Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

A truck driver was killed early this morning while attempting to place warning triangles around his broken down semi. The fatal accident occurred on Chicago’s Tri-State expressway (I-294) near the Cermak road exit. The truck accident claimed the life of 41 year-old Kenneth A. Brown of Crest Hill, IL. According to Illinois State Police Tollway District Master Sgt. John Creedon, the tragedy occurred when the semi-truck trailer became separated from the cab around 1:07 a.m. on Thursday morning. The trailer and the cab were separated by about ten feet when the breaks on the truck locked. The truck was stopped in a lane of traffic when the accident occurred.

According to reports, the Kenneth Brown exited his vehicle and attempted to place triangular markers along the Chicago expressway to warn other drivers of his predicament. While he was placing the markers, Brown was reportedly hit and killed by a southbound Chevrolet van. The van clipped the rear of the immobile truck before it hit the trucker. The injured trucker was taken to Adventist Hinsdale Hospital around 1:30 a.m. The DuPage County Coroner’s office confirmed the death but refused to release any further details. The driver of the van reportedly suffered no injuries. The accident is being investigated by accident reconstruction specialists.

The family of the deceased trucker may have both personal injury and workers’ compensation claims following the tragedy. If you have any questions about personal injury or workers’ compensation law, please click here.

Posted by Joseph G. Klest | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Wrongful Death

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A Chicago man was killed yesterday after he fell through an elevator shaft in Downtown Chicago’s Cabrini Green apartment complex. Clarence Walker, a 61 year-old resident of the Cabrini building at the 360 block of West Oak St, fell through the shaft around 9:30 p.m. The cause of the fall remains unclear according to Chicago Police News Affair Officer Ron Gaines. The Chicago Fire Department reports that no one was transferred to the hospital from the accident site following the fatal fall. The investigation is being handled by the Chicago Police Department.

An unidentified resident reported that a male fell from the seventh floor of the elevator shaft. Another resident, 54 year-old Dorothy Jackson, said that police were not allowing residents to enter or leave the building as of 11:10 p.m. on the day of the tragic accident. The area around the accident site was categorized as a crime scene. An autopsy of the body has been scheduled for Tuesday July 28th. Belmont area detectives are investigating the fatal Chicago accident.

The family of the victim may have a wrongful death claim pending an investigation of the tragic fall. If you have any questions or would otherwise like to contact a lawyer, please click here.

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Posted In: Wrongful Death

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A Chicago area car-bus accident injured three disabled children and one unidentified driver yesterday on Interstate 80. According to Illinois State Police, the accident occurred near the LaGrange road exit of the busy Chicago expressway. The bus, which was carrying three disabled children, was reportedly rear-ended by a westbound car. All three of the children, as well as the driver of the car, were taken to an area hospital following the car accident. State police are still investigating the Chicago area car crash.

Bus accidents can often be very serious as bus passengers rarely use seatbelts. Chicago expressway bus accidents are even more dangerous as they usually occur at high speeds in more dangerous conditions. If you have been injured in a Chicago area bus accident and would like to contact a lawyer to discuss your options please click here.

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Posted In: Car Accidents

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An explosion at the Columbus Foods Co. vegetable oil and biodiesel plant in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood left two workers seriously injured last Friday. The workplace explosion is speculated to have been caused by some sort of chemical reaction according to a fire department spokesman. Columbus Foods Co. used the facility to manufacture and ship vegetable oil, shortening, biodiesel and other products. According to reports the facility handles between 20,000 and 40,000 pounds of biodiesel fuel each day. The facility houses about 65 employees. Agency officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have begun an investigation into the cause of the workplace explosion. OSHA reports that the plant has no history of complaints or enforcement actions.

The explosion occurred around 9 a.m. while workers were reportedly mixing chemicals. Several buildings were evacuated and some nearby roadways were closed following the workplace accident. Metra train lines running near the site of the accident were also impacted as a result of the explosion. A hazmat tent was erected outside of Children’s Memorial Hospital to treat individuals injured in the chemical explosion. A company spokesman could not be reached for comment following the accident.

If you have suffered a work related injury in the State of Illinois you may have a workers’ compensation claim or even a personal injury claim. If you wish to speak to a lawyer regarding a workplace injury please click here.

Posted by Joseph G. Klest | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Workplace Injury

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A suburban Chicago car accident left one dead and three others injured last Sunday in Elburn, IL. The fatal car crash occurred at the corner of Route 38 and Anderson Road around 5:16 p.m. last Sunday night. According to reports, the accident occurred when a southbound Toyota Prius travelling on Anderson Road was broadsided by a westbound Ford Freestar van travelling on Route 38. The driver of the Prius, 74 year old Robert G. Schipp of Batavia, IL, subsequently died at Delnor Community Hospital in Geneva, IL, due to injuries he sustained in the car accident. Mary Schipp, a 68 year-old passenger in the Toyota, was listed in critical condition at Delnor Community Hospital. Both the driver of the van, 74 year-old John G. Steele of West Chicago, IL, and his passenger, 68 year-old Rita K. Steele of West Chicago, IL, were treated and released from Delnor. The accident remains under investigation according to Elburn Police Chief Steve Smith.

The Illinois car accident is the second in seven months at the intersection. Elburn Mayor Dave Anderson said that the village will consider potential changes to the intersection once the police investigation is finished. Another man was killed in a car accident at the intersection last December.

If you have been injured in a Chicago area car accident or would otherwise like to speak to an attorney regarding your rights or options following a car accident please click here.

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Posted In: Car Accidents

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A Chicago construction worker was seriously injured this morning when he was struck by a drunk driver near Dolton, IL. The accident occurred around 4:15 a.m. on Chicago’s Bishop Ford Freeway/I-94. According to Illinois Police, a southbound 1998 Cadillac struck a construction worker in a protected work zone pinning him between his vehicle and a construction van. The injured worker was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, IL, with two broken legs. The driver of the vehicle, who remained at the scene while police and emergency vehicles responded to the accident, was taken to Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, IL. The driver reportedly suffered a head injury.

Illinois State Police Chicago Master Sgt. Todd Borisy reported that the incident occurred in a clearly visible work zone that was properly delineated with appropriate signage. The accident involved only one vehicle and the injured worker. There were no passengers in the drunk driver’s car. Charges have yet to be filed however the driver responsible for the Chicago car accident might still face criminal prosecution.

If you have been injured in a drunk driver car accident, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible to investigate the accident and protect your rights. If you have any questions regarding Chicago drunk driver car accidents or would otherwise like to speak with an attorney, please click here.

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Posted In: Car Accidents

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A Lincolnwood, IL, man was pronounced dead last Tuesday following a hit and run car accident on Chicago’s Kennedy Expressway. The victim, 58 year old William Nanz of 3924 Greenleaf Ave. in Lincolnwood, IL, was pronounced dead around 2:49 p.m. according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. The Chicago car accident occurred in the northbound lanes of Chicago’s Kennedy expressway near the North Kostner exit. According to Illinois State Police, Nanz was northbound on the busy Chicago expressway when his vehicle slowed due to building traffic. He was subsequently rear-ended causing his vehicle to strike a wall. The vehicle that struck Nanz allegedly slowed before the collision, but then fled the scene of the accident.

Nanz was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Nanz suffered a laceration to his leg and a heart attack following the Illinois car crash. It is unclear whether the heart attack occurred at the crash site, in the ambulance, or at the hospital. Witnesses to the deadly car crash reported observing a black SUV leaving the scene of the accident. Police are unsure as to whether that vehicle was involved in the accident. The driver that rear-ended the victim’s vehicle was not yet in custody as of Wednesday.

The family of the victim may have an uninsured motorist claim in this matter. Underinsured motorist claims are often available to victims of hit and run accidents. If you have any questions regarding hit and run accidents or would like to speak to an attorney, please click here.

Posted by Joseph G. Klest | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Car Accidents

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A 13 year old Chicago boy was killed Saturday night following a deadly car accident in Hanover Park, IL. According to Illinois State Police Sgt. Michael Myhre, the car accident occurred when a minivan travelling west on the Elgin-O’Hare expressway lost control and left the roadway around 6:00 p.m. According to reports, a 13 year-old male passenger was ejected through the window of the vehicle during the crash. The boy was killed when the vehicle subsequently rolled over on top of him. The vehicle finally came to rest just east of the Lake Street exit on the Chicago expressway.

The driver of the minivan has been identified as 32 year-old Marissa Vega of the 2600 block of West Crystal Street in Chicago, IL. Police have identified Ms. Vega as the mother of the deceased boy. The vehicle passengers have been identified as 61 year-old Nimia Vega of the 3200 block of West Wabansia St. in Chicago; 33 year-old Victor Vega of the 2600 block of West Crystal St. in Chicago; and 53 year-old Antonio Flores of the 3200 block of West Wabansia St. The name of the deceased boy has not been released by Chicago police. All of the crash victims were taken to St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates with non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

If the death of the boy was caused by a defective seatbelt or automobile prone to rollover, the family of the victim may have a claim against the manufacturer. If you have any questions related to rollover car accidents or would otherwise like to speak with an attorney, please click here.

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Posted In: Product Liability

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A former Chicago High School basketball coach was convicted on four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse following a bench trial yesterday. George Turner III, a former coach at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School in Chicago, now faces up to seven years in prison for each count and must register as a sex offender. Turner was acquitted on charges of sexual assault.

During the course of the trial, the 46 year old Turner testified that he had sexually explicit conversations with two female students, one of which he supplied with sex toys and condoms. He also admitted that he participated in sexually charged conversations regarding the girls' sexual activity. One of the victims testified that Turner took her to a sex shop in the Lakeview area and then to a parking lot near Belmont harbor where he had her perform a sex act. Turner is accused of sexually assaulting the girl on several occasions between December 2007 and February 2008. Prosecutors allege that he also fondled the other victim in his office in February of 2008. Turner was fired from his position as the boys basketball coach on February 29, 2008, after the girls came forward.

Cook County Circuit Judge James Linn was quoted, “I do believe there was some touching that occurred that was criminal in nature.” Turner, who had no previous criminal history, must now register as a sex offender.

Sexual abuse victims are often reluctant to come forward and expose predators. If you have been a victim of sexual abuse and want to know your rights click here.

Posted by Joseph G. Klest | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Sexual Abuse

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