Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

A Chicago Police chase ended tragically last Wednesday when the vehicle being pursued by police lost control and collided with concrete construction barrier in Chicago’s Illinois Medical District neighborhood. The chase occurred around 5:00 a.m. on October 28th when Harrison District police officers responded to a call of suspicious activity at the 1100 block of South Karlov Ave. in Chicago. Authorities were responding to a report of suspicious activity at the location involving alleged car thefts. When they arrived the police observed one individual peaking into parked vehicles while the others were in a nearby parked car. When the officers attempted to confront the men they fled in the parked vehicle.

The officers pursued the fleeing gray Chevy Lumina which quickly pulled onto the expressway. The police followed the car down the eastbound Eisenhower until it crashed at Paulina and Congress Parkway. According to Chicago Police, the vehicle lost control on wet pavement, collided with a concrete construction barrier and finally veered off the road hitting several trees. Keirre Roberts, a 23 year-old passenger in the car, was pronounced dead at 5:51 a.m. at Chicago’s Stroger Hospital. Two other men were also taken to Stroger where they were listed in serious to critical condition. One of the men in the car fled the scene of the crash and was apprehended shortly thereafter. The driver of the vehicle faces criminal charges and traffic citations.

Chicago area motor vehicle accidents can be deadly when they occur at high speeds. If you have any questions involving car accidents or would otherwise like to speak to an attorney, please click here.

A Loyola, Chicago, student was killed last Wednesday in a bicycle accident in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Liza Whiteacre, a student that lieved at the 4900 block of N. Winthrop St., died when she fell from her bicycle and was crushed underneath a tuck. According to police, the tragic accident occurred when Whiteacre was trying to pass between a truck and a CTA bus outside Hamlin Park near the corner of Damen and Wellington. The truck driver was reportedly unaware that Whiteacre had fallen from her bicycle.

Whiteacre was rushed to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center where she was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. She was employed as a retail and wholesale trainer at a coffee shop on Graville Ave. in Chicago. She attended High School at Fremd in Palatine. No citations were issued as a result of the deadly bicycle accident.

Chicago bicycle riders should always exercise caution when riding in the city and surrounding areas. While urban biking can be a fun and healthy alternative to driving, it carries certain risks. As bikers in the city are forbidden by ordinance from using the sidewalks for bicycling, cars and bicycles are forced to share the same roads. As such bicycle-car collisions are not uncommon. If you have any questions involving bicycle injuries or would like to speak with an attorney, please click here.

A Chicago man was killed Wednesday when he was crushed by an 18,500 pound metal coil. The workplace accident occurred at the Material Sciences Corporation located in the 2200 block of Pratt Boulevard in Elk Grove Village, IL. Material Sciences Corporation reportedly provides material based services and coating for use in automotive, home appliance and telecommunications materials among others. The accident claimed the life of 63 year-old Dennis Woods of 706 Lincoln Ave. in West Chicago, IL. According to reports, Woods was killed just before 4 p.m. when a heavy coil fell from a piece of machinery crushing him.

The Elk Grove Village Police Department reportedly responded to the incident around 4 p.m. Woods was pronounced dead by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later that day. The circumstances surrounding the death are still being investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

If you have been injured in a workplace accident you are entitled to certain benefits under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. Among those benefits are payment of medical bills, payment of a portion of your weekly wage while you are injured, and a potential permanency award. If you have been injured at work or have any questions regarding the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, please click here.

The Illinois Supreme Court has limited the viability of many sexual abuse claims with its September 24th decision in Doe v. Diocese of Dallas. The issue before the Court was whether the 2003 amendments to the Childhood Sexual Abuse could be applied to a claim that had expired under the statutory framework that was in place before the amendments were enacted. The Doe case involved a claim of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest that allegedly occurred in 1984. The victim’s claim expired prior to the amendments to the statute in 2003 under the old version of the statute. However, the 2003 statute extended the limitations periods for the filing of sexual abuse lawsuits. When considered under the framework of the 2003 amendments, the sexual abuse victim would be able to pursue a claim. By its plain language, the 2003 amendments apply to ‘all actions pending on July 24, 2003, as well as all actions commenced on or after that date.’ The victim’s lawsuit was filed after these amendments were enacted.

The Illinois Supreme Court determined that the 2003 amendments, which extended the limitations periods for asserting a sexual abuse claim, could not be retroactively applied. In doing so the Court said, "once a statute of limitations has expired, the defendant has a vested right to invoke the bar of the limitations period as a defense to a cause of action. That right cannot be taken away by the legislature without offending the due process protections of our state's constitution." In other words, the Illinois Supreme Court decided that applying the amendments to all actions commenced on or after 2003, as intended by the legislature, would violate the Illinois Constitution. This decision meant that the sexual abuse victim in Doe could not pursue his sexual abuse case.

The decision will defeat some otherwise meritorious sexual abuse claims in Illinois. However, there are still avenues of relief open to sexual abuse victims in Illinois. The Klest Law Firm wrote a ‘friend of the court’ brief on behalf of sexual abuse victims in the Doe case. Additionally, experienced victims’ rights attorney Joseph G. Klest helped draft the amendments that were at issue in the Doe case. If you have any questions about the victims’ rights in Illinois or would like to speak to an experienced sexual abuse attorney, please click here.