Category: Vehicle Accidents

As discussed on the Cook County Rollover Accidents page, rollover accidents are especially problematical as they typically lead to serious injuries, including those to the neck and spinal cord, as well as head trauma.  As well, many rollover accidents lead to fatalities.  One of the reasons that rollover accident injuries are serious, if not life-threatening, is the force with which rollovers occur.  This is because rollover accidents are more prone to happen when certain factors are present, including higher speeds.  Due to the physics involved, ejections (when a vehicle occupant is fully or partially thrown from the vehicle) often happen during rollover accidents, as those who aren’t wearing seat belts are especially vulnerable.

Recently, there have been a number of Cook County rollover accidents, some of which have led to serious and fatal injuries.

These recent rollover crashes include:

• A fatal rollover accident on I-57 on Sunday, July 24, 2016.  This happened at about 2:45 a.m. in the southbound lanes of I-57 near 99th and Halsted Street.  This rollover accident is further described in the July 24, 2016 Chicago Tribune article titled “2 killed in I-57 rollover crash.”
• A rollover accident with an ejection on the Bishop Ford Freeway on July 23, 2016.  10 people were injured during this rollover accident.  This rollover crash is discussed in the July 23, 2016 Chicago Tribune article titled “10 injured in Bishop Ford rollover” as well as the July 23 NBC Chicago article (with video) titled “10 Seriously Injured in Rollover Crash on Chicago’s South Side.”
• A July 18, 2016 rollover crash on Interstate 80/94 near Route 394 in which one woman was killed and six other vehicle occupants – including five children – were injured.  This accident involved a minivan colliding with a semi truck.  Additional details are seen on the July 18 NBC Chicago article titled “Woman Killed, 6 Injured in Expressway Crash in South Suburbs:  Police.”

Additional details regarding these rollover accidents can be seen in the sources mentioned above.

There was a two-vehicle accident early Friday morning (December 18, 2015) on Chicago’s Near North Side.

According to Chicago Police, the accident was reported at 3:05 a.m.  The accident happened in the 1000 block of North Dearborn Street.

Further details on the accident appear limited at this time.  The cause of the crash is not mentioned in media sources.

However, the accident did cause numerous injuries.  Four people were taken to Northwestern Memorial and Advocate Illinois Masonic for treatment of their accident injuries.  Their conditions ranged from fair to serious.

The accident injuries were considered to be non-life-threatening in nature.

Additional details regarding this Chicago vehicle accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the December 18, 2015 Chicago Sun-Times article titled “4 injured in Near North Side crash” as well as the December 18 CBS Chicago article titled “4 Injured In Near North Side Crash.”

On November 21, 2015, there was a major snowstorm in the Chicago area, along with icy conditions.  Many roadways remained icy on Sunday, November 22, and these icy conditions – worsened by cold temperatures – were likely a factor in a variety of vehicle crashes that occurred.

The Chicago Tribune article of November 22, 2015, titled “Icy roads blamed for most crashes on Ryan, Kennedy” discusses various accidents – and injuries – that happened on Chicago area and Cook County roadways.

Among the vehicle accidents mentioned was two-car and seven-car accidents on the Dan Ryan Expressway, as well as a couple of accidents on the Kennedy Expressway.

Of those accidents mentioned, one involved a man who was ejected from his vehicle and suffered a head injury.

On this site, past warnings concerning driving conditions impacted by snowstorms and safety tips for these icy roadway conditions can be seen in various posts in the “Traffic Safety” category, including the January 31, 2015 post titled “Hazardous Driving Conditions Expected For Cook County.”

There was a five-vehicle crash Friday morning (January 16, 2015) on the Dan Ryan Expressway (I90/94) near Cermak Road.  Details on the accident are somewhat limited.

According to the Illinois State Police (ISP), this crash happened at approximately 5:45 a.m.  Several people were injured in the crash, although details regarding the number and severity of these accident injuries were not immediately available.

One of the vehicles involved was said to be an ambulance.

Additional details regarding this Cook County accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the January 16, 2015 Chicago Tribune article titled “Ambulance involved in 5-vehicle crash on Dan Ryan” as well as the January 16 myfoxchicago.com article titled “At least one injured in five-vehicle crash on Dan Ryan Expressway.”

There were a number of crashes and “spinouts” overnight on the Kennedy Expressway as well as on the Ohio Feeder Ramp to the Kennedy Expressway.  These crashes and spinouts are being attributed to “black ice”, caused by freezing drizzle and snow flurries.

An excerpt from the December 19, 2014 NBC Chicago article (with video) titled “Black Ice Problems on Kennedy Expressway“:

An Illinois State Police spokesperson said there were 10 crashes or spin-outs on the Kennedy Expressway between O’Hare International Airport and areas in the River North neighborhood. Five of them were on the Ohio Street ramp, the official said.

The crashes involved at least one “chain-reaction crash.”

No injuries were reported due to these crashes and spinouts.

Additional details and possible updates can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the NBC Chicago article mentioned above as well as the December 19 CBS Chicago article (with video) titled “Black Ice Causes Crashes On Ohio Feeder Ramp.”

For those unfamiliar with “black ice,” it is usually very difficult if not impossible to see, and as such often causes crashes and other loss of control issues for drivers.  The Illinois Department of Transportation issued a warning early this year about black ice conditions and that warning is summarized in the January 6, 2014 post titled “Black Ice Hazard On Roadways.”

As discussed on the “Causes Of Car Accidents” page, there have been many reasons for Cook County and other Chicago-area crashes.  One of the reasons listed is “Police car chases,” as discussed in the following:

Police pursuits can contribute to car collisions and vehicle collisions, as the car being pursued is often traveling at unsafe speeds (and perhaps in other reckless manners) in order to elude pursuit.  There have been many instances in the Chicago area where a police pursuit ends in a car collision.

Of course, there are many other instances of crashes not including a police chase, but does include speeding stolen vehicles.  Often, this results in erratic and reckless driving that produces a hazard both to those who are trying to evade police as well as to other drivers.

The overall topic is of particular concern, as recently there have been a number of crashes involving police chases and otherwise stolen, speeding vehicles.  Many of these crashes caused accident injuries.

A few of the most recent incidents include:

• A November 19, 2014 car crash in which an allegedly stolen SUV crashed into a home in Alsip, as discussed in the November 19 nbcchicago.com article titled “Car Crashes Into Alsip Home After Police Chase.”
• A November 14, 2014 police chase in Lake County, as seen in the November 14 Lake County News-Sun article titled “Report:  Police chase ends with crash, shooting in Third Lake“
• An October 21, 2014 fatal collision in Chicago’s Park Manor neighborhood involving a stolen minivan, as discussed in the October 22 Chicago Tribune article titled “1 charged after stolen minivan kills woman in Park Manor crash.”
• An October 8, 2014 fatal crash involving a stolen car in Chicago’s South Lawndale neighborhood, as discussed in the October 8 CBS Chicago article titled “Police:  1 Dead, 1 Hurt When Stolen Car Crashes In South Lawndale.”

Other previous crashes of this nature can be seen in this website.

There was an 11-vehicle accident yesterday afternoon (October 5, 2014) on 95th Avenue in Oak Lawn, Illinois.  Three people died from injuries sustained during this accident.

According to Oak Lawn Police, police were notified of this Cook County vehicle accident at 4:27 p.m.  The accident happened as the driver of a pickup truck, which was speeding west on 95th Street, “ran” a red light at Cicero Avenue, then crossed over into the eastbound lanes.  In doing so, the pickup truck hit vehicles that were waiting for the light to change.

The three people killed in the accident included the driver of the pickup truck, and all three were declared dead at the accident scene.

Eleven other people were injured during the accident.  While most of these people sustained minor injuries, two people were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and listed in critical condition.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Cook County vehicle accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the October 6, 2014 Chicago Tribune article (with video) titled “3 killed in 11-car pileup…” as well as the October 5 CBS Chicago article titled “Two Nuns, Elderly Man Killed In ‘Bizarre’ Oak Lawn Wreck” and the October 5 Oak Lawn Patch article titled “Updated:  Police Confirm 3 Dead, 11 Injured in 95th Street Car Crash.”

There was a fatal car accident early Sunday morning (October 5, 2014) on the Bishop Ford Freeway on Chicago’s South Side.

According to the Illinois State Police (ISP) this fatal accident happened at approximately 2:30 a.m. on the Bishop Ford near South Cottage Grove Avenue.  The crash involved a car that ran into the back of a semi truck that had slowed as it approached a construction zone.

During the collision, the car became stuck under the semi truck.

The two men inside the car were declared dead at the accident scene.  According to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, they were identified as Darryl B. Clark, 26, of Chicago, and Lamont F. Taylor, 25, of Chicago.

Additional details and possible updates can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the October 6, 2014 Chicago Tribune article (with video) titled “Two killed in crash on Bishop Ford Freeway” as well as the October 5, 2014 CBS Chicago article (with video) titled “Two Men Killed In Bishop Ford Crash.”

There was a fatal Chicago traffic accident on the Dan Ryan Expressway on Monday afternoon, September 29, 2014.  According to the Illinois State Police (ISP) the accident happened in the southbound lanes at 43rd Street.

According to the preliminary investigation, this fatal multi-vehicle accident happened at about 1:00 p.m., after a Pontiac Grand Am broke down and was in the far left shoulder, sticking out into the far left lane.  At that point, a passing motorist tried to avoid hitting the vehicle, but struck it.

A “chain-reaction” accident followed, in which two other vehicles were involved.

The driver of the Grand Am, identified as Reginald Hudson, 58, of Calumet City, died of injuries sustained in the crash.

Others also injured in the crash were taken to hospitals.

As a result of the accident, the far left lanes of the Dan Ryan were closed near the accident scene.  All Dan Ryan lanes were reopened by 5:10 p.m.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Chicago traffic accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the September 29, 2014 Chicago Tribune article titled “State police:  Motorist cited after fatal 4-vehicle crash on Ryan” as well as the September 29 abc7chicago.com article titled “1 killed in Dan Ryan crash at 43rd, all lanes re-opened.”

There was a six-vehicle accident on the Dan Ryan Expressway Wednesday evening (September 17, 2014) on Chicago’s South Side.

Details on the accident appear limited at this time.

According to the Illinois State Police (ISP) the accident happened at approximately 6:45 p.m. in the outbound lanes near Garfield Blvd.

It is currently unknown as to how many people, if any, were injured during this multi-vehicle accident.

Additional details and possible updates concerning this Cook County vehicle accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the September 17, 2014 Chicago Sun-Times Voices article titled “Six vehicles involved in Dan Ryan crash” as well as the September 17, 2014 myfoxchicago.com article titled “Six vehicles involved in Dan Ryan crash.”