A Chicago trucking accident involving three vehicles, including a milk truck, occurred about 8 a.m. Saturday on Illinois Highway 53, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center.
The Chicago car accident happened on Highway 53 just north of Kirchoff Road near Rolling Meadows, Illinois State Police reported.
Authorities reported a driver cutting across lanes to make his exit caused the milk truck to roll over and spill its cargo.
An Auora man was serious injured in a suburban Chicago car accident involving a semi after a large block of ice flew off the top of the truck and slammed through the car’s windshield.
The Illinois trucking accident occurred when the westbound semi drove beneath an overpass, causing a sheet of ice to smash through the car windshield and into the driver.
“There was blood everywhere, pouring from my head, nose and my eye. I was scared that I was losing so much blood that I was going to die,” the victim told the Chicago Tribune.
On the Northwest Side of Chicago a pedestrian was hit and killed by a semi truck while crossing the street, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The pedestrian vs. truck accident happened at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Ashland Avenue around 10:30 p.m. in the Wicker Park neighborhood.
The victim, a 59 year old male Chicago resident, was taken to Cook County Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead a short time later.
The Chicago Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Unit is handling the crash investigation. No tickets had been issued to the truck driver as of this morning, however the investigation is most likely not yet complete. What exactly caused the accident has not been reported. Whether tickets are issued could depend on if there were independent witnesses to the accident.
The American Trucking Association is rolling out an 18-point safety plan this month that it claims will improve highway safety, in part as a response to the recent $23.8 million jury award stemming from a 2004 Chicago trucking accident that claimed two lives near Plainfield, Illinois.
The Chicago trucking accident lawyers at Abels & Annes applaud any move that will improve trucking safety. A 4,000 pound passenger vehicle doesn’t stand a chance against an 80,000 pound semi traveling at 70 mph. Jury awards are often high because the injuries are catastrophic and liability can be compounded by overweight trucks, tired or inexperienced truck drivers and unsafe or poorly maintained trucks as trucking companies struggle to remain profitable in a tight economy.
“As the U.S. logistics and freight industry becomes increasingly dedicated to meeting ever-tighter supply chain delivery windows, American trucking fleets are trying to become even safer,” the ATA announced, noting the industry claims to be the safest it has been since the U.S. Department of Transportation began keeping crash statistics in 1975.
Safety advocates believe the 18-point plan is a move in the right direction.
“I appreciate all the work that’s been done and I believe (the new safety agenda) is a good platform as we move into the next highway authorization process,” said John Hill, a former former Federal Motor Carrier Safety administrator. ATA’s new strategies “specifically address driver deficiency areas and give drivers tool they need to improve highway safety.”
Others argue the plan is aimed at improving the group’s image as it pushes for even heavier trucks, approaching 100,000 pounds. The Truck Safety Coalition blasted ATA for not going far enough.
“This is about longer and heavier trucks,” said Jennifer Tierney of Kernersville, N.C., who says her father was killed in a truck-related accident. “That’s what their agenda is. Bigger vehicles are more dangerous vehicles.”
Tierney said if the trucking industry were serious, it would commit to reducing truck driver fatigue by reducing the legal hours they can drive (which is now up to 88 hours in a little over a week), support electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) and support increased mandatory behind-the-wheel driver training.
Yet advocates for the trucking industry say the number of trucks involved in fatal crashes has dropped 10 percent in the past two decades, despite a 50 percent increase in the number of registered trucks and a 70 percent increase in truck miles traveled.
The ATA’s plan calls for:
Improving Driver Performance:
1. Policy on the use of non-integrated technologies while the vehicle is in motion
2. Policy supporting uniform commercial drivers license (CDL) testing standards
3. Policy supporting a CDL graduated licensing study
4. Policy supporting additional parking facilities for trucks
5. Policy supporting a national maximum 65mph speed limit for all vehicles
6. Policy supporting strategies to increase the use of seat belts
7. Policy supporting a national car-truck driver behavior improvement program
8. Policy supporting increased use of red light cameras and automated speed enforcement
9. Policy supporting graduated licensing standards in all states for non-commercial teen drivers
10. Policy supporting more stringent laws to reduce drinking and driving
Safer Vehicles:
11. Policy supporting targeted electronic speed governing of certain non-commercial vehicles
12. Policy supporting electronic speed governing of all large trucks manufactured since 1992
13. Policy supporting new large truck crashworthiness standards Safer Motor Carriers:
14. Policy supporting a national employer notification system
15. Policy supporting a national clearinghouse for positive drug and alcohol test results of
CDL holders
16. Policy supporting a national registry of certified medical examiners
17. Policy supporting access to the national Driver Information Resource
18. Policy supporting required safety training by new entrant motor carriers For more details on ATA’s 18-point safety initiative, go to www.truckline.com.
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The Chicago motorcycle accident attorneys at Abels & Annes urge motorists to review “10 things all car, truck and bus drivers should know about motorcycles” to increase awareness as we enter the summer riding season.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 5,154 motorcyclists were killed in the United States in 2007 and another 103,000 were injured. In fact, the number of fatalities has exploded with the increase in registered motorcycles over the last 10 years.
In 1997, 3.9 million motorcycles were registered and 2,116 fatalities were reported compared to the 5,154 deaths in 2007 when 7.1 million bikers were registered on our roadways.
“It’s a fact that car drivers and other motorists are at fault most of the time in multiple-vehicle crashes that involve motorcyclists,” said Motorcycle Safety President Tim Buche, of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. “That’s why we’ve initiated several public outreach tools specifically targeting the driving community. MSF has life-saving messages for everyone, whether they are behind a handlebar or behind a steering wheel.”
MSF has launched a new website, www.forcardrivers.com, aimed at helping car, truck and bus drivers safely interact with motorcyclists. One of the leading motorcycle safety advocacy groups in the nation, MSF’s primary website also offers a wealth of information geared toward safe motorcycle riding.
10 things Car, Truck and Bus Drivers Should Know About Motorcycles:
1. Over half of all fatal motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle. Most of the time, the motorist, not the motorcyclist, is at fault. There are a lot more cars and trucks than motorcycles on the road, and some drivers don’t “recognize” a motorcycle – they ignore it (usually unintentionally).
2. Take an extra moment to look for motorcycles, whether you’re changing lanes or turning at intersections. Because of its small size, a motorcycle can be easily hidden in a car’s blind spots or masked by objects or backgrounds outside a car.
3. A motorcycle may look farther away than it is. It may also be difficult to judge a motorcycle’s speed. Predict a motorcycle is closer than it looks.
4. Motorcyclists often slow by downshifting or merely rolling off the throttle, thus not activating the brake light. Allow more following distance and predict a motorcyclist may slow down without visual warning.
5. Motorcyclists often adjust position within a lane to be seen more easily and to minimize the effects of road debris, passing vehicles, and wind. Understand that motorcyclists adjust lane position for a purpose, not to be reckless or show off or to allow you to share the lane with them.
6. Turn signals on a motorcycle usually are not self-canceling, thus some riders (especially beginners) sometimes forget to turn them off after a turn or lane change. Make sure a motorcycle’s signal is for real.
7. Maneuverability is one of a motorcycle’s better characteristics, especially at slower speeds and with good road conditions, but don’t expect a motorcyclist to always be able to dodge out of the way.
8. Stopping distance for motorcycles is nearly the same as for cars, but slippery pavement makes stopping quickly difficult. Allow more following distance behind a motorcycle because it can’t always stop “on a dime.”
9. When a motorcycle is in motion, see more than the motorcycle – see the person under the helmet, who could be your friend, neighbor, or relative.
10. If a driver crashes into a motorcyclist, bicyclist, or pedestrian and causes serious injury, the driver would likely never forgive himself/herself.
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In the south suburbs of Chicago, several people were hurt on Monday morning in a multiple vehicle auto accident on Interstate 55, according to the Southtown Star. The car crash involved two semi trucks and four cars. Five motorists were reportedly injured.
The collision took place at Woodward Avenue and I-55 around 7:45 a.m. A vehicle reportedly lost control while moving southbound and crashed, and that caused a chain of subsequent collisions.
Darien-Woodridge Fire Department Paramedics rushed to the scene. The injured people were taken to three different hospitals in the area.
In Chicago, Illinois a truck and a CTA train collided this past Sunday afternoon, according to MSNBC. The train accident occurred at 4648 N. Kedzie Avenue when a truck tried to get around the crossing gates while a CTA brown line train was pulling out of the Kedzie station. The train hit the back end of the truck, and it did not derail.
Service was delayed for an hour as workers moved the train back and got the truck off the tracks. Normal service was going again by 2 pm. The truck driver was ticketed for causing the collision.
While no injuries have been reported at this time, if people involved in the crash were injured, here’s what could happen: The passengers on the train have a claim against the truck driver and the trucking company that caused the accident. Typically, trucks carry larger commercial insurance policies, so unless there were catastrophic injuries (and none were reported here) there should be enough insurance to cover the loss.
A car accident in the Chicago area has resulted in the death of a 43 year old woman, according to the Southtown Star. The woman’s husband was driving the vehicle at the time of the December 23, 2008 accident.
The car crash occurred when the driver lost control of a 1994 Pontiac Bonneville, spun the car, came to a stop perpendicular to traffic in the northbound lanes, and was then hit by a passing semi truck.
The Southtown Star is reporting that there are DUI charges pending against the husband, but no charges have yet been filed. The husband was treated for minor injuries at the scene.
In Lostant, Illinois several students were injured Wednesday night when a chartered bus was involved in a motor vehicle accident with a truck, according to the Associated Press. The accident happened on an icy highway in northern central Illinois. At least 36 people were sent to hospitals.
The truck vs. bus accident happened on Interstate 39 when the tractor-trailer jackknifed in in front of a bus carrying students and the two vehicles impacted. The students were taken to three different area hospitals. Thirteen students were taken to St. Margaret’s Hospital in Spring Valley and twenty-three students were taken to Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru.
The bus was returning from Chicago and all the students were from Dunlap High School in Dunlap, Illinois. Dunlap is a small town located on Illinois 91 in Peoria County, Illinois, with a population of around 1,000.
A Chicago resident was killed and her passenger was badly injured in an auto accident near Kankakee, Illinois on Monday, according to WBBM News Radio. She reportedly lost control of her car after being distracted by a cell phone call.
The Chicago motorist was driving her 2000 Saturn northbound on Interstate 57 when she was distracted by her cell phone, lost control of her car, crossed the center median, and was struck by a southbound semi truck and another passing car.
The driver, age 20, was pronounced dead at the scene and her passenger, age 21, was taken to Riverside Healthcare in Kankakee. The southbound drivers were not injured. The Illinois State Police are handling the investigation.
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