Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

A Chicago construction worker was killed earlier this month when he was struck by a semi-trailer truck in Forest View, IL. The fatal Chicago workplace injury occurred at the Harlem off ramp of the Stevenson expressway on September 17, 2010, around 3:00 p.m. The worker was reportedly repairing a barrier fence when he was fatally struck by the semi truck. He was working for the Illinois Department of Transportation at the time of the truck accident.

The fatally wounded worker was pronounced dead at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL, at 5:29 p.m. according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. A subsequent autopsy determined that the death was caused by the collision with the truck and that the death was accidental. The driver of the truck was issued two citations for failing to stop in a construction area, making an improper turn, and disobeying a traffic control device. The truck accident investigation is now being handled by the Forest View authorities with help from state accident reconstruction personnel. The workplace accident serves as a sobering reminder of how dangerous construction zone accidents can be.

If you have any questions regarding workplace accidents, construction zone accidents, or truck accidents and would like to speak with an experienced Chicago area personal injury attorney, please click here.

A recent fatal bus accident has raised concerns regarding the overall safety of large megabus double decker buses. The accident occurred on September 10, 2010, in Syracuse, New York, when a driver slammed into a bridge sheering off the top of the bus. Four passengers were killed and twenty others suffered personal injuries as a result of the bus accident. Reports indicate that the driver was lost and was driving on roadways not suitable for the massive double decker transporter.

Other passengers have now come forward sharing stories of dangerously inexperienced or unprepared megabus drivers. In one instance, a bus was pulled over by the police after numerous passengers had made emergency calls. The driver of the bus was reportedly not proficient at shifting gears and also had to ask several passengers to use navigation devices while lost.

Drivers of the double decker buses must maneuver 40 to 45 foot long buses that are up to 14 feet tall. The buses carry about 80 passengers offering rates as low as $1.00. Company policy reportedly requires lost drivers to pull over the vehicle and contact dispatch or local authorities for directions. Megabus was first introduced in Chicago, IL, in 2006.

Large scale transportation injuries are often newsworthy as they invariably involve very serious injuries. If you have any questions about injury victims’ rights of would like to speak with an attorney, please click here.

A Chicago car accident left one woman dead and two men injured yesterday afternoon on the city’s northwest side. The accident occurred near in the 5600 block of W. Devon Ave. around 2:46 p.m. According to reports, the deadly Chicago car crash was initiated when a driver heading westbound on Devon crossed the center lane into eastbound traffic and collided with two other vehicles. The wrong way driver, a 26 year old resident of Plainfield, IL, was driving a 2005 Toyota Corolla. The Corolla reportedly crossed into oncoming traffic colliding head-on with a 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis taxicab. The Toyota was severed in half as a result of the collision while the taxicab burst into flames. A 1990 Toyota Corolla was also involved in the Illinois car accident.

The driver of the 2005 Corolla was ejected from her vehicle as a result of the collision. She was pronounced dead on the scene of the crash. The drivers of the taxi and the 1990 Toyota Corolla were taken in serious to critical condition to Advocate General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL, according to a Fire Department Spokesman. Investigation of the accident temporarily closed Devon Ave. between Milwaukee and Caldwell avenues in the Caldwell Woods Forest Preserve. No citations have been issued in relation to the deadly crash and the matter remains under investigation by area authorities.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident, you should contact a Chicago personal injury attorney with experience handling these often very tough matters. The Klest Law Firm has over twenty eight years of experience advocating on behalf of car accident victims in and around Chicago. To speak with an attorney, please click here.

A Chicago Tribune investigation has uncovered at least eighteen case of reported rape or childhood sexual abuse at Chicago area psychiatric hospitals and facilities since July of 2008. The study determined that the alarmingly high number of abuse cases was due in part to facility failure in properly supervising patients and also failing to report many abuse cases to the authorities. The Chicago area sexual abuse victims were youths with serious mental illnesses housed at state funded institutions. Some of the victims were as young as seven years old. Of the eighteen cases of abuse uncovered by the investigation, all but four of the children were wards of the state.

Many critics are pointing the finger at Illinois DCFS and the Illinois Department of Health, which is responsible for the licensing and inspection of medical facilities in the State of Illinois, for the staggering amount of abuse. These agencies have claimed that their ability to effectively protect youth patients is seriously hampered by weak laws and insufficient funding. There has been no state action taken against any of the half dozen psychiatric hospitals where the bulk of the abuse has reportedly occurred.

One of those institutions, Chicago Lake Shore Hospital, has had three reports of sexual assault and abuse. One of these incidents involved the rape of a 15 year old girl by three male patients while another saw the abuse of an 11 year old boy by two male patients in a bathroom that was supposed to have been locked and supervised by staff. The Tribune investigation was based upon police reports, public health records, DCFS documents and court files.

Institutional sexual abuse is a problem that can be prevented if proper steps are taken. If you or someone you know has been the victim of institutional sexual abuse, you should contact a Chicago sexual abuse attorney to discuss your case. The Klest Law Firm has over twenty eight years of experience handling sexual abuse cases in Illinois. To speak with an attorney, please click here.

An alcohol related car crash on September 6th left two drivers seriously injured on Chicago’s west side. The Chicago car accident occurred near O’Connor Drive and Thatcher Ave. around 6:21 a,m. in River Grove, IL. According to reports, a 20 year old male motorist was allegedly travelling northbound in the southbound lanes of Thatcher Ave. when he ran head on into a southbound vehicle. Both the at-fault driver and the victim were immediately sent to the hospital.

River Grove Police have reported that the Chicago car accident victim suffered multiple fractures and very serious body bruising. She was in the hospital for three days before being sent home. The wrong way driver was also hospitalized as a result of the crash. That driver is now facing two felony counts of aggravated driving while under the influence as a result of the crash. The driver has also been charged with driving without a license, failing to provide proof of insurance and illegal transportation of open alcohol. His bond was set at $150,000. The accident remains under investigation.

Drunk driver car accidents often occur at high speeds with very unfortunate results. If you or someone you know has been involved in an alcohol related car crash, you should speak with an attorney immediately to preserve crucial evidence and protect your case. To speak with an experienced injury attorney, please click here.

A suburban Chicago priest was sentenced to four years in prison by a Kane County judge last week for the sexual abuse of a minor boy. The Roman Catholic priest, Alejandro Flores, had previously attempted suicide as allegations that the priest had engaged in inappropriate sexual contact were heating up. Flores entered a guilty plea to the charges on September 8, 2010. The Chicago area priest, who is a native of Bolivia, will likely face deportation when his sentence ends.

According to reports, Flores had started abusing the boy over a five year period in 2005 after he had ingratiated himself to the family. The child and his family were parishioners at St. Mary Catholic Church in West Chicago, IL. The abuse continued for about five years. Reports indicate that Flores had also attempted to engage the child’s older brother in sexual acts but the boy refused. New reports also indicate that Diocesan officials had some misgivings about ordaining Flores as he had been reprimanded for spending time alone with a boy in a vehicle in 2005, had viewed male pornography on a church owned computer and had also admitted that he had been sexually abused as a boy to two church supervisors. Flores was ordained in 2009. Diocese officials were made aware of the relationship between Flores and the victim by the victim’s mother in late 2009.

If you have been the victim of sexual abuse, you should retain a lawyer experienced in handling these sensitive and difficult matters. For more information on obtaining an attorney, please click here.

A Chicago motorist was killed earlier this week on the city’s South Side after her vehicle caught fire. The tragedy occurred near the intersection of 63rd St. and Wallace in the Englewood neighborhood around 11:00 a.m. on September 5th. According to reports from a Chicago Fire Department spokesperson, the victim was heading east on 63rd St. when she struck a vehicle headed in the opposite direction. The fatal Chicago car accident occurred near the viaduct at Wallace St.

The vehicle being driven eastbound reportedly caught fire immediately following the accident and the driver was not able to escape the vehicle. The driver died as a result of the fire. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured.

A witness to the Chicago car accident, who was shopping at a nearby grocery store, reportedly heard a loud boom. Security personnel from the grocery store and responding police officers were not able to subdue the fire. The tragedy is still being investigated by local authorities.

If you have been involved in a fatal Chicago car accident or a situation involving a defective vehicle, you should contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible to investigate the case. The Klest Law Firm has over twenty eight years of experience advocating on behalf of accident victims in Illinois. To speak with an attorney from the Klest Law Firm, please click here.

Nine individuals were reportedly injured in a Chicago car accident on the city’s northwest side this morning. The four vehicle accident occurred in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood near the intersection of Fullerton and Milwaukee around 2:00 a.m. According to reports, the driver of a silver Infiniti was heading westbound on Fullerton Ave. when his car collided with an Infiniti G20 near the intersection of Sacramento and Fullerton. The driver of the silver Infiniti then made a U-turn and began heading east down Fullerton at a high rate of speed. The Infiniti subsequently hit a taxi cab and a Toyota Land Cruiser near the 2900 block of west Fullerton ejecting three people and injuring the taxi cab driver. At least one passerby attempted to administer CPR to a woman involved in the Chicago car accident.

Seven individuals were taken in serious to critical condition to local hospitals while two others were listed in serious to fair condition. A spokesman for the Chicago Police News Affairs Office has said that the crash was not alcohol related. An emergency medical services plan 1 sent give ambulances to the scene of the crash. The driver responsible for the Chicago accident was ticketed for failure to report an accident, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, failure to keep in a lane and negligent driving.

If you have been involved in a Chicago area car accident, you should contact a lawyer immediately to investigate the accident and protect your rights. The Klest Law Firm advocates solely on behalf of injured victims. To speak with a lawyer from the Klest Law Firm, please click here.