Chicago Motor Vehicle Accidents Law Blog

In Illinois, the graduated driver's license program is intended to limit the chances that a young driver gets in a fatal auto accident. Restrictions are set on everything from nighttime driving to the number and age of passengers allowed in the car. This is because it is important to closely monitor and sufficiently educate new and young drivers before fully licensing them to drive. Once they are licensed, however, it is still important that parents supervise young drivers.

A new study finds that the risk of teens being involved in a fatal car accident increases substantially when they are driving with other teens. Newly-licensed drivers are eager to show off their independence by driving all their friends around. But they, and their parents, need to be aware that carrying other young passengers is a major risk factor.

A study of car crashes in Chicago, Illinois, reveals that the greater the volume of traffic at an intersection is, the more likely it is that a motorist or pedestrian will become involved in a car accident. It may not come as a surprise to many to live or work in Chicago that there are a large number of very dangerous intersections in the city that are the frequent sites for car accidents.

The most dangerous intersection in the city was identified in the recent study. It is located at the three-way intersection of 79th Street, Stony Island Avenue and South Chicago Avenue, with ramps to and from the Chicago Skyway looming overhead. Two years ago, statistics recorded a total of 63 accidents occurring at that one intersection, a figure unrivaled by any other intersection in the six counties around Chicago.

A person's life can change dramatically in only a few seconds when they are involved in a pedestrian accident. All it takes is the negligence of one driver, and a pedestrian can be struck and suffer crippling injuries. Recently, an Illinois man was struck by an Alltown bus while he was walking across the street. He suffered serious brain trauma and is under constant medical supervision. One of the most disturbing details of the accident is that this is not the first time an Alltown bus has struck a pedestrian.

According to sources, the bus company has been involved in about a dozen personal injury lawsuits in the past seven years. Of those, four of the accidents involved a bus striking a pedestrian.

In the aftermath of a fatal car accident, there are often more questions than answers. No matter how safe a person is driving, it only takes one careless mistake by another driver to cause catastrophic injuries in an accident. Determining the reason of or cause for someone else's negligence cannot undo the events that take place, but it can give the victim's family some peace of mind.

A family of four was driving home from a night out for dinner in Orland Park, Illinois. They were less than two miles away from their house when the driver, a 24-year-old woman, went to turn left. As she was turning, the driver of an oncoming street sweeper decided to ignore his own red light. He drove through the intersection and smashed into the woman's car. She was injured, but she was driving with her parents and 15-year-old sister who were all killed in the accident.