Chicago Car Accident Attorneys Blog

According to AAA Chicago, approximately 1.5 million people will be driving from Illinois over the holiday weekend. While a long weekend is always a wonderful opportunity for friends and family to get together, the Illinois Department of Transportation is cautioning that this weekend is also one of the deadliest periods on the roads.

According to the IDOT, 30 people died in 17 Illinois traffic crashes during the Memorial weekend last year—that’s about 9 deaths a day. While law enforcement agencies have stepped up their patrols and police enforcement to hopefully keep the Illinois car accident death toll down this year, it is still up to drivers to operate their vehicles carefully, wear there seat belts, and refrain from disobeying the traffic laws, speeding, driving drunk, talking on the cell phone, text messaging, or following too closely.

AAA offers a number of tips for safe travel over the Memorial Day weekend, including:

• Don’t drive aggressively
• Make sure your car is properly serviced before heading off
• Don’t keep stepping on the brakes
• Program your GPS before you get in the car not while you are stuck in traffic

Even though it is a holiday weekend, if you were injured in a Chicago car accident that was caused by another party’s reckless or negligent driving or because a vehicle malfunctioned or a traffic light didn’t work properly, it is important that you report the incident and speak with a Cook County motor vehicle crash lawyer about your case.

More people expected to travel this holiday weekend, SunTimes, May 28, 2010

Related Web Resources:
AAA

CyberDrive, Illinois

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The father of Chicago police officer Cameron D. Karshna is suing the City of Chicago for his Cook County wrongful death. The 31-year-old off-duty cop was riding his motorcycle on Touhy Avenue on March 20, 2009 when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Raymond T. Adams

According to the Chicago, Illinois motorcycle accident lawsuit, Karshna stepped on the brakes to avoid colliding with Adams’s car, but the potholes on the road prevented him from stopping. Adams, 36, received citations for failure to wear a seat belt and failure to yield to the right of way to oncoming traffic while making a left turn.

Now, Gary E. Karshna is seeking over $100,000 from the city of Chicago. He is accusing the municipal corporation of negligent and careless street maintenance, as well as failng to fix the potholes.

Road Defect Lawsuits
You can sue a city or county for personal injury or wrongful death if failure to properly design, maintain, or repair a road contributed to causing the traffic crash.

Other Road Defects:
• Embankment flaws
• Inadequate striping
• Lack of traffic signs, pedestrian crosswalks, or traffic lights
• Insufficient shoulder area
• Malfunctioning traffic signals
• Inappropriate speed limit
• Insufficient median barriers
• Poor curbing
• Poorly designed intersections
• Potholes
• Not enough traffic lights

Without the body of a motor vehicle to protect motorcyclists from the impact of collision, riders are especially at risk of getting seriously hurt during a Chicago motorcycle accident. You may have grounds for holding certain parties liable.

Suit: Potholes played role in crash that killed off-duty cop, WBBM Newsradio, March 19, 2010

Cop killed in crash was 'always in a good mood', Chicago Breaking News Center, March 21, 2010

Related Web Resources:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Motorcycle Crash Statistics, Insurance Information Institute

A man who a jury awarded $1.3 million for serious injuries he sustained in an Illinois motorcycle accident is now asking for sanctions against, as well as half a million dollars in damages from the responsible driver's insurance company. Steven Thomas Kirk, an Alton resident, severed his foot and part of his leg when he was injured in a June 30, 2006 traffic accident.

Kirk was riding his motorcycle when a vehicle driven by Enver Hamiti, who is also an Alton resident, hit him. Police cited Hamiti for not obeying a stop sign. Kirk, who was under the influence at the time of the Illinois motor vehicle accident, was not cited for causing the crash or ticketed for drunk driving.

Kirk sued Hamiti for Illinois personal injury. He says the motorist did not attempt to assist him or call for help. Kirk says that while he lay on the street with his leg detached, someone came up to him and robbed him, stealing a diamond earring that he was wearing.

A jury awarded him $1.8 million. It did, however, subtract 20% for the plaintiff’s contribution to causing the traffic collision.

Now, Kirk is accusing Hamiti’s insurer, Mercury Insurance Co., of persuading (maybe even bribing) a witness to lie about what she saw. During the civil trial, the witness said she saw Kirk weaving and speeding on the road. She claimed she lived in an apartment close to where the motorcycle accident happened and that “Friends” was on at the time.

The Illinois motorcycle accident, however, happened at 11pm and “Friends” was on at 9pm that night. During cross-examination, the witness said that her lease on the apartment started six months after the motorcycle collision.

Kirk is seeking sanctions and another $500,000 in damages.

Amputee seeks sanctions against insurance company post-trial , The Record, December 2, 2009

Alton man seeks more damages after jury award, The Telegraph, December 1, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Motorcycle Accidents, Justia

Mercury Insurance Co.