Illinois Injury Law Blog

Various citations are currently pending against a driver that injured a motorcyclist in a Chicago car accident, according to media reports. The accident happened at the 1700 block of South Archer Avenue just before 10:00 p.m., according to My Fox Chicago. The accident happened when a passenger vehicle and a motorcycle traveled through the same intersection at the same time. The motorcyclist was transported to the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. He was reported to be in critical condition according to the most recent reports. The police's Major Accident Investigation Unit is looking into the accident.

Our Chicago personal injury attorneys understand how vulnerable motorcyclists are when they're involved in a motor-vehicle accident. Their small size and their lack of protection make them extremely susceptible to serious injury. For this reason, motorcyclists are asked to drive defensively and drivers of passenger-vehicles are asked to be on the lookout for these two-wheeled travelers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were nearly 5,500 motorcyclists killed on U.S. roadways in 2008. This number illustrates a 2 percent increase from the number of fatalities from the previous year. In addition to these fatalities, approximately 96,000 motorcyclists were injured in traffic accidents during that same year. In 2008, more than 120 motorcyclists were killed in the state of Illinois.

If calculated by vehicle miles traveled in 2007, motorcyclists are nearly 40 times more likely to die in a traffic accident than an occupant of a passenger vehicle.

Motorcyclists made up nearly 15 percent of all of the reported traffic deaths in 2008. They also made up nearly 20 percent of all occupant fatalities and nearly 5 percent of all occupants injured.

Of all of the accidents that involved a motorcycle and another vehicle, nearly 80 percent occurred when a motorcycle was hit in the front. Motorcycles were hit from behind less than 10 percent.

Motorcyclists rely heavily on the safe driving habits of other motorists to avoid a potentially fatal accident.

Here are some safe driving tips to help keep our two-wheeled travelers safe:

-Check, and double check, your blind spots. Motorcycles can get lost easily and overlooked when they're traveling in these areas. Always check these spots before traveling through an intersection or changing lanes.

-Always assume that a motorcycle is closer than it looks. Because of their size and their speed, they can appear to be farther away than they actually are.

-Don't rely on a motorcycle's brake lights. Motorcyclists oftentimes will slow down by downshifting instead of using their brake. For this reason, do not follow a motorcycle too closely.

-Don't rely on a motorcycle's blinker either. Their blinkers are not self-canceling like those on most passenger vehicles. Make sure that a motorcyclist's signal is for real.

-Think of a motorcyclist as another person and not just another vehicle. This will help you to consider their safety a little bit more. Hitting a motorcyclist can be a lot similar to striking a pedestrian as neither have any form of substantial protection in the event of an accident.

Continue reading "Driver Not Cleared of Citations after Chicago Motorcycle Accident" »

Both sides reached a confidential settlement in the case of a Chicago firefighter left paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. The Chicago Breaking News Center reports the settlement came after a hung jury in the civil trial against Harley-Davidson.

Our Chicago motorcycle accident lawyers represent clients and families dealing with serious or fatal motorcycle accidents throughout Illinois. Such accidents frequently lead to very serious, debilitating injuries. As such, it is important to hire a law firm with the experience and resources to thoroughly investigate your case and determine whether there are multiple parties responsible for the crash. In this case, the law firm decided a defective product claim against Harley-Davidson was warranted. While the terms were not disclosed, it is likely that the firefighter and his family were able to make a better recovery than would have been possible without the defective products litigation.

The 52-year-old firefighter sued the motorcycle company, claiming a faulty motorcycle led to the 2004 crash on an Arizona highway. The company said driver error was responsible for the crash. The wreck paralyzed the victim from the chest down and he requires 24-hour care.

A jury deliberated this week after a trial last month. Jurors reportedly told the judge on Tuesday that they were unable to reach an agreement.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports there were 5,290 fatal motorcycle accidents in 2008. More than 96,000 riders were injured. Illinois motorcycle accidents claimed the lives of 121 riders that year.

Continue reading "Settlement reached in personal injury lawsuit, defective product claim for Chicago firefighter paralyzed in motorcycle accident" »

Today marks the end of May’s “Motorcycle Awareness Month”—a period during which local law enforcement agencies try to make drivers aware of the motorcycle riders who share the road with them, and to remind riders to take safety precautions as motorcycle riding increases during the summer months.

In a report broadcast yesterday, WGN TV discussed the types of motorcycle crashes that are considered “textbook” examples: such accidents occur most often at intersections, when drivers attempting to make a left-hand turn don’t notice a motorcycle coming into the intersection, and cut off the rider. Citing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the report noted that motorcyclists are 37 times more likely to die in a crash than people in passenger cars are. Even police riders are sometimes forced off the road, despite riding with flashing lights and sirens that should make it more likely that drivers would notice them.

Many riders like to wear dark clothing; however, research has shown that the use of fluorescent, reflective, or brightly-colored clothing, as well as the use of white helmets, reduces the likelihood that a motorcycle rider will be injured in a crash caused by someone else’s negligence.

Motorcycle Awareness Month may be over, but Chicago motorcycle riders must stay alert throughout the year. Unfortunately, according to media reports, a 31-year-old Carpentersville motorcyclists lost his life just last Saturday when he rode off the road near Richmond.

Continue reading "Chicago-Area Agencies Conclude “Motorcycle Awareness Month”" »

A recent motorcycle crash near Joliet, Illinois resulted in a fatality this past week. Details of the collision are still being compiled but the high mortality rate for motorcycle accidents is an important issue. It goes without saying that the risk of serious injury and death increase in motorcycle collisions merely because of the lack of protection many riders have when these accidents occur. Often times the accidents are not the due to the fault of the motorcycle rider but the other drivers on the roadway who either don't see them or operate their vehicles in a negligent matter resulting in a collision.

A recent National Traffic and Highway Safety Administration report shows that motorcycle rider fatalities began increasing nationally each year in 1997, since then rider fatalities have increased by 89%. The high number of fatalities have been blamed on a number of causes, including an increased number of riders under the age of 20, more motorcycles on the roadway, bigger and faster motorcycles in production, etc. The numbers are staggering when considering that these are just the fatalities, the accidents involving serious and permanent bodily injury are even more likely.

A rider can be the most cautious person on the road and that alone won't prevent accidents from happening, especially when riding at night, like the individual in Joliet this weekend. The resulting injuries can be debilitating and permanent if the rider is fortunate enough to escape with his or her life. I have represented clients injured in a number of different circumstances following a motorcycle collision on the roadway and each time my client did everything within their power to avoid being struck by another vehicle, unfortunately, being a well trained and experienced rider cannot protect you in every instance.

Ride Carefully!