Bicycle Accident

Chicago injury lawyers recover $27,500 for bike rider hurt by opening car door

November 15, 2009 | By Dave Abels

The Chicago bicycle accident attorneys at Abels & Annes have successfully recovered $27,500 in damages from State Farm insurance on behalf of a client who suffered a leg laceration and hand injury in a Chicago bicycle accident.

The case also included $2,445.98 in negotiated reductions of medical bills at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and a $142.40 reduction in medical bills from Wellington Radiology. After reductions, clients medical bills totaled just under $6,500.

The accident occurred shortly before 8 a.m. on Nov. 29,2007 when 21-year-old client was riding his bike southbound in the bike lane on Clybourn Avenue; a 30-year-old Chicago woman in a 2007 Ford Escape opened her car door into his path.

Middle-aged men most likely to be killed in Chicago bicycle accidents

November 9, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A total of 716 bicyclists were killed in the United States during 2008 and another 52,000 were injured, according to statistics just released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The vast majority of those involved in fatal bicycle accidents were middle-aged men, ages 35-64.

Overall, bicycle fatalities have declined 6 percent in the last decade — 760 cyclists were killed in 1998. However, bicycle deaths increased from the 701 deaths recorded in 2007.

The Chicago bicycle accident lawyers at Abels & Annes are outspoken advocates for the rights of cyclists and experienced Chicago injury lawyers who fight for the rights of cyclists who are injured or killed.

The most bicycle deaths ever recorded was 1,003 in 1975.

In Illinois, 27 people were killed in bicycle accidents, the sixth-highest in the nation.

The five states with the most bicycle fatalities were Florida (125), California (109), Texas (53), New York (42) and North Carolina (32).

One in seven bicycle fatalities in 2008 were between the ages of 5 and 15.

The average age of cyclists injured or killed has been increasing along with the popularity of cycling among older adults. The average age of cyclists killed increased from 32 in 1998 to 41 last year. The average age of bicycle injuries increased from 24 in 1998 to 31 last year.

Cycling fatalities occur primarily among men, with 87 percent of fatalities and 79 percent of injuries involving males.

Men ages 45-54 were involved in the most fatal accidents (161) followed by men ages 55-64 (103) and men ages 35-44 (77).

For more information about the work of Chicago bicycle accident attorneys at Abels & Annes, visit the Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog or the firm’s summer safe cyclist blog.
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Traffic accidents leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 14

October 30, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for children ages 3 to 14 years old, according to 2008 crash statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Some of the most tragic and difficult cases handled by the Chicago car accident attorneys and the personal injury lawyers at Abels & Annes involve the serious injury or death of a child in a car accident.

In 2008, 1,347 young passengers were killed in traffic accidents nationwide and 193,000 were injured. Every day, an average of 4 children under the age of 14 are killed and 529 injured in traffic accidents.

Illinois ranked 6th in the nation for the highest number of children killed in automobile accidents. Texas (154), California (142), Florida (73), Georgia (65) and North Carolina (45) were the five deadliest states.

Nationwide, alcohol was involved in 16 percent of the fatal crashes — about half of those occurred when a child passenger of a drunk driver was killed.

A total of 270 children were killed in pedestrian accidents and another 13,000 were injured. About half of these child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 4 and 8 p.m.

Eighty-one children were killed in bicycle accidents and another 52,000 were injured.

The report concluded that child-safety seats reduced the risk of fatal injury to infants by 71 percent and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars.
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Serious injuries on the rise for Chicago bicycle accidents, bike accidents nationwide

October 19, 2009 | By Dave Abels

The severity and number of bicycle injuries has increased with the popularity of cycling for fitness, to save money amid high gas prices and to avoid congestion, according to a report presented in Chicago this week at the American College of Surgeons’ 95th annual Clinical Congress.

The Chicago bicycle accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys at Abels & Annes have also seen an increase in the number of serious and fatal bicycle accidents the firm is asked to represent. Click here to visit our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog for more information about our work with bicyclists.

Researchers studying 329 bicycle accidents found the length of hospital stays has increased substantially over the years as has the number of serious injuries, including chest injuries (up 15 percent), abdominal injuries (up 300 percent) and head injuries, which were reported in about one-third of cases, according to the LA Times.

ABC7 reported the most serious injuries continue to come from bicyclists who are struck by cars.

Nationwide, bicycle accidents last year killed 716 and injured 52,000, compared to 701 deaths and 43,000 injuries in 2007, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In Illinois, 27 people were killed last year, up from 18 in 2007 and the most in the 5-year study period for which statistics are readily available. Half of those deaths occurred in Cook County.

Click here for more information on the extensive work being done by the Chicago Department of Transportation on the city’s bike trails, as well as safety advice, event information and other resources geared toward Chicago bicyclists.
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Cicero driver sentenced to prison for killing bicyclist in Chicago drunk driving accident

October 3, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A Cicero man was sentenced to 7 years in prison this week for causing a fatal Chicago car vs. bicycle accident last year while driving drunk, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center.

The 50-year-old man pleaded guilty at the Cook County courthouse in Maywood in connection with the Chicago drunk driving accident. He had been charged with one count each of aggravated DUI and leaving the scene of an accident involving death or injury.

He admitted to running a red light in his van on Roosevelt Road about 8:30 p.m. on July 23, 2008, where he struck a 49-year-old woman crossing Roosevelt on her bicycle. He left her lying in the street, severely wounded with broken bones and a head injury and fled the scene because he did not have a driver’s license, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The victim, Wilma Bradford, 49, of Cicero, survived for six months in a coma before dying in January as a result of her injuries.

Police found the hit-and-run driver in the attic of his home about an hour after the crash. Blood and urine samples taken four hours after the crash showed he had cocaine in his system and a blood-alcohol content of .06, just under the legal limit of .08.

His license was suspended because at the time of the accident and he had just been convicted of misdemeanor driving under the influence, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini.

It has not been reported if the family of the victim is pursuing a civil wrongful death action against the driver.
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Chicago bicyclist severely injured by opening car door

August 19, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Chicago personal injury lawyers at Abels & Annes have entered into an agreement to represent a Chicago bike rider that was seriously injured this past week by an opening car door on the North Side. The accident took place in the 3600 block of Southport between Addison and Waveland on August 15, 2009. Our client was riding southbound when a driver who was not paying attention swung his car door open into traffic, causing him and another biker to fall. The Chicago Police Department investigated the accident.

The Chicago bicyclist was treated the same day in the ER at John Stroger Cook County Hospital in Chicago. There he was x-rayed and diagnosed with fractures in his right wrist, left elbow, and left clavicle.

Since the accident he has followed up with Greenleaf Orthopaedics in Lake County, Illinois, and has been informed that he will need to undergo surgery to repair his elbow fracture. The procedure is scheduled for later this week.

Chicago motorists need to watch for buses, children as school begins

August 11, 2009 | By Dave Abels

The Chicago personal injury lawyers at Abels & Annes remind motorists that over 400,000 children head back to the city’s 666 schools over the next month.

The Chicago Public School’s first day of classes for most students is September 8th, and Track E students already started this week. Most of the suburban schools start in the coming weeks of August.

The start of the school year puts school buses back on the road, kids at bus stops and crosswalks, school zones where children are likely to be in the roadway and kids walking or bicycling to school.

Chicago Injury Lawyers to represent bicycle riders from 3 accidents

August 5, 2009 | By Dave Abels

In the past week the Chicago bike accident lawyers at Abels & Annes have agreed to represent three bicyclists that were injured recently in three separate bike vs. car accidents.

One case involves a 29 year old Chicago woman who was riding her bicycle eastbound on Lawrence Avenue in a designated bike lane. As she entered the intersection of Lawrence & Washtenaw an eastbound vehicle turned right and failed to notice the plaintiff. Our client was knocked to the ground, landing on her left side.

She was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Swedish Covenant Hospital where she was diagnosed with a fracture in her left foot, and left knee and shoulder injuries. She has since followed up with a medical doctor and has been scheduled for surgery to repair the fracture.

Chicago bicycle accident lawyers at Abels & Annes call for summer of safety and awareness

June 5, 2009 | By Dave Abels

The bicycle accident lawyers at Abels & Annes join Chicago and Illinois authorities in advocating safety and awareness this summer to reduce bicycle accidents.

The Chicago Department of Transportation began a series of 20 Share the Road events last week that will stretch across five city wards and into August in an effort to increase awareness.

“To ensure everyone’s safety, all users of the public way need to follow the rules,” said CDOT Commissioner Thomas G. Bryrne. “Safety is our No. 1 priority and the Share the Road program is an effective way to work toward that goal.”

Nationwide, 698 bicyclists were killed and another 44,000 seriously injured in 2007, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Bicycling is a popular form of recreation and a practical means of travel for more than 4 million people in Illinois. But the Illinois Department of Transportation estimates more than 4,000 Illinois residents are seriously injured each year in bicycle accidents.

IDOT has released a public service announcement for the summer, emphasizing the legal requirement to give cyclists at least three-foot of clearance when making a pass. “There is plenty of room for us all, Please Don’t Squeeze.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports the majority of bicycle accidents occur between 5 and 9 p.m.

“Our goal is to keep everyone on the road safe,” 42 Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly said. “Cyclists need to be protected but they also need to ride responsibly and follow the laws of the road.”

The city plans to have 500 miles of bike trails by 2015 — motorists should remember every bicycle on the road means one less car adding to the congestion.

An excellent map of Chicago-area bike paths and trails is available by clicking here.

Citywide, law enforcement is receiving special training to enforce the new bicycle safety ordinances that were passed in March 2009 — and the city’s bike-lane parking ordinance will carry a $150 fine, up from $100 last year.

IDOT offers the following rider safety tips as part of its Summer Survival Guide.
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Chicago Bike Rider Killed By Hit-And-Run DUI Driver – Off Duty Police Officer Charged

May 24, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A Chicago Police Officer has been charged with the hit and run death of a teenage bicycle rider, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The charges include reckless homicide, leaving the scene of an accident involving death or injury, and aggravated DUI.

The car vs. bike accident occurred in the 8000 block of South Ashland on Friday at 1:30 am. The victim, 13 year old Trenton Booker, was riding his bicycle when he was hit by an off duty police officer who was driving his Dodge Charger the wrong way on a one-way street.

The officer has been relieved of his police powers and he was arrested after the accident. Further, a Chicago Police Department internal investigation has begun. The officer is a 39 year old narcotics officer who has been with the police department for 17 years.