Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Earlier this week, we discussed the five most dangerous intersections in the Chicago area. A slew of remaining intersections prove to be just as dangerous, as they trail by only a few accidents in the 2010 crash totals. While many of these intersections have their own unique characteristics, quite a few are in or near construction zones.

It being mid-May, Chicago is now fully in "construction season" so please take special care at the following dangerous intersections:

Illinois motorists know that Chicago presents a high risk of accidents, but surely some areas of the Chicago area are more dangerous than others. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) confirmed this belief, when it recently released its 2010 crash data. The data contains intersection-specific accident totals, helping officials to identify Chicago's most accident-prone intersections.

The intersection of Stony Island Avenue and 79th Street earns the dubious distinction as Chicago's most dangerous intersection by hosting more auto crashes (63) than any other intersection in 2010. The Stony Island crossing involves confusing features such as overhead Chicago Skyway ramps and railroad viaduct. Each day, 70,000 vehicles proceed through the crossing.

You see it every day in Illinois: Cars barreling down the highway and changing lanes without signaling. Maybe you're an offender, too, because it's a victimless crime, right? Wrong. According to a new study on the use of turn signals - the first of its kind - U.S. motorists' failure to properly use turn signals causes 2 million vehicle crashes each year.

Researchers determined that a turn signal is only used 48 percent of the time when a vehicle changes lanes. The signal neglect occurs when a vehicle is turning, too; a turn signal accompanies a right or left turn only 25 percent of the time, according to the study.

In July 2008, a Loves Park girl was tragically killed by a drunk driver. The 17-year-old girl's untimely death left her family and friends devastated and angered.

The victim's family watched as the criminal justice case unfolded and the drunk driver was sentenced to nine years in prison. While the punishment gave some satisfaction to members of the grieving family, it didn't compensate them for the loss of their loved one. Surviving family members then filed a civil lawsuit against the man responsible for the girl's death and they were recently awarded more than $6 million in money damages.

A recent study administered by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute has strong implications for Chicago residents. The study points out that installing a child safety restraint, like car seats, is very difficult in a great number of the best-selling cars from 2010 and 2011.

As many parents with young children can attest to, installing a car seat can be much more difficult than advertised on the box. When struggling to install a car seat, many parents feel it is their fault or perhaps the design of the product that is to blame, but according to the study, often it is the design of the car that is the issue.

An experienced cyclist recently died in a bicycle accident, likely caused by a defect in the bike. Officials suspect there was a structural weakness in the fork - the part of the bicycle frame that holds the front wheel - leading to the cyclist's fatal crash. Though the medical examiner has not completed the review of the death, it is the belief that crash resulted in severe head trauma, despite the cyclist wearing a helmet at the time.

The bicycle manufacturer, Cervelo, outsourced the production of its Wolf SL fork component of the Cervelo Soloist bike to another company. Cervelo was responsible for the design and testing of the fork on the Soloist, but not the actual manufacturing. Unbeknownst to the victim, the Wolf SL fork was the subject of a recall due to safety issues relating to cracking and breaking of the product during use. Cervelo has stated that it sold 5,800 bikes using the recalled fork design.

Present laws governing prescription drug labels create a glaring injustice to countless Americans who suffer dangerous side effects from generic forms of defective drugs. In efforts to remedy problem, two bills were recently introduced in the Senate and House.

The prospective laws are incredibly important because current laws prevent people who have been harmed by undisclosed side effects of generic medications from holding the manufacturer liable. This legal immunity is nonsensical, because victims of undisclosed side effects of brand name drugs have the right to recover damages from the drug firm. When you consider that generic drugs account for 80 percent of all prescriptions filled in the U.S., it's apparent that something must be done to restore rights to injured consumers.

Illinois drivers take note: the United States Department of Transportation has announced that April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The DOT's website highlights some public service announcements about distracted driving and offers congratulations to states that have recently toughened their laws aimed at preventing distracted driving.

Distracted driving happens when a driver is engaged in some activity that diverts attention away from focus on the road. Common activities that distract include talking, reading maps, personal grooming like brushing hair and applying makeup, and, significantly, texting and talking on cell phones.