Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Speed Cameras May Provide Safety Benefits

February 22, 2016 | By Dave Abels

Recently, many drivers in the Chicago area have expressed frustration, annoyance, and even anger at the placement of speed cameras, or remote cameras that automatically detect and then can arrange citations for those who exceed the speed limit. Here, tickets from a speed camera are called Automated Speed Enforcement Violations and they typically target motorists who exceed posted speed limits in school zones and near parks, so in Chicago, a wide area is affected. The system runs off 3D tracking radar which monitors the speeds of passing vehicles and which triggers the use of a high definition still and video camera if a vehicle is determined to be traveling too quickly; images of the car and of the car’s license plate are captured so that the owner of the vehicle can be ticketed in the mail for his or her conduct in defiance of the law.

However, an investigation by the Chicago Tribune with data released in November concluded that the cameras in Chicago issued $2.4 million in improper fines, giving drivers tickets when the cameras were supposed to be inactive or when the signs about enforcement zones were confusing. This led many in the area to protest the unfair nature of speed cameras and to question whether their use was really designed to improve safety or simply to raise revenue for Illinois.

Accidents Expected as Warm Weather Comes to Chicago

February 19, 2016 | By Dave Abels

The winters in Chicago can be brutal and can lead many to do their best to hibernate, coming out of their homes only for work, school, and food. If you are one of the many residents who survive through winter only because the promise of summer is around the corner, you can rejoice today as the weather forecast calls for warm and sunny conditions.

Today’s high temperature is supposed to reach around 55 degrees Fahrenheit and many will see temperatures in the 50s while on their morning commute. Today will be windy, though, but even with the wind, city officials expect the day to be very pleasant.

The weather today will be more than something to be enjoyed as changes in weather can lead to changes in traffic conditions, and potentially, safety. Case in point, the warm weather is believed to bring out a larger than average number of pedestrians in the downtown Loop area and those pedestrians may be a little less cautious than normal. Drivers should be aware of potential issues with walkers so that pedestrian accidents do not take place.

Crash Injuries from 2012 Cost Americans $18 Billion in Medical Expenses

February 18, 2016 | By Dave Abels

Car accidents and traffic collisions are a devastating part of American society. Though they occur every day, the impact they cause is never routine and the results can be tragic. Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that traffic crashes in 2012 resulted in $18 billion in lifetime medical costs for injured victims, a number that will shock many in the nation.

When thinking about a car collision in the abstract, many people picture minor inconvenience and damage to the vehicles involved. Some realize that injuries might stem from those crashes and that victims may be in need of medical help, but few consider that many of these injuries will last for months, years, or even the remaining lifetime of those who survive a collision, necessitating medical help at every step during life. Though approximately $13.5 billion of the lifetime medical costs will be incurred in the first 18 months following a crash, the remaining $4.5 billion will be spread out over the years that follow as the most severely hurt victims will require continued care.

Half of Car Accidents Happen within 5 Miles of Home

February 17, 2016 | By Dave Abels

The average driver in the Chicago area wants to stay as safe as possible while behind the wheel. When it can be avoided, no one chooses to be involved in a car accident or a collision and instead everyone prefers to remain accident-free and uninjured which begs the question: how can drivers remain safe? This seemingly simple question is really anything but as hundreds, if not thousands, of factors can lead to a crash and can alter the lives of those involved.

The best thing you can do is be aware of the common risks for a collision and take whatever steps you can to avoid those risks or to alter your habits if a risk arises.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, operating a vehicle close to your home may be a major factor in whether or not a crash happens. Of all collisions in the nation, approximately 52 percent happened within a five mile radius of a driver’s home and approximately 69 percent took place within a 10 mile radius of a driver’s home. These numbers are huge and illustrate just how serious of an issue it can be to drive in familiar areas.

More than 20 Percent of Illinois Car Accidents Cause Injuries

February 16, 2016 | By Dave Abels

On average, more than 800 car accidents happened every day in Illinois in 2014, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. These collisions took hundreds of different forms and caused millions, if not billions, of dollars’ worth of damages. But the most devastating of those collisions were the ones that involved injuries to the people involved.

The good news is that more than 75 percent of accidents in the state in 2014 did not result in injuries, according to local officials. The bad news is that 61,084 of the collisions were deemed to be injury accidents and that 845 accidents were fatal collisions. Of all the accidents that happened in 2014, more than 20 percent proved to cause harm to at least one person involved.

Nursing Home Workers Hurt on the Job are More Likely to Lose their Employment

February 15, 2016 | By Dave Abels

What are your rights if you are hurt on the job while in Chicago? There are laws in place to protect injured workers, to help them recover, and to enable them to move forward financially in the event that a workplace accident happens, but the laws may not always provide enough protection. With regularity, lawyers hear stories about employees who were mistreated or even terminated following a work injury though those actions are contrary to both public policy and state law.

Now, a recent study out of Harvard University is lending support to the idea that injured workers are more likely to lose their jobs than those who are never hurt while working. The study involved questioning 1,331 nursing home employees who worked in nursing facilities on the east coast over an 18 month period. Through the surveys, participants were asked to disclose whether they were injured, what their employment status was at the time, and whether they had changed employment since the prior survey. Shockingly, at the one year mark of the study, 30 percent of participants reported that they had been injured at work and roughly 25 percent reported at least one job change by the time the study concluded at 18 months.

Chicago’s Drowsy Driving Problem

February 11, 2016 | By Dave Abels

There are dozens of issues contributing to a lack of safety on Chicago’s roadways every day of the year, including speeding, drinking and driving, running red lights, and operating a car while distracted. But while these aforementioned issues get media coverage and are widely known among drivers, operating while tired or sleepy does not get the same treatment despite the fact that it is linked to thousands of car accidents in the country annually and is blamed for the loss of far too many lives.

Put simply, drowsy driving happens anytime a motorist is behind the wheel and is tired or sleepy. It may be that the driver failed to get enough sleep the night before or that a driver has been awake too long during the day. Or, it can be that a driver is physically drained from being on the road too long, leading her to become drowsy. In our modern, busy world, most adults find themselves tired on at least an occasional basis so it can be easy for them to brush off their sleepiness and get in their cars to drive.

Avoiding Collisions with Anti-Lock Brakes

February 10, 2016 | By Dave Abels

Car accidents may seem like they come out of nowhere. One moment you are driving along, thinking about your destination and the next, you find yourself involved in a collision that may be due to nothing you did wrong. In fact, most multi-car collisions involve at least one driver who does not err but instead is in the wrong place at the wrong time, suffering due to the actions of a motorist who did make a mistake.

In the last few decades, the technological advances introduced into automobiles on Chicago roadways has been astounding. From minor improvements to major overhauls, the current driving landscape looks remarkably different than it did a mere 50 years ago, and as a result, fewer people are losing their lives in collisions. Yet until every car accident is prevented and no one is injured on our expressways, we still have a long way to go toward guaranteeing the safety of all drivers.

Super Bowl, Drunk Driving go Hand-in-Hand in Chicago

February 8, 2016 | By Dave Abels

More than 100 million Americans are estimated to have watched Super Bowl 50 last night as the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers. Many of those football fans celebrated by watching the biggest game of the year with their families and their friends, rounding out their celebrations with food, drinks, and good times by all. Cheering for your favorite team or simply watching to find out which team would be crowned champions at the end of an NFL season can be a fun activity, but unfortunately for many, the number of drunk driving accidents and collisions is believed to increase around the Super Bowl as many fans will drive after drinking.

No matter what the reason for celebrating, it is always illegal to drive under the influence in Chicago. Doing so will subject a driver to many possible penalties including criminal charges, time in jail or prison, the loss of a driver’s license, mandatory use of an ignition interlock device, and/or fines and fees. All of these penalties are designed to benefit the public at large, though, and not anyone who is directly injured by a drunk driver. If an impaired motorist causes a collision that results in harm, those victims must affirmatively seek their own relief through the use of a separate type of legal action.

Car Accidents are the Leading Cause of Teen Death

February 4, 2016 | By Dave Abels

Teenagers should be enjoying their lives to the fullest with the anticipation of everything that awaits them in their adulthood. They should be focused on their educations, their jobs, their families, and their friends. But for some teens, this joyful and mostly carefree approach to life is not possible because their lives have been forever affected by a car accident in or around the Chicago area. For others, their lives ended due to a car crash.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that car accidents continue to be the leading cause of death among teenagers in the nation, a troubling statistic made all the more distressing when you realize that the vast majority of collisions can be prevented if drivers act reasonably. This means that the youth of Illinois are facing serious risks to their lives every time they drive or simply ride in a vehicle as a passenger, and with each tragedy that strikes, the lives of that teen, the teen’s family, and the entire community will be altered forever.