Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

Two teenage girls were killed and three others were injured in a one vehicle car accident on the Northwest Side this morning. The Chicago car accident occurred on the 700 block of North Sheridan Road in Wilmette, IL, around 2:30 a.m. According to reports, the group of teens was out celebrating a birthday prior to the fatal Chicago area car accident. At some point around 2:30 a.m. their black four door sedan collided with a tree on the 700 block of Sheridan.

Wilmette police identified the victims of the fatal car crash and also revealed that three other people were injured in the wreck. The authorities did not reveal the identities of the injured parties and also did not divulge the hospitals where treatment was received. No charges have been filed in the crash but citations could still be issued depending on the outcome of an ongoing investigation. The deceased teens were both students at Chicago Academy High School at 3400 N. Austin Ave. The Chicago car crash is still being investigated by local authorities.

If you have been the victim of a fatal Chicago car crash, you should contact an experienced Illinois personal injury attorney to investigate your case and protect your rights. The Klest Law Firm has over twenty eight years of experience handling personal injury cases. To contact an attorney at the Klest Law Firm, please click here.

A Calumet Heights car accident left three individuals injured last Tuesday night. According to Chicago Police News Affair Officer Hector Alfaro, the crash reportedly occurred when two vehicles collided on the 6700 block of South Stony Island Avenue around 10:15 p.m. last Tuesday evening. Two of the injured individuals were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where they were admitted for observation. A third car accident victim was treated and released from Advocate Trinity Hospital. Police have issued citations following the accident but have not released any other information at this time.

As the weather turns warmer more pedestrians and motorists take to the streets of Chicago. This increased traffic leads to a rise in Chicago area car crashes and injuries. It is even more important to remember to drive safely when there are more motorists on the road. Remember to use caution and care this summer as you and your loved ones enjoy the warm Chicago weather.

If you have been involved in a Chicago area car accident or would like to speak with an experienced attorney, please click here.

A West Side man was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident following a Chicago car crash that caused the death of an 11 year old girl. The accident occurred around 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening near the 3900 block South Lake Park Avenue. According to eyewitness reports, a young girl was hit in an intersection when a large white van ran a red light. The injured child was rushed to Comer Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago where she was pronounced dead soon thereafter.

The driver of the van reportedly immediately exited his van following the accident but then returned to the vehicle and fled. His van was located about four hours later four hours later near the corner of Western and 18th in Pilsen. Family members of the accused have reported that the driver fled out of fear that the gathered crowds might attack him. The driver is now being charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident. His bond hearing has been scheduled for Friday.

If you have been injured in a Chicago area car accident an experienced personal injury attorney can help investigate your injury and protect your rights. The Klest Law Firm has over twenty eight years of experience advopcating on behalf of accident victims. To speak with an attorney please click here.

A recent report in the Chicago Tribune has uncovered that many Chicago area doctors have continued to practice medicine despite sexual abuse convictions. The article, which was published in Sunday’s newspaper, detailed how many Illinois doctors convicted of sexual abuse don’t lose their licenses and sometimes even avoid discipline altogether. The story uncovered 16 sex offenders who have held state licenses within the last year, none of which has had a permanent license revocation. Licensing of doctors in Illinois is handled by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. A spokesperson for that Department has said that doctors are customarily disciplined based upon the evidence and sentences of criminal courts. The Illinois Medical Practice Act dictates that doctor licenses will not be revoked unless the offender has been twice convicted of felonies involving controlled substances or public aid offenses. Sexual abuse offenders do not fall within this category.

Critics of the current system have pointed to the fact that even doctors that are found guilty of criminal sexual offenses have been allowed to keep their licenses or have had their licenses reinstated. The system has allowed habitual sexual offenders to continue to treat Illinois patients.

If you or someone you know has been sexually abused by an Illinois doctor, you should contact a Chicago area personal injury lawyer to investigate the abuse and protect your rights. Chicago sexual abuse victim advocate attorney Joseph G. Klest has over twenty eight years of experience handling sexual abuse claims. To contact the Klest Law Firm, please click here.

If you have been involved in a serious Chicago car accident with a taxi driver, you may encounter problems receiving fair and full compensation for your injuries. Chicago cab companies are structured in such a way so as to allow recovery from only the specific cab and the cab driver involved in the accident. The City of Chicago mandates that taxi cab drivers carry minimum liability policies of $350,000. This minimum policy is well in excess of the standard state minimum of $20,000. However, the cab outfits are structured in such a way that the $350,000 policy minimum on the individual cab is the most that is recoverable for any injury.

The general structure of the cab entities follows this rubric. First there is the cab driver, who typically pays a fee to lease the use of the cab. Then there are the cab owners who must carry a cab owner license called a medallion. These medallions are generally held by management companies which oversee and manage multiple medallions and an affiliation company which supply cab designs and radio dispatch service. Many consumers therefore mistakenly identify individual drivers as employees of companies such as Yellow Cab and Checker. In reality, the cab entities are structured so that these individual drivers are the only party from which an injured individual may seek recovery.

This can have devastating practical effects for individuals that suffer serious or permanent injuries as the result of taxicab driver negligence. For example, if you suffer injuries that will require lifetime care you may be limited to $350,000.00, even if your lifetime medical bills are far in excess of that number.

As such, you should contact an Illinois personal injury attorney as soon as possible if you have been injured in a taxicab accident to investigate your case and potentially find alternative avenues of recovery. The Klest Law Firm has over twenty eight years of experience handling complex injury cases. To contact the Klest Law Firm, please click here.

Two pedestrians were seriously hurt yesterday in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood when they were struck by a pickup truck. The Chicago pedestrian accident occurred at the 500 block of North St. Clair St. at Illinois St. near the Tribune Tower. According to reports, the pedestrians were attempting to cross the street around 7 p.m. when a gray Chevrolet Silverado began to make a left turn onto Illinois St. The male and female pedestrians were each midway through the crosswalk when the Silverado struck them. The driver of the Chevy Silverado stopped at the scene of the accident to assist Chicago police with the car-pedestrian accident investigation.

Police report that both of the Chicago car accident victims were transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital immediately following the accident. Chicago Fire Department officials have revealed that both the victims were in serious to critical condition when they were taken to the hospital for treatment. An eyewitness to the accident reports that the female accident victim may have suffered a head injury as she was unable to speak and appeared to be bleeding from the head. The Chicago area car-pedestrian accident is still be investigated by local authorities.

Car-pedestrian accidents can often be devastating for pedestrian accident victims. If you have been involved in a pedestrian accident you should contact an experienced personal injury attorney to investigate the circumstances surrounding your accident. The Klest Law Firm has over twenty nine years of experience representing victims of Illinois car accidents. If you have any questions or would otherwise like to speak with an attorney, please click here.

A study by the University of Illinois at Chicago has determined that car accidents at red-light intersections have actually increased five percent. These findings are contrary to recent statements by the Chicago Department of Transportation which claim that the cameras have made intersections safer for motorists. The UIC study also compared the total number of Chicago car accidents throughout the entire city before and after the installation of the cameras. The results showed that while the total number of accidents decreased in the city as a whole, Chicago car accidents at red light camera intersections have actually increased about five percent.

Proponents of the cameras claim that the data generated by the study is disproportionately high as the state considers accidents within 250 feet of a traffic light to be an intersection related crash. The city’s own data also shows a 20 percent reduction in red-light crashes.

However, opponents of the cameras are crying foul. In addition to the recent findings of increased accidents at red light camera intersections, a separate investigation has uncovered that yellow lights are disproportionately shorter at intersections controlled by the camera devices. Opponents of the cameras have long maintained that the devices are merely a means to generate revenue for the city and not a measure to increase public safety. The disproportionate yellow lights coupled with the recent neutral UIC study bolster this claim. In fact, it would seem that cutting the length of yellow lights at camera controlled intersections would most likely endanger the public for the purpose of filling city coffers. The results of the UIC study could be indicative of this phenomenon.

If you have been injured at a red light intersection in or around the city of Chicago and would like to speak with an experienced Illinois injury attorney, please click here.

An Illinois teen died early yesterday morning from injuries that she suffered during a Memorial Day car accident. The accident victim, a 16 year old girl from Dyer, IL, was pronounced dead at 4:50 a.m. Monday at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, IL. According to reports, the fatal Illinois car accident occurred around 2:00 p.m. on May 31 on Sauk Trail west of Burnham Ave. in unincorporated Bloom Township. The driver of the vehicle, a 16 year-old male that was the boyfriend of the deceased, reportedly lost control of his 2003 Chevy Silverado in the rain and spun it into oncoming traffic. The passenger side of the vehicle, where the teen accident victim was seated, was hit by a 2004 Chevy Blazer. The teen couple was reportedly headed to the driver’s grandparents house to watch the Chicago Blackhawks game.

The driver of the Silverado suffered a broken ankle in the wreck while a passenger in the vehicle suffered a broken wrist and pelvis. The driver of the Silverado suffered minor injuries as a result of the Illinois car crash. He attempted to free his severely injured girlfriend from his Silverado before phoning 911 and checking on the injured individuals in the Blazer. The Silverado driver received a traffic citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Local police have said that there is no evidence that drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash. The teenage car accident victim suffered severe brain injuries before she was pronounced dead about a week later.

If you have been involved in a serious Illinois car accident and would like to speak with an attorney with more than 29 years of experience handling car accidents in Illinois, please click here.

A 10 year old boy was crushed and killed last Saturday in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood by a suspected drunk driver. The tragic DUI car crash occurred around 5:45 a.m. last Saturday in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. According to reports, the 10 year old boy and his 3 year old sister had just exited their father’s vehicle on the way to their aunt’s house when the Chicago car crash occurred. As the children were passing between parked vehicles an alleged intoxicated driver rear-ended an SUV which crushed the boy between the parked SUV and the vehicle directly in front of it. The drunk driver was reportedly driving a black Ford Explorer. The severely injured boy was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, IL, where he was pronounced dead at 7:41 a.m.

Chicago Police have indicated that the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident is suspected of intoxicated driving. The driver remains in custody pending a police investigation into the crash. A police vehicle was reportedly directly behind the driver that caused the accident.

If you have been the victim of a Chicago area DUI related car crash you should contact an attorney immediately to investigate the accident and compile evidence. The Klest Law Firm has over twenty eight years of experience handling cases involving alcohol related car accidents and fatalities. To speak with an attorney from the Klest Law Firm, please click here.