Chicago Injury Attorney Blog

A 26-year-old motorcyclist died last night for injuries he sustained during a Chicago motorcycle crash on the Dan Ryan Expessway. Illinois State Police say Stefan Stave encountered a minivan that was stopped in traffic. He was unable to avoid the vehicle and rear-ended another passenger auto. The motorcyclist then fell onto the road where he was hit by a semi-truck.

Illinois State Police are investigating the Chicago motorcycle accident.

2008 Motorcycle Facts from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
• 121 Illinois motorcycle riders died.
• Nationally, there were 5,290 motorcyclists that died. That’s 116 more than in 2007.
• 96,000 motorcycle accident injuries.
• Motorcyclists have a 37 more likely chance of dying in a traffic accident and 9 times more likely chance of getting hurt than the occupants of passenger vehicles do (2007).
• Last year, motorcyclists made up 14% of all traffic deaths and 4% of all vehicle injuries.
• 47% of motorcycles involved in deadly accidents were involved in crashes with other vehicles.
• 77% of motorcycles involved in two-motor vehicle collisions were hit in the front.
• 25% of motorcycles involved in fatal accidents were in crashes with fixed objects.
• 35% of motorcycle riders involved in fatal traffic crashes were speeding.
• 29% of vehicle riders involved in deadly accidents were driving with a BAC of .08% or more
• 30% of motorcycle riders who died had a BAC of .08% or more.

In many traffic accidents involving motorcycles, it is usually the motorcyclists who are the worse for wear, sustaining traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and dying.

Our Chicago motorcycle crash lawyers have obtained successful results for many of our injury clients.

Motorcyclist killed in Dan Ryan crash, WBBM780, October 22, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Federal Highway Administration

The "Hurt Report" Summary

Continue reading "Chicago Motorcycle Accident on Dan Ryan Expressway Claims Life of Lombard, Illinois Rider" »

A City Council committee has advanced a $3.4 million Chicago motorcycle accident settlement for rider Juan Munoz. The 33-year-old motorcyclist was on his motorcycle on September 4, 2000 when he hit a sinkhole. The sinkhole, according to one neighbor, had expanded to 36-inches in diameter, and residents in the area had complained about the road defect.

Munoz, who was thrown from his bike, hit a parked car. As a result of the Chicago motorcycle accident, he suffered a stroke, sustained multiple fractures to his cervical spine, and developed cerebral edema.

To this day, Munoz has not been able to get back his vision in one of his eyes, is unable to move his right arm, experiences weakness in his right leg, has decreased pulmonary function, and suffers from leg spasms.

Months before Munoz’s Chicago motorcycle crash, workers from the Water Department had fixed a leaking water main in the 900 bock of South Western. Less than two weeks before Munoz’s Chicago motorcycle crash, an inspector from the Department of Transportation found that the repair’s concrete base had failed, which resulted in the sunken street. Repairs, however, were not made to the depressed area prior to Munoz’s injury accident.

Damages on Chicago roads that could cause injury or death must be repaired. Failure to do so can be grounds for a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against a state agency or a local municipality. Road debris or obstructions must also be cleared out for the safety of motorcyclists, vehicle occupants, and pedestrians.

Defects or design hazards on the road that could result in a Chicago personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit:

• Poorly marked road or highway divide
• Too much gravel or oil on the road
• Potholes
• Failure to warn about a construction zone up ahead
• Failure to properly mark a construction zone
• Shoulder reductions
• Blind corners
• Glare from street lights
• Low curbing
• Drain pits that aren’t covered
• Cobble stones
• Defective traffic lights
• Signs that are hard to read or see

Injured motorcyclist could get $3.25 million after hitting sinkhole, Chicago Sun-Times, September 8, 2009

Related Web Resources:
City Council, City of Chicago

Chicago Motorcycle Guide

As Motorcycle Awareness month begins to wrap up, our Chicago motorcycle accident law firm is sad to report that there were at least six Illinois motorcyclists killed in three Chicago-area traffic accidents over the holiday weekend. While the number of Illinois motorcycle deaths have recently declined—135 motorcyclist fatalities in 2008 compared to 157 rider deaths in 2007, the motorcycle death tolls from this weekend in the Chicago area alone is a harsh reminder to motorcyclists and other vehicle drivers that it is up to both parties to share the roads safely by driving safely.

In Calumet City, motorcyclist Martez Nile died when in a single-vehicle crash on Crandon Road and Dalton Avenue this weekend. While in Elburn, a St. Charles husband and wife, Wade and Denise Thomas, were killed in a deadly Illinois multi-vehicle crash involving six motorcycles and three motor vehicles. In a third deadly Chicago-area motorcycle accident, riders Sean Darke, Brianna Moore, and Michael Adams died when another rider made an illegal U-turn, riding head-on into the victims’ motorcycles.

As part of the state’s Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, Illinois State Police, Governor Pat Quinn, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and motorcycle safety advocates want the public to “Start Seeing Motorcycles” on the roads. The IDOT is also offering beginner and intermediate riders free rider courses.

The Illinois State Police is offering new riders a number of safety tips, including:

• Wear an approved helmet and protective clothing.
• Don’t ride above 80% of your riding capabilities.
• Be on the lookout for animals on the road.
• Be aware of your surrounding and the vehicles around you.
• Look around to make sure other vehicles aren't approaching before riding through an intersection.
• Don’t drive drunk.

Just as motorcyclists have to ride responsibly and refrain from going too fast so that they don't place their lives and the lives of others at risk, motor vehicle drivers, whose occupants tend to have the greater safety advantage during accidents with motorcycles, must also take the proper steps so that they don’t get involved in an Illinois motor vehicle accident with a motorcycle rider.

Holiday motorcycle accidents kill six in Chicago area, WGN, May 25, 2009

Motorcycle Enthusiasts Urge Drivers To Be Careful, CBS2Chicago.com, May 24, 2009

Advocates push “Start Seeing Motorcycles” Campaign; IDOT Unveils New Public Service Announcement, Illinois State Police, April 28, 2009

Related Web Resources:
NHTSA

Illinois Department of Transportation

Continue reading "Chicago Motorcycle Accidents: At Least Six Motorcyclists Killed in Area Crashes Over the Memorial Day Weekend" »

The Lake County State’s Attorney’s office is considering filing criminal charges against a female driver who may have caused a fatal Illinois motorcycle accident because she was busy painting her nails. Police say that Morris resident Lora Hunt told them that she did not see Anita Zaffke, who was stopped at an intersection on route 12, until her Chevrolet Impala struck the Honda motorcycle because she was applying nail polish.

Zaffke was thrown 200 feet from her motorcycle and died about an hour after the catastrophic Illinois motorcycle crash from abdominal and chest injuries. She was wearing a motorcycle helmet when the deadly collision happened.

Hunt received a citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver inattention is a contributing cause of 80% of all auto accidents. The following activities while driving can increase the chances that the motorist will become involved in an auto accident:

• Reaching toward a moving object increases the chances of a collision or near-collision by nine times.
• Glancing at an external object increases risk of an auto crash by 3.7 times.
• Reading while driving increases the traffic crash risk by 3 times.
• Putting on make up increases the chances of a collision by 3 times.
• Using a cell phone increases traffic collision risk by 3 times.
• Listening to a handheld device or talking on one increases the chances of an auto accident by 1.3 times.

AAA says that distracted driving causes up to 8,000 US auto collisions a year. Driving while distracted is a kind of negligent driving that can be catastrophic for those around the distracted motorist. Not only can it destroy the lives of the motorcyclists, car drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, or others who may get hurt because a motorist was too distracted while behind the wheel, but the responsible party will have to spend the rest of his or her life living with the knowledge that someone was seriously hurt or died just because the motorist was reading, eating, talking on the phone, putting on make up, or engaged in another type of distracted driving activity.

You may be entitled to Chicago personal injury or wrongful death compensation from the distracted driver that caused your Illinois motor vehicle accident.

Charges mulled in fatal nail-polish crash, Chicago Breaking News, May 4, 2009

Driver painting nails runs red light, kills cyclist: cops, Chicago Sun-Times, May 4, 2009

NHTSA, Virginia TechTransportation Institute Release Findings of Breakthrough Research on Real-World Driver Behavior, Distraction and Crash Factors, NHTSA

Related Web Resources:
Distracted Driving, AAA

Distracted Driving, National Safety Council

Continue reading "Driver Charged with Causing Fatal Lake County, Illinois Motorcycle Accident Says She Was Painting Her Nails" »

In a 14-42 vote, the Illinois Senate rejected a plan mandating all motorcyclists to use a helmet. Illinois, New Hampshire, and Iowa are the only three US states that don’t have a motorcycle helmet law.

This is not the first attempt to get a motorcycle helmet law passed in the state. One reason for this is that there have been motorcycle advocate groups who want helmet use to remain the rider’s decision, not a state government mandate.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the use of motorcycle helmets saved 1,784 lives in 2007, and 800 additional lives could have been saved if the motorcycle riders had been using helmets when they were involved in the deadly motorcycle accidents. 142 of the motorcyclists that died that year were in Illinois, and over 80% of these victims were not using helmets.

Some steps motorcycle riders can take to protect themselves when riding on Illinois roads:

• Wear the proper protective clothing.
• Use your headlight.
• Signal your intentions, whether you are turning or changing lanes.
• When necessary, use your horn.
• Get out of other vehicle’s blind spots.
• Pay attention to what other people are doing.
• Keep looking around.
• Don’t tailgate.
• Don’t speed.
• Pay attention to road conditions and adjust your speed accordingly.

Motorcyclists tend to be more vulnerable to serious injuries than people riding within the protection and safety of large trucks and passenger cars. While use of a helmet can decrease the impact on a motorcyclist’s head when colliding with a motor vehicle, the ground, a concrete barrier, or another nonmoving object, other serious injuries can occur, including broken bones, spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, and internal injuries, and, of course, death.

You may be entitled to lllinois personal injury recovery from a negligent motorist or another liable party for your Chicago motorcycle accident injuries. Unfortunately, It is not uncommon for people to think that the motorcyclist is to blame for the traffic crash.

Illinois Senate rejecting a mandatory motorcycle helmet law, STLToday, April 1, 2009

Illinois Senate rejecting a mandatory motorcycle helmet law, St Louis Post-Dispatch, April 1, 2009

Related Web Resources:
State of Illinois, Bikersrights.com

Continue reading "Illinois Senate Rejects Motorcycle Helmet Requirement" »

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)

Continue reading "South Side Rapper Dies in Chicago Motorcycle Accident After Van Driver Allegedly Fails to Yield Right of Way " »

One man died and a woman was hurt in Schaumburg, Illinois on Sunday in a motor vehicle collision that occurred at Higgins Road and Mall Drive. The accident occurred around 4:30 in the afternoon.

Preliminary reports indicate that a car was going west on Higgins made a U-turn in front of a motorcycle headed east. Both motorists may have had a green light at Mall Drive.

The motorcyclist, 39-year-old Dean Schroeder, was pronounced dead later in the evening at Alexian Brothers Medical Center. The driver of the car, a 30-year-old woman, was also treated at the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2007 Traffic Safety Facts:

• 41,059 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2007.
• 2,491,000 others sustained injuries.
• 5,154 people died in motorcycle crashes last year.
• 70,000 motorcyclists were injured.
• There were 802 large truckers killed.
• 698 traffic crash victims in 2007 were pedalcyclists.

While US Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters said that overall traffic deaths in the US reached their lowest figure in 14 years, she noted that motorcycle safety is an ongoing issue, with motorcyclist deaths making up 13% of all motor vehicle deaths in the US.

Motorcyclist dies in collision near Woodfield Mall, ChicagoTribune.com, September 1, 2008

2007 Traffic Safety Facts, NHTSA (PDF)

Related Web Resource:

Illinois Department of Transportation

Continue reading "Palatine Motorcyclist and Car Driver Injured in Collision in Schaumburg, Illinois" »

In Illinois, 49-year-old Joseph Ketza died on Monday in a motorcycle accident that occurred close to Willow Springs. The Arlington Heights motorcyclist became involved in a traffic accident with a van that made a U-turn in front of him.

Ketza, a father of four, struck the van with his motorcycle, lost control of it, and skidded along the pavement. He was pronounced dead less than two hours later at Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn.

The driver of the van was Chicago resident Joseph Delgado. Delgado has been charged with one count of an improper U-turn and one count of failure to yield.

Motorcycle Accidents
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 4,810 people died in motorcycle accidents in 2006. While motorcycle accidents can occur because the motorcyclist was negligent, they also frequently occur because another party, such as a trucker, a car driver, or a bus driver was negligent.

Motorcyclists involved in serious auto crashes are prone to catastrophic injuries, including spinal cord injuries, severed limbs, serious burn injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and death. Motorcyclists don’t have anything except for their helmets and protective gear to protect them from the impact of being thrown into a car, crashing into a wall, or skidding across the highway at high speeds.

According to the “Hurt Report”:

• 75% of motorcycle accidents involve another motor vehicle.
• 2% of motorcycle accidents are caused by roadway defects.
• In 2/3rds of multiple vehicle crashes involving motorcycles, drivers of other vehicles caused the collisions and violated a motorcyclist’s right of way.

Arlington Heights man killed in motorcycle crash, Daily Herald.com, August 4, 2008

"The Hurt Report" Summary

Related Web Resources:

Illinois State Motorcycle Laws

Motorcycle Safety Foundation

Continue reading "Arlington Heights Motorcyclist Dies in Traffic Accident " »