Illinois Injury Law Blog

There was no ice on Lake Shore Drive when a Chicago police officer’s squad car slid and crashed as he responded to a burglary. The crash took Sergeant Alan Haymaker’s life February 22, 2010. Police Supt. Jody Weiss said Wednesday, “Unfortunately, he had a very tragic accident. It’s possible the car aquaplaned on a puddle.”

Photo by JudyCrawford
Haymaker was honored with a moment's silence at police headquarters on Wednesday and speaking afterward, Weis said officers who were on the scene of Haymaker's death within minutes Monday morning found only "slush and standing water" on the road.

Weis' comments seem to contradict statements made by Assistant Supt. James Jackson, who said Monday that "icy road conditions were a factor" in Haymaker's death.
Those comments prompted questions about street maintenance with snow; many wondered if it had been salted in the hours before the accident.
But Weis said he had spoken with Streets and Sanitation chief Tom Byrne on Tuesday, and "I don't see any evidence that Streets and Sanitation dropped the ball."
Weis did acknowledged that the pool car Haymaker was driving was probably not "maintained to the same level" as an assigned beat car. Weis added that nobody had complained about the vehicle in the 1,000 miles it covered since it was serviced at the end of January.
Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Chicago Police Major Accidents Unit will be examining the car for defects, Weis said.

Regarding the burglary case, Weis said detectives have "some very promising leads" and stated that he wants the burglars charged with murder.

Car Accidents in Chicago

Some accidents are caused by negligence on the part of another person, intentional or not. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are specifically trained to assist you in your time of need.

No ice where crash killed cop: Weis, SunTimes.com, February 25, 2010

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A motorist was hospitalized after his car crashed into a guard rail and burst into flames January 22, 2010 on the Edens Expressway near north suburban Skokie.

Illinois State Police responded about 1:20 p.m. to the accident on the northbound Edens (I-94) at the Gross Point Road exit in Skokie, Illinois State Police District Chicago Trooper Michael Bobko said.

A male driver was operating a 2007 Toyota Matrix, said Illinois State Police District Chicago Sgt. Jason Lococo. The crash caused the car to erupt into flames.

The right lane and right shoulder of Edens Expressway were shut down for four hours while personnel investigated the scene. All lanes were back open by 5:20 p.m., Lococo said.

The driver was transported to Loyal University Medical in serious condition with burns, Bobko said. No other passengers were in the car, he confirmed.

The man was still in serious condition on Saturday morning, January 23, 2010, at Loyala University Medical, Lococo said. It was not immediately known if citations would be issued, Lococo also said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Car Accidents in Chicago

Unfortunately, car accidents occur regularly in Chicago and across the country. Sometimes it is because of negligence on the part of another person. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are specifically trained to assist you in your time of need.

Man injured after car erupts into flames on Edens , Chicago SunTimes.com, January 23, 2010

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No one was seriously injured when a vehicle crashed into an Illinois Department of Transportation vehicle following a fight at a club early January 24, 2010 on the West Side.

Around 4 a.m., a vehicle struck a parked car in the 4800 block of West Flournoy Street, and then went on to strike an IDOT tow truck and a fence at the same location, police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said.

The vehicle finally came to a stop on the 620 block of South Cicero Avenue, approximately a block away from the accident, Mirabelli said.

After the accident, the driver fled on foot toward the Eisenhower Expressway. Officers on the scene noticed a bullet hole on the driver’s side of the vehicle, but are not sure if the bullet hole was old damage or connected to the incident, Mirabelli said.

Sources say a fight did start at a club on Cicero Avenue near the Eisenhower Expressway, shots were fired, and a chase ensued.

There still is no indication that the crash was connected with a previous shooting or a fight at a club and also no indication that there were other passengers in the car, Mirabelli said.

Nobody was hospitalized from the crash, reported Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford said. Other sources say that State Police took a person of interest into custody. However, no one has been arrested in connection with the accident and State Police have completed their investigation, according to Illinois State Police District Chicago Sgt. Jason Lococo.

“It’s turning out to be just a crash, no injuries, no arrests as of right now,” Lococo said. He also would not confirm whether or not the incident was linked to a previous shooting or fight.

Car Accidents in Chicago

Unfortunately, car accidents occur regularly in Chicago and across the country. Sometimes it is because of negligence on the part of another person. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are specifically trained to assist you in your time of need.

Shooting outside club leads to Eisenhower crash with IDOT, Suntimes.com, January 24, 2010

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An off-duty Chicago police sergeant was involved in a two-car accident on January 2, 2010 that killed a woman in the Mount Greenwood community.

The 65-year-old woman was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m., reported the Crook County medical examiner’s office.

Four hours earlier, the police sergeant was driving her personal vehicle, a Dodge Durango, south on Kedzie Avenue when it collided with the victim’s Kia Rio, authorities report.

Witnesses told police that the victim failed to stop at a stop sign. The sergeant’s car hit the driver’s side. Police spokeswoman Gabrielle Lesniak said the sergeant had the right of way. No tickets were issued, police said.

The victim had to be extricated from her car, reported police. She was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition. The police sergeant suffered a leg injury and was treated at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park and released.

There were no passengers in either car.

The accident was no surprise to residents living on Kedzie Avenue. “We’ve been pushing for a stop sign (on Kedzie) at 112th Place for years. There are constant accident over here,” a neighbor said. Chicago police agreed, confirming that the intersection is dangerous and that few motorists obey the speed limit of 30 mph.

Car Accidents in Chicago

Unfortunately, car accidents occur regularly in Chicago and across the country. Sometimes it is because of negligence on the part of another person. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are specifically trained to assist you in your time of need.

Mount Greenwood woman dies in two-car crash, Southtownstar.com, January 3, 2010

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Cook County Prosecutors added another charge against a Cook County sheriff’s officer who drove into a highway worker on an Eisenhower ramp back in September.

Offier Tony Lampkin, in uniform but off-duty at the time of the accident, allegedly hit Michael Ochoa, of Chicago, on an outbound Eisenhower ramp on September 2, 2009 after going around a car stopped at a traffic signal. Ochoa, who received minor injuries, was on the ramp to check the traffic signal. Lampkin also allegedly ran over the signal.

Officer Lampkin was not charged initially with any citations until Ochoa complained to the Illinois State Police, inquiring if Lampkin had not been charged because he was in uniform. Illinois State Police then issued citations on September 24, 2009 against Lampkin for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and failure to yield to a worker in a construction zone. However, Illinois State Police denied any favoritism was at play and stated that charges were not issued right away because there was an issue over whether the area was a construction zone or not. And then today the charge of reckless driving was added to the charges.

Lampkin has stated that the car at the light had proceeded forward on green, then stopped unexpectedly, causing him to swerve. Frank Howard, an attorney for Lampkin, declined to comment on the new charge added, but told a reporter, “Be nice. It’s the holidays.”

Ochoa, who was not seriously injured, said he was glad the reckless driving charge was added. A bench trial was set for March 10 in Skokie, Illinois.

Car Accidents in Chicago

Unfortunately, car accidents occur regularly in Chicago and across the country. Sometimes it is because of negligence on the part of another person. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are specifically trained to assist you in your time of need.

Sheriff's officer cited with reckless driving for hitting IDOT worker, Suntimes.com,
December 21, 2009

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A 4-year-old girl from Streamwood and a man from Huntley were critically injured in a head-on traffic accident November 24, 2009 on DeKalb County’s Plank Road, east of Lukens Road. DeKalb County sheriff’s deputies reported that the child, whose identity was not released, was listed in critical condition with life-threatening injuries as of that evening. She was at Rockford Memorial Hospital in Rockford, DeKalb County Sheriff Roger A. Scott said.

The man from Huntley, Henry C. Rosales, 44, also was listed in critical condition at Rockford hospital that evening. Rosales was driving a 2002 Chevrolet Tracker east on Plank Road in unincorporated DeKalb County when a 2006 Toyota driven by Ummul B. Kazmi, 25, of Streamwood, crossed the center line and crashed into his Chevy.

Emergency crews had to extricate Rosales from the wreckage. Kazmi had minor injuries and was taken by Sycamore Fire Department paramedics to Kishwaukee Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition that evening.

The preliminary investigation revealed Kazmi was distracted by her daughter and was looking back at the child, who was in a child safety seat, when the car began to drift into the oncoming lane, Scott said.

No alcohol was involved and each driver was traveling within the 55 mph speed limit, he added.

The sheriff also said that distracted driving "is one of the common issues with all drivers." He added, "We tend to get distracted whether by music, the radio or (by drinking) coffee. There are a lot of potential distractions we all need to be aware of."

Plank Road also is a highly traveled road, a shortcut between Sycamore and the Chicago suburbs, that has had a number of accidents, Scott said.

He said deputies want to speak with a possible eyewitness, a person driving a dark-colored SUV or pickup, to provide more details about the accident.

The investigation is continuing and charges against Kazmi are pending while she tends to her child, Scott said.

Car Accidents in Chicago

Unfortunately, car accidents occur regularly in Chicago and across the country. Sometimes it is because of negligence on the part of another person. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are specifically trained to assist you in your time of need.

2 critically injured in Plank Road accident, SuburbChicagoNews.com, November 25, 2009

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The Northbound express lanes of Chicago’s Dan Ryan Expressway south of downtown were closed the weekend before Thanksgiving after a five-car crash left several people injured.

Thirteen ambulances responded to what turned out to be just a five-car collision on Saturday afternoon. The chain-reaction crash happened just after 2 p.m. in the northbound express lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway near West 31st Street, said an Illinois State Police District Chicago trooper.

feeder ramp, the trooper also said.

Fire Media Affaircs spokesman Quention Curtis said paramedics initiated an EMS Plan II response, which automatically sends at least five ambulances to the scene, about 2:30 p.m.

However, thirteen total ambulances responded. An Illinois State Police District Chicago trooper said that four vehicles were towed from the scene and several people sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Early reports indicate one child was taken in good condition to the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, two people were hospitalized in critical condition—one at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County and another at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center. Three other people were taken in good condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and one person was taken in good condition to Saint Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center and Mercy Hospital, said Curtis.

The EMS Plan II was secured and all lanes were reopened about 3 p.m., authorities said. No citations have been issued as of early Sunday morning. State Police are investigating.

Car Accidents in Chicago

Unfortunately, car accidents occur regularly in Chicago and across the country. Sometimes it is because of negligence on the part of another person. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are specifically trained to assist you in your time of need.

7-car crash closes part of Chicago expressway, Chicago Tribune, November 21, 2009

13 ambulances sent to Dan Ryan crash on South Side, Sun Times, November 22, 2009

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Four Chicago Transit Authority passengers and the bus operator were among those who sought medical attention after a CTA bus was rear-ended by a car outside Douglas Park on Chicago’s West Side.

Two of the five injured were taken in serious-to-critical condition to Mt. Sinai Hospital, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Quention Curtis. The remaining three victims were taken to Stroger or St. Anthony in good condition.

The accident, which caused a 16-minute reroute of bus service, involved a No. 12 Roosevelt Road but that was stopped and facing east on Roosevelt. It was rear-ended by a car at Francisco Avenue about 2 p.m., reported Chicago Transit Authority spokeswoman Wanda Taylor.

Taylor said preliminary information on the victims was that their injuries were non-life-threatening.

Car Accidents in Chicago

If you’ve ever been in a car accident, you know how quickly it can happen. In a blink of an eye, everything changes. Sometimes it is because of negligence on the part of another person, sometimes not. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are available to assist you in your time of need.

5 hurt in crash involving CTA bus, Chicagobreakingnews.com, September 22, 2009

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A car crashed into a pole on Roosevelt Rd near Canal St in Chicago’s South Loop, then flipped over. The female driver was transported in serious to critical condition after the crash to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, said Quention Curtis, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department.

The woman, who was in her 30s, was driving westbound on the 400 block of West Roosevelt at about 9:30 a.m. the morning of September 24, 2009, when her car was struck by a truck.

Witnesses said the impact caused the woman’s car to fly about 15 feet in the air and hit a metal utility pole and flip over.

News as to the woman’s condition later in the day was not available.

Car Accidents in Chicago

Car accidents happen every day and more often then we think in Chicago and across the country. Sometimes it is because of negligence on the part of another person, sometimes not. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are available to assist you in your time of need.

Woman injured in crash involving car and truck in South Loop, ChicagoBreakingNews.com, September 24, 2009

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Teens with their own cars or free use of a car are much more likely to get in crashes than those who share a car. And crashes are much less common among teens whose parents set clear driving safety rules.

These findings are in two studies from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, funded by State Farm Insurance Co. Both studies are in the October issue of Pediatrics.

Research say the findings can help parents keep their kids from becoming another statistic. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens and more than 5,000 are killed each year. Government data show that more than 7,000 people nationwide were killed in crashes involving teen drivers in 2007. More than 3,000 of these deaths were teen drivers, and more than 250,000 teen drivers were injured.

These numbers can be reduced by discussion with a teen about their responsibilities while driving. Parents can also make driving safer by instituting curfews, rules about what goes on in the car while their teen is driving, and limits on how far a teen can drive at one time.

Teens with own cars have more crashes, study finds, Google News, September 25, 2009

Car Accidents in Chicago

Teen car accidents are the number one leading cause of deaths in teenagers in the country. Sometimes it is because of negligence on the part of another person, teenager or not. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are specifically trained to assist you in your time of need.

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A Waukegan, IL driver has been charged in connection with a deadly hit and run crash that killed Patty Kuntz, 45, of Aurora.

Frederick Washington, 24, is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He’s also charged with obstructing justice and driving on a suspended license.

On Sunday, September 27, Kuntz was walking in a crosswalk on Lake Street in Aurora. Police say Washington did not stop after hitting her but turned himself in a couple of hours later. Police say Washington initially told them he was rear-ended by another vehicle.

Man charged in deadly hit-and-run crash, ABCLocal.com, September 29, 2009

Car Accidents in Chicago

Unfortunately, car accidents occur regularly in Chicago and across the country. Sometimes it is because of negligence on the part of another person. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are specifically trained to assist you in your time of need.

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Chicago police are looking into an overnight fatal car accident in the South Shore neighborhood that may have involved a stolen vehicle.

On August 17, 2009, at about 12:30 a.m., a Chevrolet SUV with four occupants hit a concrete pillar at 7700 S. South Shore Dr., said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines. The impact caused the car to flip, which ejected the driver.

The driver was identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as Jasmine King, 22, of the 1900 block of East 73rd Place. He was pronounced dead at 4:05 a.m. at the scene. Gaines could not provide the circumstances of the accident, and he could not confirm whether or not the vehicle was stolen.

Police at the scene had told a WGN-TV news crew that the vehicle may have been stolen.

One of the occupants was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police who were at the scene. Another passenger is said to have refused treatment and a fourth was questioned about the vehicle by police, reported WGN.

Car Accidents in Chicago

It is often the luck of a thief to have an accident while driving a car he/she does not own. Unfortunately, car accidents occur regularly in Chicago and across the country. Sometimes it is because of negligence on the part of another person. It is our mission to assist those who may have been injured or harmed due to the negligence of another driver. Whether your injuries consist of whiplash or burns to your head or neck, nerve damage or spinal chord injures, broken or dislocated a bones or limbs, or loss of life, our attorneys are specifically trained to assist you in your time of need.

Police investigating fatal car accident in South Shore, ChicagoBreakingNews.com, August 17, 2009

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