Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Chicago Motorcyclist Dies in Accident

March 18, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A Chicago motorcycle rider was killed this past Saturday on the South Side when he was hit by a minivan near the intersection of 95th Street and Forest Avenue, according to the Chicago Tribune. At approximately 6:45 p.m., the victim was traveling east on 95th Street when he was struck by a Dodge minivan coming from the opposite direction that failed to yield when turning left onto Forest Avenue.

The motorcyclist, Reginald “St. Nick” Coleman, 27, of the 400 block of West 95th Place, was rushed by ambulance to Advocate Christ Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at a short time later. The at fault driver and his passenger were not injured. The driver was ticketed by the Chicago Police Department for failing to yield the right of way.

Coleman was a local rap artist from the group White Chalk. His wife had just passed away in November from a heart attack. Coleman is survived by his three children, three sisters, and his mother.

NFL Player Hits And Kills Pedestrian

March 15, 2009 | By Dave Abels

NFL wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth was involved in a fatal pedestrian accident yesterday, according to multiple media outlets such as the Boston Globe. The accident happened on a causeway between Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. Stallworth was driving his Bentley around 7 a.m. when he hit Mario Reyes, a 59 year old construction worker who was crossing the road. It is unclear whether Reyes was in a crosswalk or near a crosswalk. He was rushed to a nearby trauma center and pronounced dead a short time later.

Reyes worked at a crane operator and commuted by bus to work. He had just finished working the overnight shift and was headed to the bus stop when he was hit by Stallworth’s Bentley. Reyes is married with a daughter. He came to Miami from Cuba when he was a teen.

Stallworth reportedly cooperated with police, consented to drug and alcohol testing, and has not been charged at this time. Stallworth, 28, currently plays for the Cleveland Browns who signed him last year to a 7 year, 35 million dollar contact. He has previously played for the Patriots, Eagles & Saints. It is being reported that he owns three condos in the Miami area.

Chicago Accident Attorney Reaches Car Crash Settlement

March 12, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Auto Accident Lawyers from Abels & Annes, P.C. have resolved an injury case for one of our clients involved in a car accident. On August 31, 2008, the plaintiff was stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of Chicago Road and 33rd Street in Steger, Illinois waiting to make a right turn. At that time, another car was stopped at the same intersection in the left lane. The other driver then decided to make a right turn from the left lane and struck our client’s vehicle. As a result of the auto accident, our client had sustained pain and discomfort in her back and neck. In addition, she also felt tingling and numbness in her right arm. That evening the severity of her pain increased and she had difficulty sleeping.

The next day our client sought medical care at Saint Margaret Mercy Medical Center, where she complained of back and neck pain, with right arm tingling and numbness. Her history was taken and she was examined. Hospital physicians also ordered x-rays and prescribed her pain medication. She was diagnosed with acute cervical, thoracic, and lumbar strain.

On September 4, 2008, our client followed up with a medical doctor. The physician diagnosed her with lower back and neck pain with muscle spasms. He also prescribed more pain medication and ordered an MRI. The MRI was taken the next day on her lumbar spine. The MRI results discovered a slight disc bulge at L5-S1. A cervical X-ray was also taken, which was normal.

Train vs. Truck Accident On North Side Of Chicago

March 10, 2009 | By Dave Abels

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.

Chicago Injury Attorneys Resolve Pedestrian Accident Case For Construction Flagger

March 7, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Chicago accident attorneys from Abels & Annes, P.C. have reached a settlement for a traffic flagger who was hit by a car on a road construction site. Our client was working in the 1400 block of Milwaukee Avenue in Glenview, Illinois on June 17, 2008 when she was hit. She was standing in a lane that had been blocked by construction horses.

The plaintiff was flagging drivers to slow down in the construction zone when a driver entered the blocked lane, drove over several construction horses, and struck our client. The driver then fled the scene. Police were unable to locate the hit and run driver.

Our client was transported by ambulance to Glenbrook Hospital. She complained of head pain, left hand and forearm numbness and tingling, and she had soreness in her thighs and legs. The treating physicians ordered a series of diagnostic tests including head, cervical, abdominal and pelvic CT’s, x-rays, and labs. Our client was prescribed pain medication, told to follow up with a physician, and discharged from the hospital.

Chicago Car Accident Injures 2 Police Officers And 2 Civilians

March 5, 2009 | By Dave Abels

On the South Side of Chicago four people were injured Wednesday night when a Chicago police car collided with another vehicle, according to the Southtown Star. The squad car was responding to an emergency call when it collided with a civilian vehicle around 7 pm in the 10900 block of South State Street.

The two officers and the two occupants of the other vehicle were all injured in the auto accident and taken to local hospitals by ambulance. It has not been reported how the accident occurred and the Calumet District of the Chicago Police Department is investigating.

When a civilian is injured in this type of situation, it is often not an easy case to pursue, even if the police officer was at fault in the accident. The police are protected by the governmental tort immunity act. When responding to an emergency call, the department is not liable for ordinary negligence but they can be held liable for willful and wanton conduct (which is a difficult burden to meet in Court).

Chicago Work Injury Lawyer Reaches Settlement

February 28, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Illinois workers’ compensation attorneys from Abels & Annes have resolved an injury case for a client who was hurt during the course of his employment as a meter reader for Com Ed. His work responsibilities require him to walk about 15 miles per shift and due to the excessive walking he developed severe bunions on both of his feet.

His employer referred him to the health clinic at a Holy Family Hospital in Des Plaines, Illinois where he was diagnosed with a bunion deformity and left plantar fascitis. Our client followed up with a doctor at Foot First in Schaumburg, Illinois. He was diagnosed again with bunion deformity.

After several attempts to heal his feet with cortisone injections and therapy, the claimant underwent surgery to fix the bunion deformities on both feet. He missed over four months of work as a result of several surgeries that were performed on our client to repair both feet. Work comp paid for our client’s medical bills, he received disability pay for his time off work, and we obtained a $27,680.25 bodily injury settlement for him.

Chicago Injury Attorney Settles Car vs. Bicycle Accident Case

February 26, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Illinois accident attorneys from Abels & Annes, P.C. have settled a motor vehicle vs. bicycle collision for one of our clients. The traffic accident occurred on August 21, 2008, at approximately 5:00 p.m. as the plaintiff was riding her bike southbound on California Avenue approaching its intersection with Grace Street in Chicago, Illinois. When she reached the intersection, she stopped at a stop sign and then proceeded into the intersection.

As she rode southbound she saw a car eastbound on Grace Street stop at the stop sign. The car failed to see our client and accelerated into the intersection, striking the bike. The front of the car hit the rear tire and rear portion of the bicycle frame. The impact caused our client to be thrown forward off her bicycle, hitting the pavement with her face and both of her knees. When Chicago police officers arrived at the scene, the driver admitted to them that he had been distracted when he began to enter the intersection.

Our client was transported by ambulance to the emergency room at Swedish Covenant Hospital where her history was taken, she was examined, and diagnostic tests were performed. She complained of mouth pain, left elbow pain, right leg pain, and bilateral knee pain. She had a lip laceration and her two front teeth were loose, one was noticeably cracked. In addition, she had abrasions to both of her knees, her right calf, and her left elbow. She was prescribed pain medication and upon discharge instructed to seek follow up care.

Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Resolves Premises Liability Case

February 21, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Chicago accident attorneys from Abels & Annes, P.C. have settled a trip and fall claim against a Jewel Food Store in Highland Park, Illinois for a fall down injury that occurred on June 22, 2008. Our client had just parked her car and was about to walk into the store when her foot got caught in a broken and/or significantly uneven portion of the sidewalk that lead into the grocery store, causing her to fall forward onto her left hand and sustain injuries.

Our client did not see the uneven sidewalk because it was obscured in the shadow of a pillar holding up the overhang in front of the store. She was also looking forward towards the entrance doors of the store, and was distracted by the heavy congestion of scattered shopping carts in the area and other patrons entering and exiting the store. After her fall, a store manager came outside to talk to her. The manager admitted that this was not the first time someone had tripped on this area of the uneven sidewalk.

Our client went to a local hospital for left hand, wrist, and shoulder pain. After history and examination diagnostics tests were ordered, x-rays were conducted, which indicated a displaced fracture at the base of the proximal phalanx of the small finger on her left hand (fracture at the base of her left pinky finger). She was placed in a splint, her arm was placed in a sling, and she was prescribed pain medications and instructed to seek follow up care.

Driver Killed When His Car Hit Chicago Suburban Home

February 19, 2009 | By Dave Abels

In southwest suburban Burbank, Illinois a 29 year old man was killed on Monday when he crashed his car into a house, according to News Radio 780 WBBM. The driver, a Colorado resident, hit the house in the area of 78th & Nagle. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

There was a passenger in the car that was also taken to Christ Hospital. He is reportedly in stable condition.

What caused the car to hit the house, or if anyone was injured inside the home, has not been reported. It has also not been reported if drugs or alcohol were a factor.