Chicago, IL Personal Injury Attorneys Blog | Car Accident Legal Information

What happens when sleepy drivers crash?

On behalf of Clancy Law posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, May 16, 2013.

With spring moving to summer, there are many more hours of sunshine for people to enjoy the country by having road trips. However, this also increases the danger of vacationers being involved in drowsy driving accidents.

These types of crashes refer to drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel or are so fatigued that they cannot make split-second decisions to avoid crashes. The exact numbers on drowsy driving are not easy to quantify, even though statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate that more than 11,000 people have been killed in accidents involving fatigued drivers in the last 10 years.

Texting while driving now top cause of teen driver deaths

On behalf of Clancy Law posted in Car Accidents on Friday, May 10, 2013.

With spring in full bloom, it should be no surprise that more teen drivers are on the road. With the great weather comes prom nights for high schools around the Chicago area. Also, many schools will have graduation ceremonies, which ostensibly lead to graduation parties.

The sad reality is that many of these parties will involve underage drinking. While this is a critical safety issue, distracted driving has become much more of a problem among teen drivers. This post will highlight some disturbing statistics and offer some tips for parents to keep their teens safe.

Woman killed by tanker truck on Near West Side

On behalf of Clancy Law posted in Car Accidents on Friday, May 3, 2013.

Chicago traffic is particularly dangerous; especially with the amount of traffic coming from large trucks. Whether they are delivery trucks or semis, these are the largest (and most dangerous) vehicles on the road. Their sheer size make them something that pedestrians should pay attention to.

Unlike cars, an encounter with a truck would be fatal.

Honda announces recall to prevent accidents

On behalf of Clancy Law posted in Products Liability on Thursday, April 25, 2013.

Japanese automaker Honda will recall more than 200,000 vehicles in the United States due to problems with its parking brake. Internal tests revealed that in cold weather, it is possible to shift a car out of park without releasing the parking brake.

According to a Honda spokesman, this revelation means that a driver could possibly shift into drive while the parking brake is still engaged. Honda maintains that such an occurrence has not happened to any of its current vehicles on the road, but the mere chance of it happening merits a recall.

South Side sinkhole swallows three cars

On behalf of Clancy Law posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Friday, April 19, 2013.

When we see news reports about sinkholes, we naturally think about where in Florida it may have occurred. After all, the sunshine state has made headlines this year for homes (with occupants in them) being spontaneously swallowed. When a sinkhole engulfed three cars on Chicago's South Side, it was definitely a surprise.

According to a Chicago Tribune report, an old water main caused the sinkhole that first engulfed a parked car, then claimed a pickup truck where the driver did not have enough time to avoid falling into the hole. The driver fortunately was not seriously hurt.

Injured children okay after bus accident

On behalf of Clancy Law on Monday, April 8, 2013.

Parents know that every time they put their children on a school bus, the risk of an accident is ever present. However, they trust that the bus driver will use due care in transporting their kids to and from school.

This trust was broken early Friday morning. A school bus travelling through Wadsworth crashed into a Jeep Wrangler, and flipped onto its side, injuring more than 30 children who were on board. Bus drivers have a unique duty to use reasonable care in operating their vehicles.

Not only are in control of large, potentially dangerous vehicles, they carry the lives of their passengers in their hands. School bus accidents are uncommon, but when they occur, they often have catastrophic results. Bus passengers commonly suffer injuries because most are not equipped with seatbelts.

Snow storms add to driving hazards

On behalf of Clancy Law posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Friday, March 29, 2013.

It's been more than six weeks since Punxsutawney Phil famously saw his shadow, essentially declaring that spring was just around the corner. On the first Monday of spring, however, a snowstorm passed through the area. The late season snow snarled traffic and slowed air traffic from O'Hare Airport.

As the storm continued east, it brought snow to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and New Jersey. Moderate snow was seen in Washington D.C. and nearly a foot fell in Pittsburgh.

As for Chicagoland traffic, numerous reports of fender-bender accidents were heard throughout the region. With many school districts on spring break, the volume of traffic was slightly down, but the number of accidents still posed a problem.

Police officer charged in fatal wrong way accident

On behalf of Clancy Law posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Thursday, March 21, 2013.

A North Chicago police officer is being held on $500,000 bond after being accused of causing an accident that killed two people in a wrong-way accident on Lake Shore Drive. The crash occurred on Friday evening after the officer (who was not on duty at the time) sped down the highway into oncoming traffic.

Cook County prosecutors charged him with two counts of reckless homicide, and aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol. They also report that his blood alcohol level was .184, which is more than twice the state's legal limit (.08). Witness reports indicate that the officer's car was travelling at least 60 mph, although the speed limit is 45 mph on that stretch of road.

The officer has been placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation into the case.

GM recall may include 1 million cars

On behalf of Clancy Law posted in Products Liability on Thursday, March 14, 2013.

More than 1 million cars built by American automaker General Motors may be subject to a recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reviewing complaints about Chevrolet Malibus built between 2004 and 2011, as well as Saturn Auras manufactured between 2007 and 2009. The NHTSA is investigating complaints suggesting that brake lights on these vehicles may not activate when the brake pedal is pressed, and that the lights may come on at other times without any reason.

Investigators also researched the same problem that consumers complained about regarding Pontiac G6 models. In February, it launched an inquiry into more than 500,000 G6's built between 2005 and 2009.

Trucking company had spotty safety record prior to crash

On behalf of Clancy Law posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Thursday, March 7, 2013.

A multi-vehicle crash in Kentucky was a sobering reminder of the dangers that semi-trucks pose when they are not properly maintained. The accident occurred on Interstate 65 near Sonora, when a semi truck collided with Ford Expedition after it was reportedly following too closely. The crash left six people dead and two others seriously injured.

While no criminal charges have been filed as of this post, a preliminary investigation found that the trucking company (based out of Oak Park, Michigan) had 17 traffic violations in the last two years before the accident. The number of violations prompted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to remind state DOT's to keep track of repeat offenders, so that closer inspections could be conducted.

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