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Fourth of July enforcement targets impaired drivers
The Fourth of July is just one of those warm weather holidays that puts everyone in a good mood. Especially with the holiday landing on a Thursday this year, many people may be turning the nation&s birthday into a four-day weekend. As such, many Chicagoans will be traveling for the holiday and should be aware of increased patrol efforts on the roads.
Lake County in particular is increasing patrol numbers and hosting traffic stops. The goal of these efforts is to enforce people to wear seat belts and catch drunk drivers. If the officers can prevent just one drunk driving accident, death or injury, it will be well worth it.
Funding for the increased presence is coming from two established programs in Illinois, "Click It or Ticket" and "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over." The main focus of the holiday weekend will be during later times of the day and night when the most traffic deaths generally occur. This is due to drunk drivers and people not wearing seatbelts. The officers are maintaining a zero-tolerance policy for driving under the influence and the efforts will run statewide until Sunday.
During summer, more focus on drunk boating in Illinois
It&s officially summertime. And that means that boaters will be taking advantage of the warm weather and spending time out on Lake Michigan and other recreational lakes in Illinois. Unfortunately, along with the fun on the water and sometimes party atmosphere comes the danger of drunk boating.
For whatever reason, public awareness on drunk boating may not be keeping pace with the awareness and stigma surrounding drunk driving. Illinois and national organizations put significant efforts toward targeting drunk driving and law enforcement officers are focused on catching impaired drivers and preventing DUI accidents. These efforts are not yet mirrored on the water. But drunk boaters can be just as dangerous and just as deadly.
Water traffic doesn&t have roads or dotted lines to keep them out of the way of other boaters. And given the recreational nature of boating, there are often people in the water swimming, skiing or tubing. With the limited number of "traffic rules", it is up to the drivers of the boat and swimmers to stay out of the way of each other.
Construction zone semi-truck accident leaves one dead
Driving at night poses many more dangers on the road. Other cars, traffic lines and obstacles in the road can be tricky to see. Drivers get tired at night too, which is also dangerous.
Nighttime is when many road workers go into action. Construction zones that are fairly quiet during the day may become quite busy at night, resulting in slower traffic through the area or detours if necessary. This slowing of traffic, combined with the darkness, can be a recipe for disaster. A recent accident in Channahon, Illinois demonstrates just how disastrous.
According to local authorities, a man was killed during the very early morning hours when he slammed into a semi tractor-trailer. Apparently, the semi-truck slowed down in front of a construction zone on Interstate 55. For some reason, the 23-year-old driver of a pick-up truck didn&t notice the slowing traffic and crashed into the semi. The crash killed the driver of the pick-up truck. The tragic accident luckily left no one else injured.
Illinois motorcyclist killed after accident with second driver
Drivers should hopefully know and understand that on the roads, there is only so much that one can control. And unfortunately, other drivers are not something we can control. Other drivers will act negligently and recklessly and these actions will inevitably cause accidents, injury and sometimes even death.
Motorcyclists are especially are aware of the dangers that come with sharing the road with other drivers. Motorcycles and their riders are at a heightened risk because they are smaller than cars and can be hard to see. Despite these risks, many Illinoisans are still passionate about their bikes.
Sadly, one Illinois man from Rockton recently lost his life following a motorcycle accident. The 48-year-old biker was travelling along Illinois Route #75 heading west. At some point, another vehicle turned into a driveway directly in front of the man. The motorcyclist was injured and had to be transported to the Rockford Memorial Hospital.
Dog attack creates questions of property liabilty
People generally try to keep their homes safe, even if it&s simply for their own health and safety, or to protect their family. But homeowners and property owners also need to keep their land safe for others who enter their property and should take into account any guests and visitors.
Premises liability is a real issue and it is a property owner&s responsibility to maintain the appropriate safety standards. This includes restraining any dangerous, or potentially dangerous animals. Unfortunately for one 9-year-old boy in Illinois, his neighbors didn&t necessarily take this responsibility too seriously.
The boy went to the hospital following a dog attack in his neighbor&s yard. The local Peoria animal protective services are looking into the incident and plan to release more information once the investigation is complete.
According to officials, the American Bulldog that attacked the boy did not have current vaccinations or registration. The owners of the dog can either petition to have the dog returned to them or they can give over their rights to the dog to animal services. In the latter scenario, animals services could decide to put down the dog, following proceedings, and would no longer need the owner&s consent.
Wrong-way car accident kicks off Memorial Day travel
Memorial Day weekend: another holiday associated with large amounts of travel, especially road travel. According to AAA, they anticipated 1.6 million people travelling on the roads this past weekend. Unfortunately, with the increase of drivers on the road comes a potential increase in car accidents.
For example, a bad accident kicked off the travel weekend and injured four people. The accident occurred on the Chicago Skyway next to 85th Street. Everyone thankfully survived the wrong-way car crash.
According to police, a driver was travelling north in the southbound lanes of the Skyway when it crashed into a pick-up truck. The collision pushed the truck into the concrete median and it eventually flipped over. Police cited the 24-year-old driver with two citations: one ticket for driving without a driver&s license and one for travelling the wrong way.
The scene caused major delays and traffic was backed up for hours. The wrong-way driver broke his arm and was taken to a nearby hospital. Two passengers in his car were also injured and taken in for treatment. The pickup truck driver was treated and released from a local hospital as well.
Chicago limo driver under the influence while driving teens to prom
Prom night is a big deal for high schoolers but it may be an even bigger deal for the parents of the teenagers. Parents worry about safety, especially underage drinking and driving. They understand the consequences of drinking and driving, ranging from DUI accidents to death.
Sadly, on a recent prom night in Illinois it wasn&t the high schoolers that the parents needed to worry about; it was the limo driver taking their children to prom. A Chicago limo driver was arrested for drunk driving. He was driving 23 teens to prom at the time of the arrest.
The young passengers immediately noticed the driver&s strange actions. He apparently drove over medians and cut off other cars. He even tried to drop the passengers off at the wrong hotel. Some of the teens got nervous and called their parents. By the time the limo driver made it to the right hotel, police at the prom venue were able to handle the situation until sheriff&s deputies arrived to make the arrest.
Illinois city dealing with unsafe hotel property
Property owners in Illinois are responsible for the safety of their property. This responsibility falls on individual homeowners, as well as large corporate owners of buildings. When unsafe conditions lead to an accident such as a slip and fall, those injured may be able to obtain compensation for any medical expenses, missed work and more. However, one city here in Illinois is not waiting for just such an accident and is taking action against a property owner.
The city of Quincy is currently confronting a limited liability company that owns a local hotel. The city says that the L.L.C. kept the building in an unsafe condition. One portion of the building actually collapsed recently after a round of storms. The city&s Department of Planning and Development issued the citation to an agent of the L.L.C., and the agent&s first appearance in court is scheduled for the end of May. As of now, a fence surrounds the dangerous part of the hotel, and blocks access to the building from the south side.
Will a New Law Minimize Distracted Driving in Illinois?
Last August, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill
that prohibits the use of all hand-held phones by drivers.
The law officially became effective and enforceable as of
January 1, 2014. This makes Illinois the twelfth state to
employ such a prohibition on the use of hand-held phones
while driving. Commercial truck drivers were prohibited
from using phones a full year earlier.
It is little wonder why policymakers would focus on cell phone-related car accidents. According to the Illinois Tollway, citing the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, hand-held cell phone usage, either through texting or taking phone calls, caused approximately 6,000 motor vehicle accidents in the state between 2008 and 2012. At any second during the day approximately 800,000 drivers on the roads in Illinois are using a cell phone while behind the wheel. The problem is particularly worrisome with teenagers, as studies consistently show that younger drivers are guilty of distracted driving at elevated rates.
More Harm is Foreseeable in Truck Accidents
Under negligence rules in Illinois, a “tortfeasor”
(someone who acts negligently) is responsible for all
foreseeable harm that arises from their conduct. There are
many classic legal cases
where the issue of “foreseeability” is analyzed. But, in
the vast majority of cases the matter is relatively
straightforward.
Consider a recent tragic example. According to reports, late last month a semi truck ran a red light on U.S. 20 in Winnebago County in Northern Illinois. The truck apparently collided with at least three other vehicles causing significant property damage and seriously injuring several travelers. All those hurt in the accident likely have legal rights under the civil law to recover from the negligent driver (and perhaps his employer) as a result of the accident. That is because it is clearly foreseeable that a collision can occur when a truck runs a red light. Because of the size of the trailer on these trucks, it is also always foreseeable that several cars can be caught up in the incident.
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.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
