Articles Posted in Auto Accidents

As Chicago personal injury law firm, the attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. have noticed that we have been handling more and more cases involving distracted defendants who were either texting or on the cell phone when he or she caused a collision involving a personal injury. Even more egregious, our Chicago personal injury law firm is currently handling two separate case where the defendant dropped their cell phone on the floor of their cars and were looking for the cell phone on the floor when they ran into our clients, causing serious injuries in both cases.

Although texting has been illegal for motorists in Illinois since January 1, 2010, surprisingly, a recent Chicago Tribune online survey indicated that 40% of Illinois Tollway customers were unaware of the law.

Distracted driving is no trivial matter. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports the following statistics on its web site:

Thousands of car accidents each year are believed to be caused by unrestrained pets experts say. However, only the state of Hawaii has a law that prohibits drivers from driving with a pet on their lap. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calculates that in 2009, 5,474 people were killed and 448,000 people were injured by distracted drivers in the United States. Cell phones are considered the top distraction but not the only distraction. Children and pets are also considered to be a major distraction for drivers. Author Stephen King suffered several broken bones as a result of being hit by a driver who claims that he was distracted by his dog. The Chicago personal injury attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer PC have handled one case where the driver who rear-ended our client was distracted by a Great Dane dog that he had unrestrained in the back seat of his car.

Two Lane Tech High School students were injured on Wednesday outside of Lane Tech High School in Chicago when 61 year old man lost control of his car and crashed into the side of a sandwich shop at the intersection of Addison and Western Ave. Lane Tech has an open campus and there were a number of students walking around the area. A huge crash was felt inside Hero’s Sandwich Shop. Both girls had been crossing West Addison Street when they were struck. Police said that one girl suffered a broken ankle and was treated for minor injuries. It was not determined why the drive lost control of his car.

Lane Tech has many students crossing Western Ave. and Addison Ave. in Chicago during school hours. Its important that drivers drive slowly and watch out for students who cross in the middle of the block. The Chicago personal injury attorneys at Zneimer & Zneimer have handled cases for injured students and injured bicyclist injured right outside of Lane Tech so we know from experience that this is a dangerous area and drivers need to exercise caution when driving in this area.

Beginning January 1, 2011, a driver found guilty of driving 40 mph or faster over the speed limit in Illinois will no longer qualify for court supervision, which keeps moving violations off a driver’s driving record. The maximum penalty for driving 40 mph or more over the speed limit is up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. The toughest penalty for going at least 30 mph over the speed limit is six months in jail and a $500 fine. As a Chicago personal injury lawyer, I know from experience that speed causes injuries and sometimes kills. The law firm of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. has handled numerous cases for individuals injured by persons driving in excess of the speed limit, especially on residential streets. For too long in the Chicago area speeding has not been taken as seriously as it should be, given the injuries and deaths that speeding has been responsible for. A Chicago Tribune study of state police tickets, license data and court records demonstrated that Chicago area judges gave supervision to about two-thirds of drivers who were driving over 100 mph. Senate President John Cullerton D-Chicago who sponsored the new law specifically cited the Chicago Tribune’s article as inspiration for the tougher law.

As personal injury attorneys in Chicago, concentrating in representing victims of serious car crashes, we are surprised by the results of a AAA study which found that one in eight car accidents where someone went to the hospital was caused by a sleepy driver. The study also found that sixteen percent of car accidents resulting in a wrongful death were caused by sleepy drivers. The AAA study was conducted for a ten year period ending in 2008.

Sleepy drivers, according to medical professionals, have impaired judgment and reflexes. Many experts compare driving while sleepy to the effects of driving while under the influence.

A study in the American Journal of Public Health estimated sending text messages while driving led to accidents that killed approximately 16,000 people from 2001 to 2007. The same study concluded that deaths because of “distracted driving” surged from 4,572 in 2005 to 5,870 in 2008. With more people texting all the time, distracted driving is becoming a bigger safety hazard.

A Chicago driver, Kimisha Moore, 19, was on her cell phone and was driving 60 mph when she approached a stopped emergency vehicles on the Dan Ryan in Chicago. The distracted driver struck a state trooper who was standing on the shoulder and was engaged in a traffic stop investigation. The trooper suffered a smashed pelvis and two broken legs. The distracted driver was charged with aggravated reckless conduct, a felony and bond was set at $50,000.

The State Police issued a plea for drivers to stay off their cell phones and to slow down and change lanes when drivers see emergency vehicles stopped along the shoulder.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that almost 6,000 people are killed each year by distracted drivers and 50,000 are injured in auto accidents by distracted drivers.

Between 1994 to 2008 there have been close to 6,000 traffic fatalities in Cook County according to an analysis done by Scripps Howard News Service. Of these 6,000 fatalities, nearly one-third were linked to drinking.

The same study found that the Cook County portion of I-94, which runs mostly through Chicago, is the 11th most dangerous road in the nation for fatal auto accidents with 304 fatalities between 1994 and 2008.

The law firm of Zneimer & Zneimer agreed to represent an injured bicyclist who was rear-ended on Western Ave. near Lane Tech High School in Chicago. The driver who struck the bicyclist was a student at Lane Tech High School who told police that he was retrieving his cell phone from the floor of his car when he rear-ended the bicyclist. Fortunately, the bicyclist was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

This bicycle accident shows that even if the bicyclist is very careful, the bicyclist is still at the mercy of drivers who are not paying attention. That is why it is so important to wear protective clothing. A bicycle helmet is a must if one plans to ride on busy roads like Western Ave. in Chicago.