road	Hanover Park	42
17	Algonquin Road at Randall Road	Lake in the Hills	42
18	Rand Road at Dundee Road	Palatine	42
19	159th Street/River Oaks Drive at Torrence Avenue	Calumet City	41
20	127th Street at Paulina Street	Calumet Park	41

The bottom line?

If any of these intersections are in your daily commute, you should remind yourself to focus on the road and your surroundings, or avoid the intersection completely.

Please ‘Like’ this page and help spread the news!

2 Hit-And-Run Injury Auto-Pedestrian Accidents

Wed, 02 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

I was reading through some archived articles and I came across two sad hit-and-run auto-pedestrian accidents that happened the same week in March.

On this blog, we've identified some of the dumbest decisions that you can make as a driver. At the top of the list is probably driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Not far behind are texting while driving, driving without a seat belt, and running red lights. It's no coincidence that Illinois legislators have outlawed these practices.

Here's another one: fleeing the scene of an accident. Unfortunately, this one happens quite frequently in our state. In fact, it happened twice after drivers seriously injured pedestrians on residential streets.

The first incident occurred on a Monday morning in Chicago Heights. Around 7:30am, a Chicago Heights police car saw a station wagon plow into a business sign on East 17th Street and South Halsted Drive. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the car had struck a pedestrian near the railroad tracks a few hundred feet away. The unidentified victim was airlifted to a hospital in Oak Lawn in critical condition.

Then on Wednesday evening, a 10-year old boy was injured when he was struck by a pickup truck on a residential street in Rockford. About 6:45pm, a group of boys was playing basketball in the street on 16th Avenue between Remington Road and Log Cabin Avenue when a light-colored Ford or Dodge pickup truck drove by. The victim tried to avoid the vehicle, but its passenger side mirror struck the boy in the face. The truck sped away, and the boy was rushed to a nearby hospital. Rockford police are looking for the truck and the man who was reportedly driving it.

It's not completely clear whether the drivers of the vehicle involved were at fault in the auto-pedestrian accidents. However, the fact that each driver fled the scene not only makes them criminals, but also makes them appear guilty in the original accident. That could affect the outcomes of any personal injury lawsuits that may be filed by the victims in the future.

Widow Suing Rapper For Wrongful Death of Her Husband

Tue, 01 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

There are two important tenets in Illinois auto accident law. One is that the driver of the vehicle is responsible for the safety and well-being of his or her passengers. The other is that a company which owns a vehicle is responsible for the actions of the individual who is driving the vehicle.

Both of these principles can be found in a wrongful death lawsuit which was filed last month by a woman against several defendants, including a well-known rap artist. The legal action stems from a fatal accident in September of 2004, when the woman's husband was a passenger in a van with the rapper and five other members of the entertainer's entourage. The van was en route from Albany, New York back to Chicago when it crashed on a Pennsylvania interstate about five miles from the Ohio state line.

The lawsuit states that the person driving the van, which was owned by Showtime Entertainment Agency, did not have a valid driver's license at the time of the auto accident. The van reportedly left the roadway twice, struck an unknown number of construction barrels, hit a pile of dirt, and rolled over several times. All of the passengers were ejected from the vehicle, and the woman's husband died while being airlifted to a nearby hospital.

Even though the crash occurred in Pennsylvania, the lawsuit was filed in Cook County. It's unclear why Cook County was chosen as the suit's venue, as well as why the case is proceeding 7 1/2 years after the original incident (which is well beyond the statute of limitations for a standard auto accident). Defendants include the rapper, Showtime Entertainment Agency, three Showtime employees, and Atlantic Records (the rapper's record label). In addition to wrongful death, the plaintiff is seeking damages for negligence, negligent hiring and entrustment, and willful and wanton entrustment.

Accident Reports by Chicago Police are Error-Filled

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

If you are injured in an auto accident, you are entitled to collect monetary damages from a personal injury lawsuit if you can demonstrate that the accident was caused by someone else. You can identify who is to blame by presenting evidence which indicates the liability of the at-fault driver. One key piece of evidence that is often used in personal injury cases is the official police report about the accident.

That's why a recent study reported in the Chicago Tribune is so disturbing. An examination of state records reveals that the Chicago Police Department has been filing inaccurate accident reports for quite some time.

The study, which was originally commissioned by the city of Chicago (but then attempted to be hidden from public scrutiny), shows that:

Deaths from auto accidents in the city were grossly underreported.
The number of angle wrecks, like those which occur when someone runs a red light, was substantially inflated.
But perhaps the most damning statistic is that according to Illinois Department of Transportation studies, 70% of all traffic reports filled out by Chicago Police were missing key information - and 30% contained factual errors.

Many of these errors were found in the parts of the reports which called for listing the accident's type, primary cause, and resulting injuries - three pieces of data that are often key parts of any personal injury lawsuit.

Realistically, the chances of your lawsuit being adversely affected by police errors on an accident report is fairly small. However, it does illustrate the need for you to take additional steps if you have been involved in an accident, instead of simply relying on the police report (especially in Chicago). If you do not require immediate medical attention, try to take photos or video footage of the crash scene with your cell phone camera or other image recording device. Also, be sure and get the names and accounts of witnesses who saw what happened. Doing this can help ensure that if an error does arise in the official police report, then you might be able to identify it.

This is also another good reason to contact a qualified auto accident attorney as soon as possible. He or she will have the resources and
investigative knowledge which can help prove that a police report is in error. Otherwise, it may be difficult to show a jury that you are right and the police report is wrong - and it could affect the outcome of your lawsuit.

If you would like to learn how to protect yourself in the event of an auto accident, download our free book about Illinois Accident Law.

2010 Motorcycle Accident Statistics

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

98.4% of All Fatal Motorcycle Crash Victims in Illinois Weren't Wearing Helmets

Motorcyclists in Illinois have the freedom to ride their motorcycles with or without helmets. In fact, Illinois is one of only three U.S. states which place no restrictions on motorcyclists regarding helmet usage. However, just because you're allowed to go helmetless on your motorcycle doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea.

To illustrate this point, let's look at 2010 Illinois motorcycle crash statistics as compiled by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Motorcyclists make up between 3% and 4% of all motorists - but about 14% of all fatal crash victims involved motorcycles.
Over half of all fatal motorcycle crashes occurred during the weekend.
About 57% of all motorcycle crash victims who died were over the age of 40.
40% of all fatal motorcycle crash involved alcohol.
Only 11% of motorcycle operators who died in a crash were not properly licensed to operate a motorcycle.
77% of all fatal motorcycle crashes happened somewhere other than Cook County.
Only 7% of all fatal motorcycle crashes occurred on wet pavement or in inclement weather.
90% of all motorcycle crash victims who died were male.
Finally: 98.4% of all fatal motorcycle crash victims were not wearing a DOT-compliant helmet.

See 2009 motorcycle helmet statistics

Countless studies have shown that helmets can drastically lower the chances of concussions, severe traumatic brain injuries, and deaths in motorcycle crashs. However, helmets can't protect the rest of your body in a motorcycle crash. So the most important aspect of enjoying motorcycle riding is to drive smart and stay safe.

If you have been victimized in a motorcycle crash which was caused by the recklessness or negligence of someone else, it's important to call an experienced motorcycle crash attorney as soon as possible.

$6 Million Awarded to Family in Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

On this blog, we talk a lot about how families who lose loved ones in fatal auto accidents in Illinois can often file wrongful death lawsuits with the goal of receiving monetary compensation from the person responsible for the crash. But because this type of legal action can take years to run its course, we don't often get to see how these cases turn out.

That's why it was good to hear about this week's court decision in northern Illinois. On Monday, a civil court judge awarded over $6 million in damages to the family of a Loves Park girl who died at the hands of a drunk driver. On July 28, 2008, the 17-year old victim's car was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of Harlem and Forest Hills Roads, just west of Rock Cut Park in Harlem. The other driver was later found to have a blood alcohol content of .157 about 3 1/2 hours after the auto accident. He is now serving a nine-year prison sentence.

The judge in the lawsuit characterized the defendant's behavior as "the definition of willful and wanton misconduct." The family of the teen received $3 million in punitive damages along with $3 million for wrongful death and $50,000 for pain and suffering. Because the defendant did not have insurance at the time of the collision, he will pay off the judgment by having his wages garnished. But the earliest he can be released from prison is in March of 2016.

The girl was a student at Harlem High School and had dreams of becoming a forensic pathologist. While the monetary award certainly won't bring her back to her family, the judgment could possibly bring closure to her loved ones - and send a message to any other would-be drunk drivers in Illinois.

Chicago Bike-Sharing Program Approved By City Council

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

With the milder weather arriving in the Windy City, Chicagoans will start seeing more and more people riding their bicycles. A significant number of people in Chicago use their bikes in lieu of taking car trips, and even bicycle to work in many cases. They get good exercise, avoid the motor vehicle congestion on city streets, and help the environment by cutting down on the number of cars on the roads.

And there will soon be even more bicycles on Chicago streets - because the city council has approved a new Chicago bike-sharing plan.

The program is similar to those already in place in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis - and cities like Los Angeles, New York, and others will soon embrace the bike-sharing concept as well.

The idea is simple: Chicago will supply about 3,000 bikes which will be placed in numerous locations around the city by year's end. Residents who want to use the bikes simply pick them up at one location and drop them off at another when they're finished using them. The city of Chicago will spend about $27.3 million to set up and run the Chicago bike-sharing program for the first year - $18 million of which will be funded with a federal grant.

If you are thinking of taking advantage of the Chicago bike-sharing program, it is important that you keep a few things in mind:

Bicyclists must ride on the roadways and not on sidewalks unless there are signs which permit doing so.
Bicyclists must obey the same rules of the road as vehicles do.
Bicyclists are strongly encouraged (though not required by law) to wear a helmet at all times and reflective or light-colored clothing at night.
If a bicyclist is involved in an accident in which a motorist is at fault, he or she can filed a personal injury lawsuit against the vehicle driver to collect reimbursement for medical expenses and other related damages.
In most cases, a bicyclist who is riding on a city-owned bike will not be able to sue the city for a bike accident that he or she is involved in. The only exception would be if the bicycle is not well-maintained or malfunctions, and that issue leads directly to an unavoidable accident.

It remains to be seen how successful Chicago's bike sharing program will be - or if the bikes are simply stolen by thieves.

Trio of Family Members Dies in Orland Park Car Accident Involving Street Sweeper

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Imagine driving your family in a car somewhere in Illinois. Now imagine being involved in an car accident in which every family member inside the vehicle with you was killed - but you survived. It's nearly impossible to fathom the amount of grief and guilt you would feel regardless of how the wreck occurred.

A 24-year old woman is dealing with that immeasurable pain today after a weekend collision in Cook County which claimed the lives of her mother, father, and sister. Around 8:30pm Sunday evening, the woman was driving her family home from dinner in a 2001 Toyota Camry. While traveling southbound on South La Grange Road in Orland Park, the car tried to make a left turn onto eastbound 171st Street when it struck a street sweeper and then careened into a 1998 Ford Ranger. The woman's 15-year old sister, 49-year old mother, and 62-year old father all died from their injuries. The drivers of the street sweeper and the Camry were both transported to nearby hospitals with injuries. No one was injured in the Ranger.

At this time, police are not sure exactly what caused the auto accident. But the intersection where the incident took place is controlled by traffic lights. If the street sweeper did run a red light, then the driver and the company who owns the machine would be held responsible for the deaths of the three family members. This legal action, which would be filed by the driver (or her older sister, who was not in the car), could entitle the plaintiffs to receive reimbursement for medical and burial expenses, compensation for lost future wages, and damages for emotional anguish and loss of care and companionship. But if the blame is placed entirely on the 24-year old woman, no such lawsuit would be filed.

UPDATE: Surviving Family Files Illinois Wrongful Death Lawsuit

2-Car Head-on Collision in Burbank Illinois Kills Man, Injures Woman

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Police in Illinois are trained to examine an auto accident scene and formulate a preliminary hypothesis as to how the collision took place. Many times, it's pretty easy to tell what happened, such as when a car is wrapped around a tree or when a pickup truck is T-boned in an intersection by a van. But sometimes, a cursory inspection of a wreck will not yield the answers regarding liability.

One example of this is a head-on collision which occurred Tuesday night in the Cook County city of Burbank. Around 11:30pm, a 2012 Nissan Altima and a 2009 Kia Spectra were involved in a head-on collision at the intersection of 79th Street and New England Avenue in a residential neighborhood. A woman in her early 50s was driving the Spectra, and she was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in nearby Oak Lawn with critical injuries. But the Chicago man driving the Altima was pronounced dead at the same facility early Wednesday morning.

Authorities were unable to figure out how the auto accident occurred based on the position of the cars. The intersection is regulated by stop signs on New England, but not on 79th. It could be a case of one of the cars turning left in front of the other (Left hand turns don't always result in automatic liability for the defendant), or perhaps one of the vehicles crossed the center line near the intersection.

If the woman in her 50s is ultimately found to be at fault, the surviving family members of the decedent could file a wrongful death lawsuit against her. But if an investigation reveals that the man is to blame, the woman could choose to file a personal injury lawsuit against his estate.

So what will happen next in this case? There's a good chance that an accident reconstruction team will be brought in to determine the cause of the collision. Hopefully, a determination of liability will be possible after the team files its report.

Hit-and-Run Truck Accident in Boone County Kills 45-Year Old Man

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Because of its massive weight, a speeding 18-wheeler can do a lot of damage if it collides with something else. It can crash through a small building without much trouble. It can demolish a passenger car without breaking a sweat. And it can snuff out the life of a person without its driver even noticing.

That's apparently what happened in a truck accident in Boone County. Monday morning, a 18-wheeler was driving eastbound on I-90, which is also known as the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. Just south of Belvidere, the truck apparently struck a 45-year old man who was next to his pickup truck on the side of the highway near Genoa Road. A witness called police and identified the 18-wheeler that hit the man, and the 18-wheeler was stopped by Illinois State Police at a toll plaza 28 miles away from the scene of the truck accident in Boone County. The victim was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but did not survive his injuries.

It remains to be seen whether criminal charges will be filed against the driver in the truck accident in Boone County. But whether that happens or not, the trucker will probably still be held responsible for the wrongful death of the 45-year old man. That means that the driver of the 18-wheeler could be named as the defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the surviving family members of the victim. In addition, the trucker's employer may also be named as a defendant in the lawsuit because Illinois law states that employers are liable for the actions of their employees.

This type of legal action could allow the plaintiffs to get reimbursed for medical and burial expenses which they incurred, as well as future wages that the victim might have earned in his lifetime had the truck accident in Boone County not occurred. Also, the family may be awarded damages for loss of care and companionship and/or pain and suffering caused by the sudden death of their loved one.

Alleged Drunk Driver Kills 1, Injures 4 in Chicago Head-on Collision on Archer Avenue

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The early morning hours are among the most dangerous for drivers in Illinois and across the nation. That's because even though there are substantially fewer vehicles on the road, a much higher percentage of them are operated by impaired drivers. As a result, there are more deadly auto accidents involving drunk drivers during this time.

A fatal collision this weekend on Chicago's Southwest Side appears to follow this pattern. Around 2am Sunday morning, an 18-year old woman was driving a 2008 Chevy Malibu northeast on Archer Avenue just west of Kedzie Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood. The woman tried to turn left across traffic onto Sawyer Avenue, but instead crashed head-on into an oncoming 2011 Nissan Maxima. The impact was so forceful that the engine block from one of the cars traveled some 50 feet away from the vehicles.

The 28-year old male driver of the Maxima died less than an hour later at a nearby hospital. A total of four other people, who were passengers from both cars, were also injured in the wreck. According to police, the 18-year old Malibu driver admitted to drinking vodka earlier in the evening, and also had bloodshot eyes and breath which smelled of alcohol. She was placed under arrest on charges of DUI and failure to yield the right of way after receiving treatment at a hospital for hand and leg injuries.

In addition to her myriad legal troubles, the teen driver also faces a potential wrongful death lawsuit from the family members of the Maxima driver, as well as personal injury lawsuits from the injured passengers in both vehicles. She may be ordered to reimburse the plaintiffs for hospital expenses they incurred as a result of the auto accident. In addition, the family of the Maxima driver may also seek damages for pain and suffering and loss of companionship and care, as well as future wages which would have been earned by the 28-year old man.