Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accident

Despite that traffic fatalities in the United States decreased in 2010, pedestrian deaths reportedly rose by more than four percent and injuries rose almost 20 percent. Some reportedly believe distractions from the use of electronic devices likely contributed to the spike. Unfortunately, most police departments do not maintain data regarding so-called distracted walking.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 1,100 pedestrians throughout the nation were treated in a hospital emergency room for an injury that was sustained while using an electronic device such as a mobile phone last year. Tom Schroeder, Director of Data Systems at the Safety Commission, stated the number is a national estimate based upon data collected from about 100 hospitals. Schroeder believes the actual number of such injuries was likely much higher because many of the injured may have neglected to mention using an electronic device. Additionally, hospital staff may have failed to note such information in a victim’s file.

Like motorists who text behind the wheel, distracted walkers are often unable to focus on two things at once. Consequently, injuries often result. Examples of pedestrian injuries that were sustained while distracted include walking into a telephone pole while sending a text message, falling into a ditch while speaking on a mobile phone, falling off of a curb while texting, and being struck by a motor vehicle while playing a video game. A study conducted by researchers at New York’s Stony Brook University found that walkers who text are 61 percent more likely to veer off course than those speaking on a cell phone. In addition, a researcher at the Ohio State University found that pedestrians who were using a mobile phone were much more likely to step out in front of a car than those who were not talking on a telephone.

Jonathan Akins, Deputy Executive Director at the Governors Highway Safety Association, said although the dangers associated with distracted walking are apparent, a lack of data makes it difficult to fully examine the problem. Both local and state officials across the nation are reportedly having difficulty with determining how best to respond to the dangers associated with walkers who are distracted by electronic devices. Officials in Philadelphia are reportedly in the process of creating a safety campaign aimed at distracted pedestrians. The State of Delaware also instituted an educational campaign designed to encourage pedestrians to look up from their devices. Failed distracted walking bills were also previously introduced in the Arkansas, New York, and Illinois legislatures.

In order to avoid injury, pedestrians must be careful to remain aware of their surroundings. Still, no matter how careful a pedestrian is, they may still become the victim of a distracted, impaired, or otherwise negligent motorist. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, approximately 80 percent of pedestrian accidents in Chicago occur near an intersection. Additionally, about half of such accidents occur on an arterial roadway and most pedestrian crashes involve an automobile that is turning. Pedestrians between the ages of 15 and 18 and those over the age of 60 are most at risk of being injured by a car while walking. If you were hurt by a motor vehicle while walking, you should discuss your rights with a skilled pedestrian accident lawyer.
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Living in a busy urban area can be very hazardous for pedestrians. Too often motorists fail to keep a proper lookout for people crossing the street, and sometimes the consequences can be deadly. This past weekend there were several accidents in the Chicago land area.

In one incident, a motorist hit two people on Friday night in the Ravenswood neighborhood. One pedestrian was killed and the other was left in critical condition, according to the Chicago Police Department.

The collision occurred around 6 PM in the 5000 block of North Western Avenue. Both pedestrians were rushed to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston. The pedestrian that died was an 85-year-old Evanston man.

In another accident, a 61-year-old pedestrian was killed in the Archer Heights neighborhood. The victim was hit while crossing the street early Saturday morning in the 5200 block of South Cicero Ave.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later identified the pedestrian as a Chicago man who resided in the 6000 block of Mobile Avenue. He was initially taken to Advocate Christ medical Center in Oak lawn after the collision.

The driver in the Cicero Avenue collision has been charged with failure to show due care.

In a third collision, a 44-year-old male died Saturday night after being struck by a car in the Avalon Park neighborhood. The incident occurred in the 7900 block of S. Stony Island Avenue around 11:15 PM. He was hit by a 1997 Chrysler.

The pedestrian was taken to Christ Medical Center where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The Medical Examiner’s Office later identified him as a resident of the 2700 block of S. Indiana Ave.

Police issued the motorist a ticket for failing to exercise due care.

It has not been reported if drugs or alcohol played a role in any of the above-mentioned accidents.
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As a Chicago pedestrian accident lawyer, I can tell you that in my experience these types of collisions tend to increase during summer months. Our office started working on a case last month where a pedestrian was killed while crossing in a crosswalk.

Now comes word of another deadly accident, this time involving a passenger bus. Gov. Pat Quinn is calling for an investigation into Megabus after a pair of fatal accidents, including a Chicago pedestrian accident that occurred earlier this week in The Loop.

As our Chicago personal injury lawyers reported, a Megabus accident in southern Illinois killed one passenger and injured dozens of others. The bus, which had been en route from Chicago, plunged off the road and into a concrete overpass support.The Tribune reported Quinn pushed for the investigation into the low-cost motor carrier company after the National Transportation Safety Board decided against launching a federal investigation into either accident.

Illinois pedestrian accident attorneys at our office are in the process of trying to resolve a case for a woman that was struck by a car crossing the street in a crosswalk. The claim arises out of an automobile vs. pedestrian collision which took place on September 18, 2011 at approximately 5:10 p.m. in Chicago.

The pedestrian was crossing Belmont Avenue at its intersection with Seminary. The defendant was driving westbound on Belmont, approaching Seminary. Traffic was at a stop and our client began to cross in a marked pedestrian crosswalk.

The motorist then attempted to pass a stopped vehicle even though her vision of the crosswalk was obstructed by the stopped traffic. The driver struck our client while she was within the crosswalk. The passenger side of her vehicle struck the pedestrian’s ribs and leg while the tire of the vehicle ran over her foot.

The Chicago Police Department responded to the scene of the collision. The responding officer determined the defendant was at fault for the collision and issued him a ticket for failing to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian.

We are alleging to the at-fault driver’s auto carrier, Geico Insurance, that she failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to stop and/or reduce his speed to avoid a collision, failed to yield the right-of-way, and failed to exercise due care for the safety of those in the area.

Immediately following the accident, the injured pedestrian sought medical treatment at Illinois Masonic Hospital‘s Emergency Department. Upon arrival at the Emergency Department, a history was taken, she was examined, and diagnostic tests were performed, including x-rays of her chest, knee, and foot. She complained of pain in her ribs, left foot, and left leg and knee. On exam, she had pain on palpation of her left chest. She was diagnosed with bruised ribs, a left foot contusion and a left knee contusion. She was prescribed pain medication, instructed to follow up with a physician, and discharged.

She sought follow up medical treatment from a doctor on September 26, 2011. At that time, she continued to complain of severe rib pain and lower back pain. A history was taken and a physical exam was performed. Her physician ordered her to undergo an ultrasound of her spleen and referred her to physical therapy for her lower back pain.

She again followed up at the doctor’s on October 7, 2011. She experienced severe, sharp rib pain that morning and continued to experience the pain with deep breathing. X-rays of her chest were ordered to rule out a possible rib fracture. The x-rays were normal.

The client has not yet returned for additional treatment, but continues to have ongoing discomfort due to the negligence of the defendant. It is likely she will need additional treatment in the near future.
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A young woman was struck and killed as she walked across the street in Palatine the other day during evening rush hour.

The fatal Chicago pedestrian accident happened as the woman was making her way to the train station, heading for Chicago.

The woman, Yesenia Enriquez, 24, was killed on Peder Drive, just south of Northwest Highway, when a woman in a 2001 Toyota Camry struck her. Police said Enriquez worked nearby, and was on her way home when the crash occurred, according to news reports.

This tragic case underscores the need for vigilance among Chicago motorists to watch out for the people who share our roadways.

Our Chicago personal injury lawyers have seen far too many cases of pedestrian who have died in wrecks that simply didn’t need to happen. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were 32 pedestrians killed and more than 3,000 hurt in the city in 2010.

Between 2005 and 2009, nearly 18,000 pedestrian accidents happened in Chicago, most of them when pedestrians are in the crosswalk with a walk signal. Alarmingly, officials say there are an average of two serious hit-and-run pedestrian accidents every day. Some result in injuries, others in death.

Many Chicago residents have complained that part of the problem lies with the city and its failure to make walking simple and safe. For example, it’s been alleged in certain areas that stop signs are hung too low, failing to meet the standards of federal traffic engineers. Others have said that no parking signs are sometimes placed too close to intersections, causing parked cars to block a driver’s view of crosswalks and stop signs. Further, pavement markings are often worn or undetectable.

The fact that these cases are often more complicated than they appear on the surface is all the more reason for you to have an experienced personal injury attorney in your corner – someone who knows how to research all relevant factors.

The Illinois Department of Transportation indicates pedestrian accidents are a serious problem in the state, just as they are elsewhere in the country. In the U.S. in 2008, more than 4,500 pedestrians were killed and some 60,000 were injured.

This breaks down to about one pedestrian injured every 8 minutes, and one killed every two hours. Of those killed, 18 percent were over the age of 65 and 7 percent were children younger than 15.

In 48 percent of fatal pedestrian crashes, alcohol is a factor. Almost half of all pedestrian crashes happen on a Friday, and a large percentage of the fatal crashes involving child pedestrians happened between the hours of 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., as school was letting out.

Another recent tragedy involving a young child has sparked calls for action on the issue of pedestrian safety. In 2006, a 4-year-old was crossing the street across from the Lincoln Park Zoo with her mother and 6-year-old brother when she was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver.

Following the crash, the intersection was repainted and reconstructed, and city officials have vowed to work toward having zero pedestrian deaths by 2020. A sagging economy has impeded those efforts, though officials with the Chicago Department of Transportation have promised to invest more than $2 million on pedestrian-friendly road improvements this year.
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According to the Chicago Pedestrian Plan and the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), our city has seen an 8 percent decrease in the number of pedestrian accidents from 2005 to 2009. Among all large U.S. cities, our city has the fifth-lowest pedestrian fatality rate. While that may be something for us to be proud of, we still see more than 3,000 pedestrian accidents in Chicago each year.Our Chicago pedestrian accident lawyers understand that there were nearly 3,150 pedestrian accidents in 2009. There were nearly 3,485 in 2008 and more than 3,685 in 2007. While we have seen a slight decrease in the number of accidents through the years, these incidents are still all too common along our roadways. That’s why we’re asking residents to make one of their New Year’s resolutions to make our roadways safer for on-foot traffic. We’ve discussed various New Year’s resolutions over the last four blogs that can be taken to help increase roadway safety. This is the fifth entry of a 6-part blog to do just that, reduce the risks of accidents on Chicago’s roads.

There were nearly 35 pedestrians who died in accidents in Chicago in 2009 and nearly 60 in 2008. This new 2009 number serves as a 16-year-low, which is unfortunately because that’s still far too many unnecessary fatalities.

Fatality accident information was first available in the city in 1995, when there were nearly 90 fatalities. Since then we’ve seen more than a 60 percent decrease, but we’ve got a long way to go.

The number of pedestrian injuries has also decreased in recent years, too. In 2005, there were nearly 650 pedestrian fatalities while in 2009 there were just over 500. Although that serves as a significant decrease, we need to point out that there was in fact an increase in this number from 2008 with 452 to 503 in 2009.

In 2009, the fatality rate for pedestrians in Chicago ranked lower than just 14 other U.S. cities.

Pedestrian Facts from the City of Chicago:

-The number of pedestrian accidents has decreased overall since 2001.

-Pedestrians age 15- to 18-years-old have the highest crash rate per population.

-More males than females are involved in pedestrian accidents.

-Thursdays see the most pedestrian accidents.

-Most accidents happened from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The second most dangerous times for pedestrians on our roadways is from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

-Half of all fatal accidents happen on arterial roads.

-Older pedestrians are more likely to be struck in a crosswalk than younger pedestrians.

-A two-mile corridor along 79th Street held four spots out of the top twenty most dangerous accident intersections.

-Hit-and-run accidents account for about 40 percent of all fatal pedestrian accidents.

-About two hit-and-run accidents happen every day in which a pedestrian is injured or killed.
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