Articles Posted in Auto Accident

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A Chicago, Illinois car crash early Thanksgiving morning resulted in the death of 2 people, and the off duty Chicago police officer that caused the collision has been charged with DUI, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. As of Saturday, the families of the deceased have already hired a Chicago wrongful death lawyer to represent them. The motor vehicle collision occurred in the 2900 block of North Damen when the officer who was traveling northbound in his SUV crossed the center line and struck a southbound Pontiac.

The two men that were killed were ages 22 and 21, and they were life long friends from Cicero, Illinois. The officer, age 33, is assigned to the Belmont district, and is being relieved of his duties from the Chicago Police Department. He is scheduled to appear in traffic court in January, 2008. The charges could be upgraded, and that decision will be made by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

This is the second time this week that an off duty Chicago Police Officer has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol as related to fatal motor vehicle accidents.

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A Chicago police officer involved in a fatal motorcycle accident in June, 2007 has been charged with misdemeanor DUI, according to the Chicago Tribune. A passenger on his motorcycle was killed in the accident. The officer was off duty at the time of the crash and allegedly had a blood alcohol content of .24 (.08 is the legal limit in Illinois).

The motorcucle crash occured in the 4300 block of W. 87th Street in Chicago, Illinois when a eastbound Dodge Charger turned left into the westbound motorcycle. The driver of the Dodge was also charged with DUI.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office reportedly just learned of the officer’s high alcohol content this week, and the Chicago Police Department spokeperson could not say why the officer’s alcohol results were not released for over 5 months. The spokesperson also said that it was the other vehicle who caused the accident.

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Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has announced on his website that, with the hope of reducing car crash fatalities and personal injury accidents, IDOT, the Illinois State Police, and other local police departments will be cracking down on drivers who do not buckle up this holiday weekend. Police are to take a zero tolerance approach when issuing tickets during this upcoming “Click It or Ticket” campaign.

Law enforcement agencies will be setting up seat belt check points in various parts of the state. The State Police will run over 2,100 details focusing on seat belts, speeding, DUI, and underage drinking in an attempt to reduce deaths and injury accidents. The Governor’s Office reports that “in 2006, 17 fatal crashes resulting in 20 fatalities occurred during the five day Thanksgiving holiday weekend.”

Over the past several weeks in the Chicago area alone, failure to wear seat belts has been a factor in several serious injury auto accidents.Click here to read entire story.

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In Chicago, Illinois 2 police officers were injured in a hit and run auto accident on Monday night. The Chicago Police Officers were out of the Harrison District and the accident occurred at 800 S. Sacramento Avenue.

The officers were trying to stop a car in a drug investigation, and the vehicle ended up hitting the police car and fleeing the scene. One officer suffered a broken arm in the collision. The officers were treated and released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Most individuals involved in this type of case could potentially have a workers’ compensation claim because they were injured on the job, and a hit and run claim to make with there own insurance company. However, here the injured persons are Chicago police officers and there claims are covered by union contract, not workers’ compensation or or uninsured motorist coverage. Potentially, if the hit and run driver is ever caught, they could have a civil injury claim against the at fault driver.Click here for entire story.

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A Lake County, Illinois single vehicle auto accident has left two men dead after they were ejected from the automobile. The accident happened on Illinois 145 near Edwards Road in North Suburban Antioch, Illinois. The driver of an SUV lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line, and rolled over in a ditch on the east side of the road.

One passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was pronounced dead at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. The driver, who was wearing a seat belt, only sustained minor injuries and was treated and released from Victory Memorial Hospital in Lake County.

Lake County Sheriff’s Dept. and the Antioch Police and Fire Dept. were at the scene of the accident, and the Lake County Sheriff is investigating the cause of the crash. It has not been disclosed if the passengers were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. The driver has received a ticket for driving too fast for conditions.

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2 Chicago, Illinois police officers and 1 civilian were injured in a car crash on the morning of November 15 when a private vehicle rear-ended a police car. The accident happened near Kildare Avenue and Wilcox Street in Chicago. As of this morning, all 3 of the injured were in good condition in local hospitals. The officers were taken to Mount Sinai and the person from the other car was taken to Stroger Hospital.

The Chicago Police Department has indicated that if citations are issued, it will be to the other vehicle. Under Illinois law, motorists are required to keep a proper look out for other vehicle in the area, and not to travel to fast for conditions. At first look, from a lawyer’s perspective, the officers will have a good civil case against the driver of the other car. From my own experience as a lawyer, usually the car that rear ends another car is found to be at fault.Click here to read entire story.

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A recent Cook County verdict in a wrongful death auto accident case may send a strong message to insurance companies. On September 28, 2007 a jury at the Daley Center in Chicago awarded the Estate of an accident victim $250,000 in a personal injury lawsuit. The deceased was a passenger in her own car when the defendant driver of the vehicle lost control and rolled over. The plaintiff was ejected from the car and died from her injuries.

Prior to trial at the Daley Center in Chicago, counsel for plaintiff demanded $20,000 to settle, and there was no offer from the defendant. You may be asking yourself why the plaintiff’s demand was only $20,000 on a death case. In Illinois, the minimum coverage for an auto insurance policy is $20,000 per person, and $40,000 per occurrence. The insurance company normally would only be responsible for the first $20,000 of the verdict. However, here the attorney for the plaintiff, Debra Crystal of Harvey L. Walner & Assoc. has indicated she will attempt to collect the entire amount against the insurance company on a bad faith claim. She is alleging the insurance company acted in bad faith by not paying out the $20,000 policy and failing to protect the defendant from a verdict far in excess of the insurance policy. She will attempt to punish the insurance company for not paying on the claim prior to trial. Continue reading

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A Kane County, Illinois multi-vehicle crash has severely hurt two teens after their vehicle was struck by a semi-truck on November 9, 2007. The Chicago Area teens were traveling in a Toyota Corolla northbound on Meredith Road at it’s intersection with Route 38 in unincorporated Virgil Township, Illinois when they were struck and injured by an eastbound Mitsubishi Gallant.

The intersection is controlled by stop signs for north and south traffic on Meredith, and vehicles on east and west Route 38 have no stop sign. After the initial impact, a semi-truck was unable to stop in time to avoid a collision with the Toyota.

The Kane County Sheriff’s Department, Illinois State Police and the Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team are investigating the crash. No citations have yet been issued, and it does not appear that drugs or alcohol are an issue. The Toyota Corolla was driven by an 18-year-old female driver and the passenger was a 19-year-old male.

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A Chicago, Illinois car crash took the life of a teenage girl whose identity has not been released. According to CBS News in Chicago, the teenager was killed when an SUV struck a pole on the South Side of Chicago on November 7, 2007. The one-vehicle accident near 74th St. and Maryland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois according to Chicago Police Department officials.

The teenager was believed to be about 16 years old and was a passenger in the vehicle. A second occupant in the car was hurt and taken to nearby Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. A firefighter also went to Christ Hospital because of getting hydraulic fluid in his eyes while taking victims out of the car.

Over the years, David Abels & Associates has handled many single car accident injury cases, some involving very serious injury and/or death. From an injury lawyer’s perspective, a single car crash case can be easier to handle as compared to other auto accidents, as there is usually no issue as to who is at fault. The only real issue is damages. In this case we are talking about the worst type of damages, that being the death of a young woman who had her whole life in front of her.

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I recently wrote about a Chicago, Illinois car crash that left 5 people dead. (See Chicago, Illinois Auto Accident Kills 5 People 11/2/07 entry below). The accident was caused by a 29 year old man driving a Volvo at a high rate of speed going the wrong direction on the Eisenhower Expressway on October 28, 2007. The driver crashed head on with an oncoming BMW, caused a large explosion and instantly killed the 4 occupants of the car.

A week later the first wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in Cook County, Illinois. The family of a 27 year old victim, one of the occupants killed in the BMW has filed suit against the estate of the driver that caused the accident.

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