Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Car accidents are a leading cause of death and personal injury in the US. Most of these accidents involve two or more vehicles. Among the worst types of accidents involving a vehicle is when the vehicle strikes a pedestrian. Last night, a six year- old girl was killed and another was injured when a car hit the girls while they were crossing the street on Chicago's South Side. As a Chicago personal injury lawyer, I am sickened when I hear these types of stories.

A "pedestrian knockdown case" is often a potentially deadly accident. It occurs when a person is on foot when hit (or knocked down) by a vehicle. A critical issue in most of these cases is whether the pedestrian was within a crosswalk at the time of the accident. A second important issue is whether the pedestrian had a red light or do not walk sign when they were injured. In general, pedestrians have the right-of- way in Illinois unless they have a red light or do not walk sign. In many instances, the driver claims he or she had the right away and the pedestrian did not and/or was outside of the crosswalk at the time of the accident. Consequently, these cases are often hotly contested.

Continue reading "6 Year Old Chicago Girl Dies When Hit By Car In Crosswalk" »

About three-quarters of the world's total population uses cell phones. No doubt, the percentage in US is even higher. As a Chicago personal injury lawyer and cell phone user, I have often wondered whether cell phones present any dangers to consumers in terms of cancer. After all, cell phones are usually no more than a few inches away from most US users. A Danish group recently completed extensive research on this issue and found no evidence of a link between cell phone use and cancer rates.

Cell phones work by sending signals to nearby cell towers through RF waves. These waves are a form of energy located between the spectrum of a FM radio wave and a microwave. According to the America Cancer Society, "like FM radio waves, mircrowaves, visible light and heat, [RF waves] are a form of non-ionizing radiation. They cannot cause cancer by directly damaging DNA. RF waves are different from strong types of radiation such as x-rays, gamma rays, and ultraviolet (UV) light, which can break the chemical bonds in DNA."

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This past weekend, racecar driver Dan Weldon died during a race at the Las Vegas Motorspeedway. The British driver and two-time Indy 500 winner died when he hit a car that had spun in front of him, launching his car high into the air and into a fence. The thirty-three year old left behind a wife and two children. As a Chicago personal injury lawyer and amateur racecar driver, I am distinctly affected by Weldon's death.

Ten years ago, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt died in a crash when his car hit a wall at the Daytona International Speedway. Earnhardt's death brought a number of important safety improvements to racing. These improvements include mandatory head-and-neck restraint systems, energy absorbing SAFER barriers at all oval tracks, and safer racecars. As with Earnhardt's death, I hope Weldon's death will also spur significant safety improvements.

Ironically, Weldon was a key figure in testing a new Indy car designed to improve safety on the track next season. One of the key safety features Weldon and others were testing was a bodywork covering the rear wheels that would prevent cars from launching into the air as Weldon's car did in Las Vega on Sunday. In fact, there are several factors that may have caused or contributed to Weldon's death. The purpose of this article, however, is not assign blame. Instead, I wish to focus on what factors seemed to have caused or contributed Weldon's death and what safety measures should be considered to avoid similar tragedies in the future.

Continue reading "Will Safety Improve After Racecar Driver Dan Weldon's Death?" »