Articles Posted in Car Accidents

Although Chicago has seen record high temperatures this January, winter is not over yet. As the temperature fluctuates above and below freezing, motorists throughout Chicagoland are likely to encounter unsafe road conditions more than once before we reach spring.

Accidents do happen and, sometimes, they are unavoidable, but there are a few simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones during these often unpredictable winter months in Chicago.

– Keep informed. Check your local weather forecast before heading out on the roadways, and if you can avoid having to travel in icy conditions, stay at home.

A 39 year old man was killed on Tuesday morning in a hit-and-run accident that happened in Chicago’s West Woodlawn neighborhood. It was reported that the driver, who later turned herself in to police, fled the scene after striking the man on the 6700 block of South Langley Avenue.

in a hit-and-run case, an experienced injury attorney will take advantage of every available resource to try to identify the perpetrator. When the victim of a hit-and-run dies, an experienced attorney may be the best resource that victim’s family can have when prosecuting their case.

Joseph G. Klest has been representing families in wrongful death cases throughout his 30 year practice in Chicago. Please, click here, or dial 866-264-7639 to contact Mr. Klest for a free consultation.

According to statistics kept by the Illinois Department of Transportation or IDOT, the number of fatal crashes in Chicago and Cook County has increased from 2011 to 2012. As of December 18, 2012 IDOT reports 125 fatal Chicago car accidents in 2012. This number is up from 109 in 2011.

Transportation officials have pointed to increased driving due to warmer weather as the cause of increased fatal accidents. The warmer weather has lengthened the riding season for motorcyclists. The first 6 of 2012 also saw an increase in deaths related to motorcycle accidents in the Chicago area.

Attorney Joseph Klest has been representing serious injury victims in the Chicago area for 30 years. If you or a loved one have been seriously hurt in a car accident, please, click here, or dial 866-264-7639, to contact the Klest Injury Law Firm to schedule a free consultation.

An 11-year-old girl was hit by a car on Chicago’s far South Side neighborhood of Altgeld Gardens yesterday. She was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition following the car accident.

In some situations when the person responsible for a car accident does not have insurance or is under-insured, or in a hit-and-run situation where the responsible party speeds off before being identified, an injured victim may have a claim for compensation against his or her own insurance company. In these types of situations, an insurance company will be in the position as if it were the responsible party and the relationship between the injured person and his or her insurance company becomes adversarial. In those types of circumstances, it is recommended that the car accident victim seek advice from an experienced injury attorney.

Attorney Joseph Klest has been representing injured victims in the Chicago area for 30 years. To set up a free consultation with an experienced Chicago car accident attorney from the Klest Injury Law Firm, please click here, or dail 866-264-7639.

As the weather cools down in Chicago, drivers should be aware of potentially dangerous road conditions. Taking precautions when icy weather hits can help avoid car accidents. Road conditions like black ice can make traveling in Chicago a lot more treacherous.

Recently, temperatures in the Chicago area dipped below freezing and this coincided with over a dozen reported car accidents including a fatal car crash on the Elgin-O’Hare Expressway where a man lost his life after a collision that occurred just west of Gary Avenue.

Taking precautions can help save lives. When driving in in snowy weather it’s important to stay alert and avoid distractions by keeping both hands on the wheel and putting your cellphone away.

At least one person has died and dozens were injured in a Litchfield, IL bus accident on Thursday. A double-decker Megabus crashed into a concrete bridge support pillar on I-55 after blowing a tire on its way from Chicago to Kansas City. Illinois State Police confirmed that a woman seated on the second level was killed in the crash.

Bus companies have a duty to provide safe transportation to their passengers. When a bus company is negligent, the results may be catastrophic. With the number of miles a bus travels every year, normal wear and tear will occur. Proper maintenance can be the difference between safe travel and a terrible accident.

For over 30 years, Chicago attorney, Joseph Klest, has been representing people who have been injured in accidents through no fault of their own. If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident involving a motor vehicle, click here, or dial 866-264-7639 for a free consultation with an experienced attorney from the Klest Injury Law Firm.

It’s easy to find sources online ready to give advice about what to do when you get in a car accident. Many of them with numbered lists of things you should do and steps you should take. Although some of those lists may be helpful, I would be willing to bet that anyone would find it difficult to remember what 10 things they should do just after being in car accident. That’s why, with this blog post, I’d like to focus on what I feel is the most important thing to remember for accident victims: Seek medical treatment as soon as possible and follow up with your doctor.

People who have been in car accidents know that a person can easily become disoriented after being hit by another car. And, depending on how severe the collision was, an accident victim can be badly injured or even lose consciousness. That’s why it’s important to get medical care right away.

Also, you may not be aware of the full extent of your injuries immediately after the accident. Follow up with your doctor and pay close attention to your condition. Report any changes in symptoms to your doctor and keep a written record of your treatment whenever possible. The most important thing is your health. That should be the first priority for any accident victim.

Thousands of people are killed each year by distracted drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2009 over 5,000 people were killed in car accidents involving distracted drivers and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured. Reported incidents of distracted driving are proportionally the highest among drivers under the age of 20. Approximately 20% of all crashes in 2009 reported distraction. This is an unfortunate statistic that is entirely preventable.

Every driver on the road is responsible for operating his or her vehicle safely. Allowing a phone call or text to cause a distraction in the car can lead to serious injury or even death. It is important to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road while driving. Taking these simple precautions can help to insure your safety and the safety of others sharing the road.

If you have any questions or you would like to speak to an experienced Chicago car accident attorney at the Klest Injury Law Firm, click here, or call 866-264-7639 to schedule your free consultation.

Imagine this scenario. You were following the law in Illinois and bought car insurance. You had the misfortune of being involved in a car accident in Illinois and the other driver had no insurance. You still have options. Illinois law requires uninsured motorist coverage, or UM coverage. (625 ILCS 5/7-203). This means that even in cases where the at-fault driver had no insurance, the law is meant to place the policy holder in substantially the same position he or she would have been in if the wrongful driver carried minimum liability coverage.

In Illinois, the minimum liability coverage for an auto policy required as of the date of this blog-entry is $20,000 for one injured person per accident, up to $40,000 for two or more injured people per accident, and $15,000 for property damage. This type of coverage is often referred to as 20/40/15. This is also the minimum UM coverage required by law in Illinois. UM coverage will normally match the amount of liability coverage. So, if a policyholders liability coverage is over 20/40, his or her UM coverage will match the liability coverage, unless the policy holder rejects the additional coverage in writing. In addition, the “insurance company providing the coverage must provide applicants with a brief description of the coverage and advise them of their right to reject the coverage in excess of the limits.” (215 ILCS 5/143a-2). In other words, where a car insurance policy holder has liability coverage over the minimum, his or her UM coverage will match those limits unless after being advised by the insurance company the policyholder rejects the additional coverage.

Another possibility is that the wrongful driver did have insurance at the time of the accident, but it wasn’t enough. In that case you may have an under-insured motorist claim or a UIM claim. If an accident victim’s claim is greater than the liability coverage of the at-fault driver, the injured person may be able to recover the difference between his or her claim and the wrongful driver’s policy limits through a UIM claim.

A retired couple from Chicago were killed in a three-car accident in Goodhue County, Minnesota over the weekend. The couple were hit by a car traveling southbound on U.S. 52 as they were crossing the road headed westbound on Goodhue County Road 9. Authorities had detected alcohol on two of the three drivers.

Sadly, drunk driving accidents are a regular cause of wrongful death on our nations roadways. Even in cases where there were no fatalities, evidence should be properly reviewed to determine where a drunk driver consumed alcohol that lead to the accident in order to determine whether the bar that served the drinks may be held liable.

To speak with an experienced, Chicago drunk driving accident lawyer, click here, or dial 866-264-7639, for a free consultation.