Articles Posted in Firm News

Firm News | August 21, 2013

A driver’s worst nightmare is to be involved in an accident involving not one, but two semi trucks. Unfortunately, this became a reality for a family from Merrillville, Indiana, when their Jeep was rear-ended by semi and then pushed into another one in front of them. The accident occurred in Demotte, Indiana, a little over an hour outside Chicago, Illinois.

The Aug. 15 truck accident happened on I-65 and killed seven family members, four of them children under age 8. Two women – the children’s parents – and an uncle were also killed in the crash. The accident, which occurred at around 10 p.m., left the Jeep greatly compacted and burnt beyond recognition.

Firm News | August 8, 2013

One person was killed and another seven were injured and taken to local area hospitals, with four in serious to critical condition, following a car accident that involved a funeral procession and multiple vehicles.

According to reports, the crash occurred in the early afternoon hours in Morgan Park at 109th and Vincennes. There were three vehicles involved in the accident, including a Buick LeSabre that was part of a funeral procession at the time of the collision. There were seven people in the vehicle. The other two vehicles included a Lincoln Continental as well as a beverage delivery truck.

Firm News | August 2, 2013

The first of several wrongful death cases against the automaker Toyota is set to begin. This lawsuit is centered around the death of a 66-year-old woman who the family says was the victim of a horrifying car accident due to the sudden acceleration of her vehicle.

According to court filings, the woman’s 2006 Toyota Camry hit speeds of up to 100 mph in a 30 mph zone because of the sudden acceleration. Photos taken of the vehicle after the accident show the vehicle’s emergency brake pulled up, which was an attempt by the woman to slow her car down. Her vehicle struck a tree and a telephone pole, and she died at the accident scene.

Firm News | July 24, 2013

In many cases, chain reaction accidents are among the worst. With so many vehicles involved, the chance for injury is much greater. A recent chain reaction crash on the Tri-State Tollway near Gurnee involving six vehicles led to injuries to 16 people, including three children who are now in critical condition at local hospitals.

Reports are stating that the crash involved multiple families that were heading to the famous Six Flags Great America amusement park located in Gurnee.

Firm News | July 11, 2013

A Chicago resident was sentenced on Monday to 15 years in prison as a result of a car accident he caused on the Northwest Side in 2011, leading to the death of a mother and her teenage son.

In addition to the two people killed in the crash, three others were injured as well. This included a high school student, who sustained permanent vision and hearing damage, as well as a then 3-year-old child who suffered a broken leg. Another high school student suffered a fractured pelvis.

Firm News | July 5, 2013

On July 2, four people were injured and taken to the hospital following a multi-vehicle accident on the Dan Ryan Expressway. In addition to those who were taken to the hospital, six more individuals were treated on the scene.

The accident involved a collision at approximately 6:55 p.m. including three cars, a limousine, and two box trucks. According to Illinois State Police, alcohol may have played a factor in the car accident.

Firm News | June 21, 2013

It is a common belief that multitasking is a way to get more done in a limited amount of time. In reality, multitasking can be inefficient and, when done in the wrong situations, dangerous. Distracted driving accidents are just one area where the myth of multitasking is causing harm. Pedestrians also suffer elevated accident rates when they engage in texting, chatting or other tasks that take their attention away from getting safely to where they are going. The ability to focus your attention on a single task and do so until it is complete is highly valuable. That is true for almost every activity you do, including driving.

The fundamental problem with multitasking is that when people believe they are completing several tasks, they are really just switching inefficiently from one task to another. This leads to wasted time in transition and to mistakes. Doing a poor job of three tasks at once is not better than doing each task well and then moving on when that task is done. When it comes to driving, when a driver is texting or even using a hands-free device, that driver is not actually driving. They are behind the wheel of a vehicle, but they are doing something else.

Firm News | June 10, 2013

When asked in a survey, 94 percent of drivers acknowledged that texting behind the wheel is dangerous. That survey, conducted in 2011, was one of the first to identify a serious problem in targeting distracted driving. While admitting the practice was dangerous, one-third of survey respondents indicated that they had texted while driving in previous month. They knew it was dangerous, but they did it anyway. Awareness campaigns and data indicated an increase in fatal car accidents caused by distracted driving do not seem to be enough. The question is, what can states do to get drivers to put down their phones?

The federal government is hoping to help states cross that divide by providing funding to states that taken certain measures against texting behind the wheel. To qualify for funds under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, states must make distracted driving a primary offense, ban texting even while a driver is stopped at a traffic light, allow police to fine texters for a first offense, provide escalated fines for later offenses, and, finally, add distracted driving issues to the driver’s license exam.

Firm News | May 29, 2013

The Illinois House of Representatives has passed a bill to ban the use of handheld cell phones while operating a motor vehicle. The measure is intended to reduce the distracted driving accidents caused by drivers paying attention to their phones, rather than to safe driving. The bill now goes to Governor Pat Quinn. If he signs the bill into law, Illinois will become one of the earliest states to take this step in combating distracted driving.

Many communities in Illinois have already banned the use of handheld cell phones by drivers. Evanston blocked the practice three years ago and has reported a reduction in crashes, including fatal crashes, since the measure took effect. Despite the early success of handheld bans, the bill has many critics. One of the primary concerns is that distracted driving comes in many forms and the bill singles out one. Another concern is that it is not clear that hands-free devices are safer for drivers than handheld devices.

Firm News | May 15, 2013

A survey was commissioned by CarInsurance.com to ask drivers how insurance companies should screen and price car insurance policies. The results showed that many drivers consider texting behind the wheel a serious concern. Distracted driving has drawn substantial scrutiny recently as it has been tied to a rise in fatal car accidents. While many people continue to engage in the behavior, motorists in general seem to consider it a serious problem. If you have been involved in a car accident, contact our Chicago car accident lawyers today for a free consultation.

The survey results may reflect the status of texting behind the wheel as the latest craze in safety advocacy. For example, nearly 73 percent of those surveyed believe that a driver who is caught texting while driving should pay more for car insurance than a person who speeds. Texting is a growing problem, but studies have shown that speeding is a factor in roughly 33 percent of all fatal car crashes.