Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

A Park Forest, IL, woman died last Sunday when she was hit by a vehicle near the corner of 209th St. and Western Avenue in Chicago Heights, IL. The accident claimed the life of Ruby Matthews of the 128 Ash St. in Park Forest, IL. According to an Olympia Fields Police Department spokesperson, Matthews was involved in a minor car accident with a Chevrolet Cavalier while she was driving a Chevrolet Trailblazer in the southbound lanes of Western Avenue. Matthews and the unidentified teenage driver of the other vehicle were examining the damage to the two cars in the northbound lanes of Western Ave. when they were hit by another car. The teenage driver suffered a broken leg as a result of the collision.

Matthews was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, IL, where she was pronounced dead around 10 p.m. The South Suburban Major Accident Reconstruction Team is still investigating the fatal accident. Charges have not yet been filed in the matter.

The family of the deceased car accident victim may have a wrongful death claim against the driver that caused her death. If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a Chicago car accident and would like to speak to an Illinois attorney, please click here.

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

Posted In: Wrongful Death

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ("CPSC") announced Monday that nearly 1.2 million U.S. cribs are to be recalled following four infant suffocations. The cribs are manufactured by Stork Craft Manufacturing and some carry the Fisher Price logo. The at-risk cribs were manufactured and distributed between January 1993 and October 2009 and were sold at retailers such as Sears and Wal-Mart. The recall reportedly involved drop-side cribs which are equipped with a sliding side that allows parents to more easily use the cribs. These drop sides have shown a propensity to detach from the crib causing infants to get stuck between the crib and the mattress. The CPSC has reported at least four infant fatalities arising out of the use of the cribs.

The Stork Craft cribs reportedly have a hardware deficiency which can break or deform after use. When the part malfunctions the crib’s sliding side becomes detached from the crib creating a dangerous gap where an infant can become trapped. The cribs have also had problems related to assembly mistakes by crib owners. When the drop side is installed upside down it is susceptible to malfunction. Stork Craft has made a repair kit available which converts the drop side into a permanently static crib. The CPSC is urging parents to stop using the cribs immediately unless the drop side repair kit has been installed.

Manufacturers in Illinois and throughout the United States are required to produce safe products or otherwise provide adequate warning for unsafe features. If you have any questions about the safety of dropside cribs or would like to speak to an attorney, please click here.

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

Posted In: Product Liability

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A new Chicago ordinance has been passed requiring the impounding of vehicles where the driver is ticketed for driving on a suspended or revoked license. This new law will affect Chicago drivers in the pocketbook too as violators will be forced to pay the city a $500 fine and a $165 towing fee in order to recover ticketed vehicles. The law, which is set to take effect on January 1st, is intended to act principally as a deterrent to driving on a revoked or suspended license. However the revenue generating capabilities of the new ordinance are obvious. According to sponsoring City of Chicago alderman Tom Allen, “You’re not going to eradicate the $22,000-plus cases of people getting pulled over for this…but if they have to pay $665 every time, it’s going to give them pause.”

Individuals that are ticketed for driving on a suspended or revoked license will face this new financial penalty in addition to the criminal charges. Driving on a suspended or revoked license is a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to a year in jail and $2,500.00 in fines.

The City of Chicago’s crackdown on suspended and revoked drivers is indicative of a statewide trend in heightening criminal penalties for these violations. If you have been ticketed for driving on a suspended or revoked license, you should retain an attorney to investigate your case and protect your rights. For more information or to contact a Chicago area traffic attorney, please click here.

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

Posted In: Traffic

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A Chicago man was indicted this Monday after being charged with sexually assaulting a patient at Weiss Memorial Hospital on Chicago's north side. James Whittington, a 48 year-old resident of the 5900 block of North Kostner Ave., was charged with two counts of criminal sexual abuse and one count of unlawful restraint according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. Bond was set at $200,000.00. Whittington was employed as a nurse with the Chicago hospital. His arraignment is set for November 16th.

The alleged abuse occurred on February 12th around 6:45 p.m. at the Weiss emergency room. Whittington is accused of drugging the victim with morphine and then performing sexual acts upon her while she was sedated. The victim allegedly awoke while she was being fondled. Weiss Memorial Hospital has reportedly suspended the employee pending the outcome of the sexual abuse charges. Police are still investigating the incident.

Depending on the circumstances of the sexual abuse, the Hospital may be liable for the injuries suffered by the victim. If you have been the victim sexual abuse or assault, you should retain a lawyer experienced in handling these sensitive and difficult matters. For more information on obtaining an attorney, click here.

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

Posted In: Sexual Abuse

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A Chicago priest that has been accused of sexual abuse was removed from the ministry earlier this month. The Rev. Edward Maloney, a retired priest that served at St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church at 1048 N. Campbell in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, was forced out of the ministry after the Archdiocese’s independent review board determined that credible evidence of abuse existed. The removal of Maloney may have occurred earlier but for a slander lawsuit that had been filed in a separate unrelated case.

The sexual abuse allegations against Maloney were originally levied sometime in late 2007 when a former parishioner of St. Mark’s contacted the Diocese. The victim was weary of testifying in support those allegations because another priest, Rev. Robert Stepek, sued two brothers in November of 2006 after they came forward with sexual abuse allegations against him. The threat of a slander lawsuit was enough to keep Maloney’s accuser from coming forward against the priest. This threat was lifted in June when a state appellate court ruled that Stepek could not sue victims for statements made in cooperation with church investigators.

While the appellate court ruling was a victory for victims’ rights groups, the gap between the initial sexual abuse allegations and the board’s finding gave Maloney time to formulate his defense. Victims’ rights groups claim that this allowed Maloney to intimidate victims and formulate alibis. The victim’s original reluctance in coming forward was validated by the fact that the victim’s name was somehow leaked leading to vilification in the community. For a detailed Chicago Tribune article on the interplay between the threat of slander and victims’ rights click here.

Victims’ rights attorney Joe Klest is handling the Maloney sexual abuse victim’s case. He has fought on behalf of abuse victims for nearly 30 years and his work on this particular matter can be accessed on the above Chicago Tribune link. If you have any questions about victims’ rights in Illinois or would like to speak to attorney Klest, please click here.

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

Posted In: Sexual Abuse

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A new Illinois law will make reading, writing, or sending text messages while driving illegal. The bill, which was signed into law in August, will amend the Illinois Vehicle Code rendering the use of mobile devices for texting a moving violation. The Illinois bill reportedly does not make exceptions for drivers that pull over or otherwise park to engage in text messaging. Illinois is now joining a host of other states with similar texting bans including Oregon, New Hampshire, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

The new law is set to take effect on January 1st of 2010 and comes on the heels of both local and national tragedies linking texting to fatal accidents. The state legislature was persuaded by a fatal September 2006 bicycle accident in which a distracted driver killed a texting bicycle rider. The bicyclist was a student at the University of Illinois. National coverage of incidents related to driving while texting has also spurred the Illinois bill. This September, a California commuter train engineer failed to yield to a stop signal causing a collision that killed 25 people. An investigation of the fatal incident determined that the driver was trading text messages with a friend when the accident occurred.

The new law is also backed by studies showing that texting while driving is more dangerous than talking on, reaching for, or listening to a mobile device. The texting ban is intended to deter Illinois motorists from sending or receiving text messages while driving. If you have any questions regarding the new Illinois law, or would like to speak to a Chicago area attorney, please click here.

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

Posted In: Traffic

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Car Accidents are the leading cause of teenage deaths accounting for about 36% of all deaths in the age group according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The disturbing statistics reveal that over 5,000 teens between the ages of 16 and 20 die each year due to fatal injuries stemming from car accidents. In addition, nearly 400,000 teens in the same age group suffer serious injuries in vehicle accidents each year. The CDC reports that the risk of being involved in a car accident are the highest for drivers between the ages of 16-20. In fact, teenage drivers are about four times more likely than other drivers to crash for each mile driven. Male teen drivers are the most at-risk for fatal car crashes as 19.4 per 100,000 are killed in vehicle accidents each year.

Several causes have been linked to the elevated risk of teenage car accident fatalities. Studies of teenage driving habits have shown that drivers within the age group have the lowest rate of seatbelt use, are less able to recognize dangerous situations, tend to tailgate more often, and tend to speed more often than other demographics. In addition, approximately 24% of the drivers killed between the ages of 15 and 20 had been driving while intoxicated. Nearly 54% of teenage car accident deaths occur on the weekends.

If you are a parent you should make sure to educate your teenager regarding the risks of operating a motor vehicle. If you have any questions related to teenage car accidents or would otherwise like to speak with a lawyer, please click here.

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

Posted In: Car Accidents

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