Articles Posted in Auto Accidents

The Sun-Times Media has reported that Cecil Conner (24) was sentenced today in Will County Court to 9 ½ years in prison for a fatal DUI crash that claimed the life of his girlfriend’s 5 year old son last May of 2010. Conner was facing from three to 14 years in prison after being convicted of two counts of aggravated DUI. Chicago accident and injury attorneys Zneimer & Zneimer p.c. have handled cases involving auto accidents, with excellent results for their clients. They can help give you peace of mind by dealing with the insurance companies and medical care providers first hand.

Apparently Conner’s girlfriend Kathie LaFond was originally driving Conner and the child Michael Langford Jr. (5) home because Conner was too intoxicated. They were driving home from Conner’s cousin’s party in Chicago Heights. In a surprising turn of events, they were pulled over in Chicago Heights and Kathie was arrested for driving without a valid license. The officer then told Conner to drive himself and the child home. The officer was completely unaware that Conner was too drunk to drive. Conner proceeded to drive home and crashed his red Chevrolet Cavalier into a tree, through a fence, and into another tree. Little Michael Langford was reportedly sleeping in the back seat of the car at the time of the accident.

The trial had been delayed because Conner’s attorney had requested a new trial. He wanted a new trial because he was not given recordings of telephone conversations between Conner’s and Kathie while she was in jail. He also felt the trial was flawed because he was restricted from calling two witnesses, Kathie LaFond, and Jennifer Tartt (Conner’s friend), who he felt could have testified on behalf of Conner’s character. The judge rejected the request for a new trial, stating that he did not think the recordings would have provided any new information. Conner’s defense attorney even asked for the recordings after the trial was over, but his request was denied by the Illinois Supreme Court.

This past Friday, January 13, expert toxicologist Jennifer Bash told jurors she feels Chicago Police Officer Richard Bolling was legally drunk at the time of his May 2009 crash, per The Chicago Red Eye. Richard is currently on trial for aggravated DUI, reckless homicide, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Officer Richard allegedly hit and killed a 13 year old boy on a bike, with his Dodge Charger. Richard was off duty at the time of the hit and run, and was pulled over shortly after for driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Prosecutors alleged that Richard’s car had blood on it, a cracked windshield, and an open bottle of beer in the front console. Chicago accident attorneys Zneimer and Zneimer p.c. are experts in auto accident cases. Many of which are hit and run cases and DUI cases.

Jennifer’s findings are pivotal considering that even though Richard had an open beer in his car, and smelled of alcohol, he says he wasn’t intoxicated. Richard claims to have only had a couple drinks the night of the crash. He said he was speeding home munching on fast food when he saw the bicyclist coming toward him. After hitting the bicyclist, he said was in a state of shock and that’s what prevented him from calling 911. The night of the crash, Richard said he had 3 beers and two shots of vodka. However, now Richard is testifying that he had only one vodka drink and one beer drink. I would like to know why an off duty officer was speeding to begin with, regardless of being drunk or not?

What complicated the matter was that Richard wasn’t given a field sobriety test until 2 hours after the crash. Furthermore, he wasn’t given an actual breathalyzer test until 4 hours after the crash. That is why a forensic toxicologist was called to begin with. She estimated that Richard’s alcohol had to be as much as twice the legal limit at the time of the accident. Prosecutors claim that Richard was given preferential treatment from the other officers. It certainly does appear that way. Things do not look good for Richard Bolling. I think the average person can see that Richard was drunk at the time of the crash. Hopefully the jury makes the right decision, so justice can be served for little Trenton Booker. According to Chicago accident attorneys Zneimer and Zneimer, it is estimated that there are over 1,200 vehicle related fatalities a year in Illinois. If you have been in or affected by an auto accident, please contact accident attorneys Zneimer and Zneimer p.c. for a free personal injury consultation.

In this day and age, everyone has a cell phone, from children to senior citizens. They certainly are a convenience since you can use them to listen to music, text, surf the internet, check your email, take photos, play games, and the list goes on and on. What is alarming however, is that today more and more people are driving while texting. Texting while driving has gone up 50% last year despite many states rushing to ban it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration measures this by staking out certain stoplights and intersections and counting the people using cell phones and other hand held devices. As it turns out, at any given moment, approximately 1% of people are manipulating their cell phone while driving. While that number may seem low, it is basically saying that 1 out of 100 cars that drive by you today may hit you because they were busy texting. Cell phones have certainly added to the number of distractions drivers already have while behind the wheel. A distracted driver is a big problem since they may be more likely to auto accidents on a regular basis. It’s estimated that in 2010, 3,092 deaths in crashes were caused by distractions.

In a separate study conducted, ages of 18 and 24. Law officials fear educational messages are not enough to curb this behavior. They are stepping up giving out tickets to cell phone users because the simple fact is, many drivers won’t stop texting until they fear getting a ticket.

In fact, a record number of drivers were issued cell phone violation tickets in 2010 alone, translating into millions of dollars in revenue for Chicago. According to the 73% increase from 2006. These tickets brought in $2.2 million for the city. Furthermore, the fines are said to have increased steadily from $50 dollars to up to $500 dollars today. This type of ticket is very hard to fight in a court room. While there is no proof that giving out more tickets will translate into safer roads, do yourself a favor and stay off your phone while driving. Use a hands free headset or have a friend text the message for you. It isn’t worth a car accident and isn’t worth getting a ticket over. Cell phone bills are expensive enough. If you have been in an auto accident, contact injury attorneys

A plan to use cameras to enforce speed limits around schools and parks in Chicago has passed the Illinois House and is on its way to Governor Quinn for signature. Chicago Mayor Emanuel stated: “I commend the Illinois House for their leadership in voting to protect our children around schools and parks” Under the plan, speeders going 6 mph to 10 mph over the speed limit would face $50 fines and those going 11 mph and over would face the full $100 ticket. The cameras would run in school zones from 6 a.m. to 8:30 am Monday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays. The cameras near city parks would still run one hour before opening until one hour after closing. Chicago Tribune analysis predicts that “safety zone” cameras would cover nearly half the city. Opponents argue that the cameras are more about generating revenue from tickets than they are about safety. Indeed, CDOT studies point to the possibility of the city generating over $150 million a year from tickets. In one study, two south side intersections on Western Ave. were monitored with speed cameras over a period of one month in 2008 and it was found that that 23% of drivers or 19,660 drivers were speeding 5 mph over the speed limit.

Supporters of the measure argue that the speed cameras will make the streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. Ron Burke, executive director of Active Transportation Alliance stated that his organization supports the measure adding that “automated speed enforcement will slow down cars, which makes our neighborhoods more walkable and bike-friendly”.

The personal injury law firm of Zneimer & Zneimer have handled many cases of inured pedestrians and injured bicyclists hit by speeders. The law could help to slow down motorists but will be very unpopular with anyone who gets a ticket.

New bicycle lanes have been constructed in downtown Chicago. The lanes are marked by flexible posts and run a half-mile on Kinzie Street from Milwaukee Avenue to Wells Street. For a short section of this route, bicyclists are separated from moving traffic by a parked car lane. These are welcome improvements but its only a tiny section of roadway. The rest of the bike route down Milwaukee headed downtown is no more than painted lines that disappear at intersections. The personal injury law firm of Zneimer & Zneimer have represented injured bicyclists in Chicago who were on this Milwaukee route when they were injured. Though Milwaukee Avenue has numerous bicyclists in the morning headed to downtown Chicago, little has been done to make the route safe for bicyclists. Cars and trucks regularly park and drive in the so called “bike lanes” with out any ramifications. When the bicyclists reach any intersection even the meager bike lanes disappear and the bikers are left to their own devices to weave amongst cars and trucks to cross the intersection. The Chicago bicycle injury attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer encourages Mayor Emanuel to keep doing more for bicyclists to make biking safer in Chicago.

Animal lovers teamed with Chicago police and Chicago Streets and Sanitation workers to save a mother duck and her five ducklings who wandered on to Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. The mother duck and her ducklings were saved but attempting to save animals on the roadway can also be very dangerous. The Chicago lawyers of Zneimer and Zneimer encourage extreme caution and be aware of the extreme dangers of personal injury or death. On May 30, 2011, Edward Gardner of Naperville, Illinois was stuck and killed by a limousine as he tried to help baby fowl cross I-294.

Chicago Tribune reporter Alissa Groeninger asked an expert what to do. Sgt. Juan Valenzuela of the Illinois State Police advises that if a motorist sees animals in the roadway they should contact state or local police and should never try to clear the animals themselves. He adds that motorists are not equipped with emergency lights or warning devices that the police have so motorists should leave it up to the police or Illinois Department of Transportation workers.

1.5 million Americans sustain traumatic brain injuries annually and 75% of those injuries are considered “mild” according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) is commonly overlooked and not diagnosed. The Chicago injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer have represented accident victims with MTBI which are often difficult cases since the defense attorneys usually present a “hired gun” neurologist, psychiatrist or neuropsychologist expert to claim that the plaintiff is either malingering or he or she is imagining his or her symptoms.

As a result of an impact to the head or of a sudden strong movement to the head, an accident victim that suffers a MTBI may experience a brief change in mental status such as confusion, disorientation or loss of memory. The accident victim may also experience a brief loss of consciousness. People with MTBI may have normal MRI and CAT scans and still have cognitive and concentration problems, headache, memory problems, mood swings and other problems that persist. Sometimes close friends, family members and loved ones will notice the changes even more than the person with MTBI. However, victims of MTBI will often look and act normal to people who do not have a close relationship with the person with MTBI. The Chicago injury attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer believe it is important to speak with close friends and family members of persons with MTBI to see if they noticed a change in the injured person after the accident. The accident victim may also need to see a specialist such as a neurologist, psychiatrist or neuropsychologist to properly diagnose the condition.

With the aim of reducing injuries to children who are involved in car accidents, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Safety Administration (NHSA) have changed their recommendations for car seats and children. It is now suggested that infants remain in rear-facing seats until they reach the age of two. Based on research, rear facing seats support infants head and neck better in a car accident. The Chicago car accident attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer have handled cases for children injured in automobile crashes and have seen the most serious injuries for children not put in a car seat as required by Illinois law.

The NHSA has also changed its recommendations regarding elementary school children. Before, parents were advised to keep their children in booster seats until they are 8 years old. The new recommendation is that children should be kept in a booster seat until that are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall.

Illinois law requires that children under the age of 8 years old be secured in the appropriate child safety seat. Persons in violation of this law are subject to a $50.00 fine for the first offense and $100.00 fine for subsequent offenses.