Chicago Injury Attorney Blog

A local Chicago rapper is dead following a deadly Illinois motorcycle accident on East 95th street. The fatal traffic crash occurred when the motorcycle he Reginald “St. Nick” Coleman riding was struck by a van on East 95th Street on Saturday evening.

The driver of the van, 22-year-old Omari Dollinson, had been turning left at Forest Avenue. Chicago police have issued a citation to Dollinson for allegedly failing to yield the right of way.

Coleman, 27, was a popular local rapper who performed in local clubs. He leaves behind three young children who are now orphans. Coleman’s wife, Charnell, was just 27 when she died of a heart attack last October. Their children are ages 4, 3, and almost 1.

Illinois Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle riders are entitled to the same respect on the road as the drivers of cars, trucks, and buses. Motorcyclists are susceptible to serious injuries during Illinois traffic accidents because they don’t have the physical protection of a vehicle to protect them from the impact of colliding with another motor vehicle, a wall, a guardrail, or the ground.

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, most motor vehicle collisions tend to occur in areas that have the densest populations. The counties where the most Illinois motorcyclist deaths occurred in 2007 were: Cook County (36), Lake County (10), Will County (8), Jersey County (7), DuPage County (6), Winnebago County (6), Kane County (5), McHenry County (5), and St. Clair County (5).

Injured motorcyclists and the families of motorcycle riders who were killed because another driver or another party was negligent or reckless may be entitled to Illinois personal injury or wrongful death compensation.

South Side rapper's death: Motorcycle crash victim mourned by family, friends, Chicago Tribune, March 16, 2009

2007 Motorcycle Fatalities, Illinois Department of Transportation (PDF)