Heading to a lively street fair in Chicago can be a fun outing for humans and dogs alike. But when the space is packed, safety of other people and safety of the dog should be your top priority.
Potential Risks
Las bicicletas eléctricas están en auge en popularidad, pero su presencia en los carriles para bicicletas de Chicago plantea serias preocupaciones de seguridad. Los abogados de lesiones en bicicleta de Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. han notado de primera mano el aumento de víctimas de lesiones relacionadas con bicicletas que llaman a nuestra oficina.
Las bicicletas eléctricas pueden alcanzar velocidades de hasta 28 mph, significativamente más rápidas que la mayoría de las bicicletas de pedales. Los estudios muestran:
El 10 de agosto de 2025, un hombre de Gage Park fue atropellado por un sedán gris mientras intentaba cruzar la calle en el cruce peatonal de South Kedzie Avenue a las 3:20 a. m. El Chicago Suntimes informó que el sedán gris se pasó un semáforo en rojo, golpeó a Jermaime Martin, quien estaba en el cruce, y luego huyó. El Chicago Suntimes informó que el 3 de agosto de 2025, un hombre de 31 años fue atropellado y muerto por un conductor que se dio a la fuga en Greater Grand Crossing. El 22 de julio de 2025, el Chicago Suntimes informó que un peatón fue atropellado por una GMC SUV color burdeos en la cuadra 500 de North Pulaski Road. Parece que ocurre un accidente grave de atropello con fuga en Chicago cada pocos días. Los abogados de lesiones personales de Zneimer & Zneimer, P.C. actualmente están manejando múltiples casos de atropellos a peatones y ciclistas en los que los clientes tienen seguro. Desafortunadamente, las víctimas de un atropello que no tienen seguro de auto no tienen suerte, ya que no hay de quién cobrar.
Chicago tiene una crisis de seguridad peatonal, y los atropellos con fuga están en el centro de ella. Dependiendo de qué conjunto de datos oficiales se consulte —y de cómo se reconcilien las muertes posteriores—, 2024 registró al menos 28 muertes de peatones en calles de la ciudad (más cinco ciclistas), y posiblemente hasta 38 muertes de peatones una vez que se agregaron los registros posteriores del CDOT. (chi.streetsblog.org)
¿La policía se toma en serio los atropellos con fuga?
Electric scooters, once touted as a fun and eco-friendly transportation alternative, have rapidly become a fixture on Chicago’s streets. Since the city first introduced rental e-scooters in 2019, usage has surged — with more than 3.7 million trips taken between mid-2022 and late 2023, compared to just 1.3 million in the program’s early years. Unfortunately, this growth has brought with it a troubling rise in injuries and legal concerns.
A Surge in Scooter-Related Injuries
Chicago hospitals are reporting a steady increase in scooter-related traumas. In a Chicago Suntimes article dated October 9, 2024, Dr. David Trotter of Advocate Illinois Masonic, a Level 1 trauma center, has reported seeing more patients suffering everything from cuts and broken bones to severe traumatic brain injuries caused by scooter crashes. Because many scooters reach speeds of 15 to 20 miles per hour, collisions can be as devastating as car crashes. The scooter injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer, P.C. have also seen sharp rise in scooter injury cases just in the last two years.
On August 10, 2025, a Gage Park man was hit by an gray sedan as he attempted to cross the street in the crosswalk on South Kedzie Avenue at 3:20 am. The Chicago Suntimes reported that the gray sedan ran a red light, hit Jermaime Martin who was in the crosswalk and then sped away. The Chicago Suntimes reported that on August, 3 2025, a 31 year old man was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Greater Grand Crossing. On July 22, 2025, The Chicago Suntimes reported that a pedestrian was struck by a maroon GMC SUV in the 500 block of North Pulaski Road. It seems there is a serious hit-and-run accident in Chicago every couple of days. The personal injury lawyers of Zneimer P.C. are currently handling multiple pedestrian and bike hit-and-run cases where clients have insurance. Unfortunately, victims of a hit-and- run that do not have auto insurance are out of luck since there is no one to collect from.
Chicago has a pedestrian safety crisis, and hit-and-runs are at the heart of it. Depending on which official dataset you check—and how late fatalities are reconciled—2024 saw at least 28 pedestrian deaths on city streets (plus five people on bikes), and possibly as many as 38 pedestrian deaths once CDOT’s later records were added. (chi.streetsblog.org)
Are police taking hit-and-runs seriously enough?
Dangerous potholes in Chicago
Cycling in Chicago and throughout Illinois has become more than a trend. For many, it is a lifestyle and represents a means of commuting, staying active, and enjoying the city. But it also comes with risks. With the exception of car accidents, one of the most common and often most dangerous hazards facing cyclists in this city is the pothole. These street craters can buckle rims, send riders over handlebars, and result in serious personal injuries. Understandably, when this happens, the next question is whether the City of Chicago or any other Illinois city or municipality can be held responsible.
The answer is rarely simple. The City, like most municipalities in Illinois, benefits from broad legal immunity under the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act. This law protects cities and their employees from liability in many situations. And in practice, it means that injured bicyclists often face an uphill battle when seeking compensation for injuries caused by potholes.
The governmental immunity is not absolute. It depends on the location of the accident, the nature of the hazard, what the City knew or should have known, and whether the injured person was using the street or path in a way the law considers “intended.”
A recent case from the Illinois Supreme Court illustrates the limits of municipal liability. In Alave v. City of Chicago, the plaintiff was injured while riding his bicycle through a crosswalk. Although the area included Divvy bike stations and signage encouraging cycling, the court held that the cyclist was not an “intended user” of that crosswalk. The court emphasized that the presence of bikes nearby was not enough as the critical factor was that the crosswalk itself had not been designated for bicycle travel. The case was dismissed, reinforcing a hard truth – unless a path, lane, or street is specifically marked or designed for bicycles (in other words “intended” for bicyclists), the City may not owe a duty of care to cyclists injured there.
The decision in Alave followed the same logic as an earlier appellate decision in Berz v. City of Evanston, where the plaintiff was injured while biking through an alley. The court held that the alley was not intended for bicyclists, and therefore, the City could not be held liable for the defect that caused the injury. These cases make clear that even in bike-friendly neighborhoods, cyclists are not always protected if they are riding in areas not explicitly meant for bike use.
So what does it mean to be an “intended user”? Under Illinois law, a city has a duty to keep its property reasonably safe for those whom it intends to use it. If the city provides a designated bike lane, then a cyclist in that lane is an intended user. But if the cyclist is riding on a sidewalk, an alley, or a Continue reading
The personal injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. have handled many dog bite injury cases and they almost always involve the Illinois Animal Control Act. A recent appellate decision in Scifo v. Haeger, 2025 IL App (2d) 240531, offers important clarification on the liability of dog owners under the Illinois Animal Control Act regarding the definition of “owner” under the act.
In Scifo, the plaintiff sued on behalf of her two-year-old son, M.S., who suffered a serious facial injury after being bitten by a German Shepherd named Walker in a public park. The dog had been brought to the park by Gary Haeger, who invited the toddler to pet the dog. Tragically, the dog responded by biting the child.
The lawsuit named both Gary and his wife, Sandra Haeger, as defendants, alleging that they were co-owners of the dog. Sandra, however, filed a motion to dismiss the claim against her, arguing that she could not be liable because she was not present at the park and had no control over the dog at the time of the attack.
Electric bicycles are booming in popularity, but their presence in Chicago’s bike lanes raises serious safety concerns. The bike injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. have noted first had the increase of bike related injury victims that call our office.
E‑bikes can reach speeds up to 28 mph, significantly faster than most pedal bikes. Studies show:
A personal injury victim comes to our office. He was crossing the road in a crosswalk when a driver failed to stop and plows into him. He has a fractured hip with surgery and has over $100,000 in medical bills alone. It sounds like a strong case. Expect there is one major problem. The driver only has $25,000.00 in liability coverage; the minimum coverage allowed in the state of Illinois. The victim does not drive a car so does not have under-insured motorist insurance coverage. Unfortunately, this is a scenario that the personal injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. encounter quite often. Perhaps it is time that the mandatory minimums are raised to keep up with inflation.
Illinois’ current minimum liability coverage requires drivers to carry only $25,000 per person for bodily injury and $50,000 per accident. These limits were last adjusted in 2015, when they rose from $20,000, a figure that had been in place since 1990.
That means in over 30 years, the state has increased coverage by only $5,000—just a 25% increase. During the same period, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has soared by over 169%, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In other words, a $20,000 policy in 1990 would need to be over $53,000 today just to keep up with general inflation. And that doesn’t even account for skyrocketing medical costs.
As anyone living in Chicago has noticed, the number of e-scooters on Chicago streets has grown drastically over the last few years. According to Chicago data, more than 3.7 million trips have been logged on rental scooters between 2022 and 2023 and this number is certainly growing. With this rapid growth have there been a corresponding increase of e-scooter injuries? The answer is unclear. Unlike some cities that maintain detailed injury reports, Chicago currently lacks centralized data tracking for scooter-related accidents. The Chicago Department of Transportation has confirmed it does not track the number of riders injured in e-scooter crashes, and scooter vendors like Bird and Lime don’t publish specific local statistics either (chicago.suntimes.com).
Although the 2020 CDPH pilot collected limited emergency department data, it remains partial at best—capturing only certain ED visits and lacking proper labeling of scooter injures. (chicago.gov).
The e-scooter injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. have certainly noted a sharp increase of injured scooter riders contacting our office for legal representation.
