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Black Ice: An Invisible Threat
In the midst of a comfortably warm winter, uncomfortable
road conditions continue to plague drivers throughout the
country. Dips below freezing and corresponding rises back
into the mid to high 30s continue to negatively impact
road conditions. In the state of Illinois, black ice has
become a lethal threat.
Less than six weeks into the new year and already a number of fatal crashes have tragically occurred throughout the state. In one of the worst driving days in recent memory, black ice caused upwards of 130 vehicular crashes across Illinois on Wednesday, January 24. According to Chicago’s ABC7, three of the collisions proved fatal.
If you or a member of your family are involved in a vehicular collision this winter season, contact an experienced Lake County personal injury attorney today.
What is Black Ice?
According to experts with the Weather Channel, black ice can come from a number of different sources. Most notably, black ice is caused by a temperature increase that can melt snow already on the roadways and turn falling snow into rain, followed by a drop in temperatures below freezing while the roadway is still wet. The result is a dangerous, essentially invisible, layer of ice.
Underage Drinking Kills: How to Ensure Your Teenage Children Avoid Alcohol Consumption
At Salvi & Maher L.L.C. we understand the importance
of protecting one’s family, and when it comes to teenage
children, ensuring the avoidance of serious injury can be
a difficult proposition. Every day parents are forced to
ask themselves tough questions. Yet regardless of how
these questions are answered, one thing is certain:
accidents do happen.
When it comes to raising teenage children, one of the toughest obstacles parents face is underage drinking. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 7.7 million teenage children reported drinking alcohol in 2015.
Underage Drinking Kills
Every year, alcohol plays a role in the death of over 4,0000 teenage children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1,580 teenage children are killed in motor vehicle collisions in which alcohol was consumed. Additionally, over 200 teenagers suffer fatal injuries from either falls, burns, drowning, or alcohol poisoning on an annual basis.
Safety First: The Importance of Wearing Your Seat Belt
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA), seat belts save an average of
13,000 lives each year nationwide. The importance of
wearing a seat belt cannot be overstated in the event of a
collision, as 48 percent of all passengers killed in
vehicular collisions
in 2015 were not wearing their seat belts.
As a vehicle driver, it is your responsibility to ensure that every passenger in your vehicle is wearing his or her seat belt. Accidents do happen, and when they do, the use of a seat belt can be the difference between life and death.
The Importance of Wearing Seat belts
Seat belts are undoubtedly a crucial aspect of motor vehicle safety. Consider the following reasons why:
Avoiding Ejection: Correct usage of seat belts drastically reduce the chances of passenger ejection from the vehicle. The NHTSA states that 80 percent of passengers ejected from a vehicle in an accident suffer fatal injuries.
Motorcycle Fatalities on the Rise Nationwide
The excitement of riding a motorcycle continues to be
appealing to many Americans, and it is easy to see why.
Motorcycles come with a level of agility and exhilaration
that is, in several ways, unmatched in comparison to
automobiles. But with the additional excitement comes
additional risk.
According to the US Department of Transportation, 4,976 motorcyclists were fatally injured in motorcycle collisions nationwide in 2016. Identifying the necessary steps to take if you or a member of your family are injured in a motorcycle accident can be incredibly emotional and unnerving. In the event of injury, do not hesitate to contact a knowledgeable Lake County personal injury attorney.
Illinois Motorcycle Injury Statistics
In Illinois, motorcycle injuries continue to be a major traffic concern, as 2,643 people were injured in motorcycle accidents in 2015 alone. Of the 2,643 motorcycle injuries, more than 5 percent resulted in fatal injuries—a large uptick from the just over 1 percent of injuries that proved fatal in automobile collisions. All in all, 147 motorcyclists were killed in accidents in 2015. Yet while motorcycle collisions only accounted for 1.1 percent of total crashes throughout the state, they represented over 15 percent of all fatal crashes.
Injured During Your Commute? Contact an Experienced Lake County Attorney
Commuting into the city is a huge part of life for many
Chicagoland citizens. According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
Illinois ranks among the tops in the nation when it comes
to commuters. Upwards of eighty thousand commuters drive
from Lake County alone, every day, to get to work.
With the sheer numbers of commuters traveling into Chicago, collisions are inevitable. Over three hundred thousand crashes occurred on Illinois roadways throughout 2015. If you or a member of your family are injured during your commute to or from work, speak with an experienced Lake County personal injury attorney.
The Dangers of High Speed Commuting
Commuting to work can be a dangerous proposition in the state of Illinois. Ranking as one of the top commuter states in the nation, while facing bumper to bumper traffic and harsh winter road conditions, commuting in Illinois is a uniquely risky endeavor. In 2015 alone, 914 fatal collisions occurred in the state of Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation—nearly three citizens were fatally injured on an average day.
Be Aware of Vehicular Defects
If you are injured in an
automobile collision, it is entirely possible that a vehicular defect was the
cause. Vehicular defects can be incredibly dangerous,
especially when traveling at high speeds. At Salvi and
Maher, L.L.C. we have decades of experience working with
victims of product defects and are available to speak to
you about your personal injury case.
History of Recalls
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, initially enacted in 1966, provided the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with the authority to require vehicle manufacturers to recall products with defects that directly impacted the safety of passengers. Over the next half century, just under 400 million vehicles were recalled for safety-related defects. Yet the enactment of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, while helpful, has not completely eradicated the risk of safety-related defects in our motor vehicles.
In the late 90’s, Firestone Tires released a malfunctioning tire that failed to connect the tread of the tires with the steel belts. After accepting responsibility for nearly 200 deaths nationwide, Firestone recalled the faulty tires.
Drowsy Driving: A Legitimate Traffic Threat
With the holiday season behind us, the Chicagoland area
is bustling again as we move further into the new year.
Heading back into the routine of work life, commuters are
once again braving for early morning journeys to work, and
late afternoon treks back home.
Adjusting back into work life can be difficult post-holiday, most notably the re-adjustment back into one’s standard sleep pattern can be especially challenging. Unfortunately a disrupted sleep schedule can lead to more than a bad mood.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an average of 37,000 people are injured each year in drowsy driving accidents. If you or a member of your family are involved in a late-night or early morning collision, it is important to contact an experienced Chicagoland personal injury attorney.
Consider the following tips for noticing the symptoms of drowsy driving in fellow drivers, and how to avoid becoming a drowsy driver yourself
Look Out Below: Increased Ice Leads to Increase in Slip and Fall Injuries
As temperatures in the greater Chicagoland area continue
to rest below freezing temperatures, ice and snow
continues to spread. Most people are well aware of the
increased dangers of driving during the winter, as limited
visibility, decreased space on the road, and worsening
conditions, make driving in the winter a risky endeavor.
But winter weather does not only change the landscape of
vehicular travel, it increases risk of injury for
pedestrians and employees, as they navigate the sidewalks
to and from their stores of choice and respective places
of work.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 800,000 people are hospitalized annually due to an injury caused by slipping and falling. If you or a member of your family suffer an injury due to slipping on the ice this winter, contact a personal injury attorney.
Types and Costs of Injuries
The two most common injuries that occur during a fall are injuries to the head and hip. Suffering head trauma can be incredibly painful, disorienting, and expensive. A break to the hip bone, however, can be one of the most grueling injuries imaginable and almost always requires surgery.
Charges filed in fatal December DUI accident
A fatal accident that took place late last year in Chicago is making headlines once again. Law enforcement finally pressed charges against the 18-year-old driver involved in the accident. The charges include reckless homicide with a vehicle and aggravated DUI. The driver was released on a personal recognizance bond in the amount of $350,000. The judge who ordered the bond also called for the driver to be placed on electronic monitoring.
The victim of the accident was also 18 years old. According to police reports, the defendant driver in this case was speeding around S. South Chicago Avenue. Witnesses saw the driver speed through two different green traffic lights and one saw him drive through a red light. The teen driver was apparently trying to following his cousin who was in a second car. The teenager swerved around another car at some point and crashed into a light pole. A passenger was thrown from the car on impact and subsequently died at a local hospital.
The defendant driver was also transported to a hospital and searched. Officers found marijuana on his person. A DUI test was administered and the teenager also tested positive for marijuana use. The driver even confessed that he had been smoking marijuana earlier in the day.
Truck accident leaves 10 dead en route to college visit
Chicago residents have likely heard about the tragic story involving students on their way to a college visit. The students were travelling by bus in northern California last week when a tractor-trailer crashed into the bus and killed 10 people, five of which were students in their teens. Others killed include both the bus driver and the truck driver, a college recruiter and two chaperones.
According to reports from the National Transportation Safety Board, the semi-truck was travelling on Interstate 5 in California. The truck apparently crossed over a 58-foot median from the southbound lane into a north-travelling lane and hit one car and then crashed into the bus. Subsequent investigation into the crash scene showed no evidence that the truck driver tried to brake, either in the median or when the truck crossed into the northbound lane.
It was a different story for the bus driver, who clearly tried to avoid the accident. Investigators believe that the bus driver tried to swerve to avoid impact. Investigators will also review blood samples from the bus driver and semi driver to test for alcohol or other drugs.
Contact a Lake County Vehicle Accident Attorney Who is Ready to Help You
If you or a member of your family has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, contact our office. Call 847-662-3303 to set up a free initial consultation at one of our four convenient locations. There is no risk because we only collect fees if you collect compensation. With offices in Libertyville, Waukegan, Richmond, and Chicago, we represent clients in Lake County, Cook County, DuPage County, and McHenry County.
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