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.
Homeowner is not Responsible for Injury on Adjacent Sidewalk
When a person suffers injuries as a result of a slip and fall on negligently maintained property, it is important to establish who is responsible to maintain the property that caused the slip and fall.
In the recent decision Gilmore v. Powers, the Illinois Appellate Court determined that homeowners are not responsible for injuries on public property abutting their house, even if the homeowners maintained the property by cutting grass, watering, spreading salt on the property. The plaintiff in this case was a mover that was helping the property owners move their belongings from California to their home in Evanston, Illinois. As the moving company was finishing its work, one of the movers fell on a stone walkway which straddled the city-owned parkway in front of defendants’ house.
The mover sued the homeowners for negligence claiming that the homeowners should have maintained “their property” in a condition that was safe for people such as herself. The mover specifically asserted that the homeowners violated this duty by failing to inspect “their property” for hazardous conditions, permitting the walkway to remain in a dangerous condition, failing to fix the walkway after becoming aware of its dangerous condition, and failing to properly maintain the walkway on the property.
Pedestrian Struck & Killed By Motorist In Logan Square In Chicago
A man in his late teens or early 20’s was struck by a motorist early Sunday morning in the the Logan Square neighborhood in Chicago.
The man had been struck by a black SUV around 4:40 a.m. while he was walking near the 2400 block of North Ridgeway Avenue in Chicago. The SUV did not stop.
As a personal injury attorney in Chicago, I have had more than one case of pedestrians being hit by motorists in vans or SUVs late at night with the van or SUV then speeding away. Walking in alleys is especially dangerous at night. Some of the hits almost seemed to be intentional in that there was no horn sounded and no attempts to stop. So it is prudent not to trust the drivers of any vehicle driving around late at night or in early morning hours in Chicago.
Common Situations That Cause Bicycle Injuries
According to bicyclinginfo.org 716 people in the USA were killed and 52,000 suffered personal injuries in collisions involving a bike against a motor vehicle in 2008. The website bicyclesafe.com identified common situations that cause personal injuries to bicyclists. The most common ones our Chicago personal injury firm has encountered are:
The right cross
This is the situation where a motor vehicle is pulling out from a side street, private driveway or alleyway from the bicyclists right side. The driver is looking for cars and often pulls up into the path of the bicyclist. This situation is especially common in Chicago since many alleyway exits have cars parked right up to the the exit to the alleyway so that cars exiting the alleyway have very poor visibility of bikes on the roadway. Ways to avoid this type of collision include using a head light, slowing down before exits and trying to make eye contact with the motorist to determine if the motorist has seen you or not.
Bicycle Related Injuries on the Rise
Chicago is trying to be a bicycle friendly city, and yet sharing the city streets with automobiles is full of hazards, even for experienced bikers. Danger to bikers lurks everywhere: from moving traffic, from careless drivers who open the doors of their parked cars without looking out for bikers, from dangerous pavements and obstacles on the road. It is time to review some safety tips that will help in avoiding bicycle accidents:
First, wear a helmet to protect your brain and save your life. Traumatic brain injury is one of the leading causes of death in bicycle accidents.
Make sure that your bicycle is a proper fit. If you need to adjust the seat height and handlebar height, make sure you do so before hitting the road.
Bicycle Hits Another Bicycle
Today a bicyclist hit another bicyclist near the Walgreen’s at Peterson and Western in Chicago. One of the bicyclists was coming out of Walgreen’s when the second bicyclist, who was driving on the sidewalk, t-boned the first bicyclist. The collision resulted in seriously twisted tires and a sprained ankle. The personal injuries in this case were minor, but the front bicycle tires will need to be changed.
It is very important for bicyclists to realize that the rules of the road apply to them. They can cause personal injuries just like automobiles. Although there is no bicycle liability insurance, their general homeowners liability insurance will cover negligent acts that they commit. Although bicycle injuries caused by a collision with another bicycle are rare, they may have serious consequences and victims of personal injuries, including injuries to pedestrians.
The Chicago bicycle injuries attorneys have handled numerous cases that involve bicycle vs. bicycle collision or bicycle vs. pedestrian collision. With the nice weather and expensive gas, there are more bicyclists on the road and the sidewalk than ever. We urge all bicyclists to be careful when they drive. Download our Free Bicycle Safety Brochure.
Illinois Governor Signs Bike Safety Legislation
Illinois Governor Quinn signed legislation in a Chicago bicycle shop that is intended to make bicycling safer on Illinois roadways. The law creates penalties for motorists who drive recklessly or unnecessarily close to bicyclists. The governor also sign legislation that will create share the road license plates that will fund an education campaign regarding sharing the road with bicyclist. Hopefully, the legislation will encourage drivers in Chicago to keep a safe distance to avoid accidents and injuries to bicyclists.
Two Chicago Men Purposely Crash And Injure Cyclists
Two Chicago men plead guilty to taking turns running down bicyclists in Brookfiled on May 31, 2009. Erik Fabian, 20, and Armando Reza, 18, were out driving when Reza bet Fabian that he wouldn’t hit a bicyclist. Fabian then proceeded to run into bicyclist David Silivis, knocking him to the ground causing scrape injuries. The two laughed about the incident and switched places driving. Reza then proceeded to run into a bicyclist named Juan Gamboa, knocking him to the ground.
Surprisingly, even though they both plead guilty to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and leaving the scene of an accident, Fabian got only probation and Reza got only 10 days in jail.
Given the fact that the bicyclists could have easily been seriously injured or killed the sentences seem too light. Bicyclists have enough to worry about without having crazy morons purposely trying to run them down.
Injuries Common On Chicago Lakefront Bike Path
As a frequent bike rider on the Chicago Lakefront “bike” path, I can attest that bicyclist injuries are common on the bike path. So are walkers, runners and bladers injuries. The scene is chaotic. Bikers, bladers, runners and walkers are all using the path along the beach. Some parents set up camp with their children on the street side of the path so kids are regularly running across the path. On top of all this some bikers and bladers go insanely fast given the conditions. Add to this, some parents along the Chicago bike path seem to have a death wish for their children and bring their young bicycle beginners to learn to ride among the chaos. I have seen more bloody injuries on the bike path then any where else. I have also seen the aftermath of a fatal bike-blader crash.
Common sense dictates that bladers and bikers need to go very slow when riding along the crowded beaches. Additionally, parents need to watch their kids and keep them from running across the path without looking. Lastly, a parent has to be crazy to take their beginning biker children to learn to ride on the Chicago lake front bike path. The path is not even safe for experienced adults.
Activist Fights To Make Bicycling Safe In Chicago
Rob Sadowsky has headed Active Transportation Alliance for six years and has worked to make bicycling safer in Chicago. He has recently accepted a job to head the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in Portland. During his tenure at Active Transportation, Sadowsky has advocated for the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois to adopt a “complete streets” policy which means streets that accommodate not only cars but also bikes and pedestrians. The city of Chicago has adopted the policy and now city engineers are trained to take into account bicyclists and pedestrians when designing new roads.
Sadowsky still sees areas where the city is still lacking. One of the top priorities for the Alliance is to have bike lanes in Chicago physically separate from from the car lanes. This is being done in other United States cities and in Europe. After all, a bicycle is no match for a car and Chicago bicyclist are injured by cars every week, especially in the summer. It is simply not safe to ride ones bike down a busy street like Western Ave. in Chicago, though many people do. Many more people would ride bikes in Chicago if it were safe to do so.