Category: Uncategorized

Riverside Car Crash Leads To DUI-Drugs Charge For Driver

Driving while impaired by drugs is a growing traffic safety problem.  As seen in many Chicago-area crashes these “drugged driver” crashes often result in serious accident injuries.  The subject of “drugged driving” and the serious accident injuries that often result from these crashes is further discussed on the “Cook County Car Accidents Involving Drivers Under The Influence Of Drugs” page.  As discussed on that page, marijuana continues to be one of the most common drugs used by drivers who then drive while impaired.  If this cannabis use is combined with alcohol usage, the resulting impairment is often magnified.

There was a Riverside car crash January 2, 2019 after which a driver was charged with DUI-drugs.  This car crash, which happened at the intersection of First Avenue and 31st Street, led to both drivers being injured.

Two excerpts regarding this Riverside car crash, from the January 4, 2019 La Grange Patch article titled “Drugged Driver Hits Car Stopped At Red Light:  Cops“:

A drugged driver caused a crash in Riverside when he hit a car waiting at a red light, police said. The driver, Tyler Plunkett, 24, of Brookfield was charged with DUI-drugs, failure to reduced speed to avoid an accident and possession of cannabis.

also:

Police said Plunkett had smoked cannabis and taken Xanax before driving. Plunkett told police he had been drinking beer early in the evening but he admitted to smoking “a lot of cannabis” for the past few days and had ingested Xanax. Riverside Police administered field sobriety testing on scene and Plunkett failed all of them.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Riverside car crash after which the driver was charged with DUI-drugs can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the article mentioned above as well as the January 4 Chicago Sun-Times article titled “Impaired driver totals car in Riverside.”

10 Injured In Dan Ryan Accident

There was a multi-vehicle accident early Tuesday (September 6, 2016) morning on the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94.)  Ten people were injured – some seriously injured – as a result of the crash.

According to the Illinois State Police (ISP) the accident happened in the inbound lanes of the Dan Ryan, near 95th Street, at approximately 12:35 a.m.  At that time, three or four cars were involved in a crash.  According to at least one media account, the accident involved one car attempting to back up on the expressway.

Of the ten people injured in the crash – all who were taken to local hospitals for treatment of their accident injuries – six were in serious-to-critical condition.  Two children were among those injured.

All inbound lanes of the Dan Ryan were closed until 4:30 a.m.

The accident remains under investigation.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Chicago expressway accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the September 6, 2016 abc7chicago.com article titled “10 hurt, including 2 children, in crash on Dan Ryan” as well as the September 6 NBC Chicago article titled “Children Among 10 Injured in 4-Vehicle Crash on Dan Ryan.”

Fatal Car Collision In Chicago’s Calumet Heights Neighborhood

There was a fatal car collision in Chicago’s Calumet Heights (South Side) neighborhood Thursday (August 18, 2016) night.

According to Chicago Police, the crash happened at approximately 9:30 p.m., as a 61-year-old man was driving southbound on Stony Island Avenue.  At that time, his car was hit by a car traveling east on 94th Street that “ran a stop sign.”

The 61-year-old man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The two men in the car that blew through the stop sign were also taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center for treatment of their crash injuries.  They were listed in serious condition, according to Chicago Police.  They were said to be in their 30s.

This fatal Chicago crash is being investigated by the Chicago Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Unit.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal Chicago car collision can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the August 19, 2016 Chicago Sun-Times article titled “Police:  1 killed, 2 injured in Calumet Heights crash” as well as the August 19 Chicago Tribune article titled “1 dead, 2 injured in South Side crash.”

Fatal I-90 Collision

There was a fatal collision on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) early Thursday (April 14, 2016).

According to the Illinois State Police (ISP) the collision happened at approximately 12:50 a.m. and happened between Roselle Road and Barrington Road.

The accident involved a collision between a van and a tow truck.

An excerpt from the April 14, 2016 Daily Herald article titled “Elgin man killed in I-90 crash“:

Illinois State Police say a gold Chevrolet minivan driven by James Perfors veered off to the left and struck the end of a tow truck preparing to tow a disabled vehicle from the construction zone between Roselle and Barrington roads.

Perfors, 78, of Elgin, died at the accident scene.

The driver of the tow truck, although not in the truck at the time of the vehicle, was struck by the tow truck.  He was taken to a local hospital (St. Alexis Hospital) for treatment of his accident injuries, which were considered to be non-life-threatening in nature.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal I-90 collision can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the Daily Herald article mentioned above as well as the April 14 Chicago Tribune article titled “79-year-old man killed, another person injured in Jane Addams tollway crash.”

Runner Struck By Car In Palatine, Illinois

There was an accident this morning (November 20, 2014) in Palatine in which a runner was hit by a car.  The runner is a member of the Palatine High School Cross Country team.

According to Palatine Police, the accident happened at approximately 6:45 a.m. as the runner – identified as an 18-year-old male student, was running north in the crosswalk across Palatine Road at Rohlwing Road.  At that time, he was struck by a car that was turning left from Rohlwing onto Palatine Road.  After being struck, the runner hit the ground and, according to Palatine Police, suffered injuries including “severe head trauma.”

The runner was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

At the time of the accident, the runner was running with other members of the Palatine High School Cross Country team.

The driver of the car, identified as a 39-year-old male, was not injured in the accident.

This accident remains under investigation and citations are pending.

Additional details and possible updates regarding this Cook County running accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the November 20, 2014 Chicago Sun-Times article titled “Palatine high school student struck by car while running” as well as the November 20 Daily Herald article titled “Palatine HS cross county runner seriously injured when struck by car.”

Injury Lawsuit Filed Regarding O’Hare Shuttle Bus Crash

There has been a personal injury lawsuit filed regarding the shuttle bus crash that happened on August 29, 2014 at O’Hare Airport.  That accident was summarized in the August 29, 2014 post titled “14 Passengers Sent To Hospitals After O’Hare Shuttle Bus Crash.”

This lawsuit was filed by Talipha Charles, a passenger who was injured on the shuttle bus, and claims the defendants, the driver of the shuttle bus and the shuttle bus company, were negligent.

An excerpt from the September 3, 2014 Lake County News-Sun article titled “Waukegan woman in O’Hare crash sues driver, company“:

Eubanks and Delaware Car Rental, the suit stated, “failed to brake in order to avoid a collision with a concrete barrier” and “failed to maintain the subject bus is a reasonably safe and road-ready condition.”

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday (September 2, 2014)  in Cook County Circuit Court.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Cook County personal injury lawsuit can be seen in the Lake County News-Sun article mentioned above, as well as the September 3 abc7chicago.com article titled “Talipha Charles sues bus company, driver in O’Hare crash.”

Four-Vehicle Crash On Chicago’s Near West Side

There was another Chicago vehicle crash today (June 4, 2014) involving a car that was trying to flee police.

According to the Chicago Police Department, the vehicle crash happened at approximately 12:30 p.m. in the 2000 block of West Jackson Boulevard, and involved four vehicles.

An excerpt from the June 4, 2014 Chicago Tribune article titled “6 hurt in West Side crash as robbery suspect flees police” :

A 17-year-old boy was in police custody this evening after causing a four-vehicle crash on the Near West Side when he fled officers trying to stop him on suspicion of robbery, police said.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Chicago crash can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the Chicago Tribune article mentioned above.

Bicyclist Struck By SUV

One common accident involving both motorcyclists and bicyclists is when a vehicle makes a left-hand turn immediately in their path, thereby causing a collision between the vehicle and the motorcyclist or bicyclist. This happens despite the fact that the motorcyclist or bicyclist has the right-of-way.

Often, after these types of collisions occur, the driver will claim that he or she did not “see” the motorcyclist or bicyclist, and therefore did not yield the right-of-way. (a related post is “Research As To Why Motorists Fail To See Motorcyclists“)

Another unfortunate example of this type of accident involved a bicyclist getting hit by a SUV in Chicago’s Northwest Side (Irving Park neighborhood) happened on Sunday (March 30, 2014) night. This bicycling accident happened at approximately 11:30 p.m. (one media source reports 9:45 p.m.) at the intersection of West Addison Street and North Milwaukee Avenue.

At the time of the accident, the driver of a Chevrolet Suburban was heading northbound on Milwaukee Avenue. As the driver was attempting to turn left onto Addison Street, the driver struck the bicyclist.

According to Chicago Police, the bicyclist, identified only as a 22-year-old man, was taken in critical condition to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

The driver of the Chevrolet Suburban was cited for failure to yield right of way.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Cook County bicyclist accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the March 31, 2014 Chicago Tribune article titled “Driver cited after striking bicyclist on Northwest Side” as well as the March 31 CBS Chicago article titled “Bicyclist Struck, Critically Injured By SUV.”

Fatal Two-Car Accident On The Edens Expressway

There was a fatal car crash on the Edens Expressway early this morning, March 30, 2014.

Details concerning the accident – and especially its causes – are somewhat limited at this time.

According to the Illinois State Police (ISP) the accident happened in the southbound lanes of the Edens near Touhy.

This crash involved two vehicles at approximately 1:45 a.m. According to the ISP, at least one of the two cars was traveling “at a high rate of speed.”  One car hit a tree.  Photos of the cars indicate that both sustained substantial damage during the car accident.

An excerpt from the March 30, 2014 Chicago Tribune article titled “State police: 1 dead, 1 hospitalized in Edens wreck” :

A 26-year-old man driving one vehicle was killed while the driver of the other vehicle, also a man, survived and was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, said Master Sgt. George Jimenez. A condition was not given.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Cook County fatal car accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the Chicago Tribune article mentioned above as well as the March 30 abc7chicago.com article titled “Fatal crash on SB Edens Expressway near Touhy Avenue in Skokie.”

Cook County Circuit Court Lawsuit Filed Regarding Fatal I-88 Collision

A lawsuit has been filed in Cook County Circuit Court regarding the January 27, 2014 I-88 fatal truck accident.

In this truck accident, Vincent Petrella, an Illinois Tollway worker was killed, and Illinois State Police Trooper Douglas Balder was seriously injured, after a truck ran into them as they assisted a disabled semi on I-88.

The lawsuit that has been filed was done so by Trooper Douglas Balder. He and his wife, Kimberli Balder, are both named as plaintiffs in this lawsuit.

Defendants in this lawsuit are Renato Velasquez, the semi truck driver that struck Balder and Petrella, as well as Velasquez’s employer, DND International, Inc.

An excerpt concerning this lawsuit from the February 11, 2014 Chicago Tribune article, titled “Trooper hurt in crash that killed worker sues trucker, company” :

The lawsuit accuses Velasquez of operating a commercial vehicle while fatigued, operating the commercial vehicle for more than 14 hours, failing to reduce his speed, failing to yield to a stationary emergency vehicle and failing to keep a proper lookout.The lawsuit also alleges negligence on the part of Velasquez’s employer, DND International, which according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has a history of poor compliance with safety regulations.

The lawsuit seeks compensation for pain, suffering, disability, disfigurement, and economic damages.

The Chicago Sun-Times article of February 11, 2014, titled “Trooper injured in I-88 sues driver, trucking company” also discusses the lawsuit and the underlying accident. An excerpt from this article, concerning the injuries sustained by Balder:

According to the suit, Balder suffered a fractured clavicle; fractured ribs; multiple head and facial lacerations; and second- and third-degree burns to numerous parts of his body.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Cook County lawsuit can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times articles mentioned above.