Archive for category: Car Accidents

The vast majority of accidents happen because someone violated the rules of the road. These rules are well established, and every motorist is charged with knowing them along with all of the criminal laws pertaining to safe driving such as DUI. In other words, ignorance is not a viable defense. 

When police officers receive a communication reporting a motor vehicle accident, the responding officer will investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash. The severity of the crash might require a specialist in accident investigation and reconstruction to begin an investigation. On the other hand, most accidents do not need an officer with specialized training to investigate. In either case, the officers will examine the accident scene, witness statements, statements from those involved in the accident, and the damage to the cars among other evidence if it is available to determine what happened and why. The investigating officer may issue a traffic ticket or criminal charges if the evidence supports that decision.

Evidence that a person received a ticket or faced criminal charges will not necessarily assist the accident victim. However, a plea of guilty to a civil infraction or criminal charge or a guilty finding on those charges will help the injured accident victim prove his or her case. Illinois law allows the plaintiff in a personal injury case to show the driver acted negligently because a judge or jury found him or her guilty of the charge. If the other driver pleads to or was found guilty of the civil or criminal charges relating to the cause of an auto wreck, then the plaintiff can use that as evidence instead of proving fault by recreating the accident. 

This rule, known as negligence per se, helps plaintiffs focus on proving the accident caused their injuries without worrying about proving the other driver breached a duty of care.

Chicago Heights Woman Sustains Fatal Injuries in Two-Vehicle Accident

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS – As reported online by the Chicago Tribune, a 40-year-old Chicago Heights woman was killed in a two-vehicle accident.*

According to local police, on April 2, 2019, a 40-year-old Chicago Heights woman was rear-ended by a pickup truck at the intersection of Joe Orr Road and Lowe Avenue.  The 40-year-old woman had been driving her 2013 Nissan Altima along with a 22-year-old passenger.  

Both the driver and the passenger were taken to Franciscan Health in Olympia Fields for treatment.  However, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s autopsy, the 40-year-old woman died while at the hospital, suffering blunt force injuries to the neck.  The 22-year-old passenger was transferred from Franciscan Health to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn for further treatment.  The extent of the passenger’s injuries and current condition are unknown.

The driver of the pickup truck (a 2008 black Chevy Avalanche) that rear-ended the 40-year-old woman’s vehicle was taken to South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest for treatment.  Local police have not identified the pickup truck driver nor have they provided an update on the pickup truck driver’s condition.

To determine what led to the catastrophic accident that left one person dead, the South Suburban Major Accident Reconstruction Team is working with Chicago Heights police to investigate the accident. As such, no criminal charges are pending at this time.  Whether criminal charges will be filed in the future is unknown.  An investigation may reveal potential causes or contributing factors that caused the pickup truck to rear-end the 40-year-old woman’s vehicle. 

As with any motor vehicle accident, potential causes or contributing factors law investigators will look at include, among others, distracted driving (such as texting), driving while intoxicated, speeding, motor vehicle failure (such as tire or brake failure), and failure to yield.

INJURED? CALL STEIN SHULMAN, LLC FOR YOUR INSTANT CASE ANALYSIS

Stein & Shulman, LLC has over 45 years of combined experienced in Illinois Personal Injury Law. You can receive a free and instant case review by calling our office at (312) 422-0500.

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Chicago, IL 60602
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*Source:https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/ct-sta-chicago-heights-fatal-crash-st-0403-story.html

Chicago and Cook County, like the rest of the nation, has seen fatal car crashes decline slightly over the last few years. Of course, any progress toward reducing the number of deaths in auto accidents is positive. The heartbreaking reality is that hundreds of people each year lose their lives in Chicago car accidents. Those hundreds of death wind up affecting hundreds of more people whose lives are forever altered by the loss of their loved ones. Holidays, birthdays, weddings, graduation, births, all of the joys people experience in life are not as joyous as they might otherwise be because a relative perished in a Chicago auto collision.

As of mid-March, 2019, 42 people have died in Cook County auto accidents according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. The current pace, although tragic on a case-by-case basis shows promise that 2019 might not be as deadly as the previous two years. In 2018, 267 people died in car crashes, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, and truck accidents in Cook County. In 2017, 288 people died in Cook County vehicular crashes. 

People die in motor vehicle crashes for a variety of reasons. Some deaths are entirely preventable. That is why all motor vehicle occupants must wear a seatbelt. The greatest chance of surviving a severe car crash is to stay in the car. The frame of the vehicle and all of its safety features protect the occupants. However, all bets are off when someone is ejected from the vehicle because he or she was not wearing a seatbelt. 

The onus is not entirely on the victim to protect himself or herself. Fatal crashes caused by intoxicated drivers, distracted drivers, or speeding drivers are preventable as well. There is no excuse for driving after alcohol consumption or taking drugs. Similarly, there is no excuse for looking at a cellphone, texting, emailing, or using a cellphone app while driving.

Furthermore, drivers need to be more careful. Numerous fatal accidents may be prevented if motorists slow down, obey the rules of the road, and drive defensively rather than aggressively and carelessly.

INJURED? CALL STEIN SHULMAN, LLC FOR YOUR INSTANT CASE ANALYSIS

Stein & Shulman, LLC has over 45 years of combined experienced in Illinois Personal Injury Law. You can receive a free and instant case review by calling our office at (312) 422-0500.

Stein & Shulman, LLC
134 N LaSalle St, #820
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 422-0500

Website

Directions

Ears are complicated and susceptible to injuries in accidents. Sometimes ear injuries show few or no outward signs that indicate that anything is wrong. The symptoms of an ear injury can vary greatly depending on which part of the ear is injured.

The symptoms include dizziness, hearing loss, and sensitivity to sounds. 

The inner ear is responsible for helping a person balance. If a person suffers injuries to his or her inner ear, then he or she might suffer symptoms including dizziness, blurred vision, neck pain, vertigo, and unsteadiness. 

The temporal bone protects the ear. This bone is the firmest in the human body. If the temporal bone is broken in a severe accident, this can cause serious inner ear injuries. This can happen because of a sports injury orbecause of a vehicle collision. 

The cochlea, which is crucial for proper hearing, is also located within the inner ear. The cochlea can be damaged from head trauma as well. When this happens,it can impact a person’s hearing and cause them to develop tinnitus, sensitivity to sounds or loss of hearing. 

If this type of injury is the result of a severe head injury caused in a car crash, then the injured person could have the ability to collect compensation for their injuries. Depending on the facts of the case and the types of injuries received, monetary compensation for inner ear injuries can be in the hundreds of thousands. 

Damage to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can also cause hearing and balance problems. This is another type of injury that can be caused bycar accidents. 

If an injury from a car crash causes a person to suffer hearing damage, it is important for the victim to seek medical attention as well as legal advice. 

INJURED? CALL STEIN SHULMAN, LLC FOR YOUR INSTANT CASE ANALYSIS

Stein & Shulman, LLC has over 45 years of combined experienced in Illinois Car Accident Injury Law. You can receive a free and instant case review by calling our office at (312) 422-0500.

Stein & Shulman, LLC
134 N LaSalle St, #820
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 422-0500

Directions

Broken bones are severe and painful injuries. Fractures require a long time to heal and rehabilitate. An accident victim who sustains a broken bone in an auto crash that was caused by the recklessness or negligence of another may have a right to pursue monetary damages against the other driver and any other person whose actions contributed to causing the collision. 

Bones break in an accident for many reasons. The accident victim’s body can be contorted, pushed, pulled, and bent in many unnatural ways. Once the forces exceed the body’s integrity threshold, bones will fail and break. A car accident victim may suffer a broken bone in a sideswipe crash, T-bone collision, head-on crash, rear-end collision, or rollover accident. Bones may fracture or break from getting caught in the crushed vehicles, being ejected from the vehicle, or sustaining direct impact.

Any bone is susceptible to break in an accident. Bones in the back, spine, vertebrae skull, collarbone, neck, humerus, radius, ulna, elbow, hand, fingers, sternum, pelvis, sacrum, coccyx, femur, tibia, fibula, ankle, feet, and toes can break or fracture in an auto accident. 

The type of break the victim suffers will determine what measures orthopedic surgeons will need to repair the damage. Some breaks might need surgical repairs whereas other fractures will merely require a cast or another immobilization device. Surgeons will examine the nature of the break to see what kind of surgery is needed. For example, if the is a compound fracture like when the bone comes through the skin or a transverse break which is a break that completely goes through the bone and leaves the fractured part at a 90-degree angle to the healthy bone, the accident victim will need surgery. Similarly, a comminuted break or one in which the bone broke in three or more places will also require surgery. The accident victim might need surgery if the doctor cannot set the bones before casting. 

COMPENSATION FOR YOUR INJURIES. CALL STEIN SHULMAN, LLC FOR YOUR INSTANT CASE ANALYSIS

Stein & Shulman, LLC has over 45 years of combined experienced in Illinois Car Accident Injury Law. You can receive a free and instant case review by calling our office at (312) 422-0500.

Stein & Shulman, LLC
134 N LaSalle St, #820
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 422-0500

Directions