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Posted On: April 27, 2011

State Of Illinois To Start Tracking Dooring Of Bicyclist Accidents

Governor Quinn announced on Monday that the Illinois Department Of Transportation (IDOT) will now be collecting information on dooring of bicyclist. Dooring occurs when someone in a parked vehicle opens his or her door into the path of a bicyclist who then runs into the door and is thrown off their bike. Quinn's office said that the goal is to see if anything more can be done by the state to protect bicyclists. Local police departments across the state will begin tracking dooring accidents and report back to the state so that the data can be included in Illinois traffic accident statistics. The Chicago injury attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer note that a large percentage of the bicycle injury cases they handle involve dooring accidents. These accidents are especially dangerous because of the risk that the doored bicyclist will be knocked off his or her bike and be thrown into moving traffic and then get run over by a car, truck or bus.

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Posted In: Bicycle Accidents

Posted On: April 23, 2011

Dooring Is Major Cause Of Bicyclist Injuries

The Chicago cyclist advocacy group Active Transportation Alliance has declared dooring accidents "the most prevalent threat to on-street cyclists". Dooring occurs when a person parks their car and opens the driver side car door without looking right into the path of a bicyclist. The bicyclist goes down hard onto the street. The Chicago bicyclist lawyers of Zneimer and Zneimer have found that more than half of their bicycle injury cases are caused this way. Chicago bicyclist are especially at risk because even where there are painted bike lanes on the street, the bike lanes run parallel to parked cars. More progressive cities such as Portland, Oregon and Amsterdam, Netherlands have bike lanes that are separated from moving traffic and car doors. In Chicago, the bicyclists are right out in traffic, riding as close as possible to parked cars to avoid getting hit by moving cars. The risk to Chicago bicyclists is not only will they fall down hard on to the pavement but there is even a more serious risk that the cyclist will be knocked off their bike and thrown in front of moving traffic and get run over by a car, truck or bus.

Jon Hilkevitch of the Chicago Tribune recently wrote an article regarding biking in Chicago where he pointed out that even though dooring is one of the greatest hazards to bicyclists, these types of accidents are not tracked by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)

The only safe solution to this problem are separated, protected bike lanes not just painted lines on the street.

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Posted In: Bicycle Accidents

Posted On: April 23, 2011

Chicago Man Dies A Month After Crash In Wicker Park

A Chicago man who crashed into a parked car in the Wicker Park neighborhood on March 21 died today. Vito Battista was critically injured at 6:00 am when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a parked car near 1400 North Western Avenue in Chicago. Medical examiner's spokesman said that Mr. Battista suffered massive head injuries.

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Posted In: Motorcycle Accidents

Posted On: April 12, 2011

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Commonly Overlooked

1.5 million Americans sustain traumatic brain injuries annually and 75% of those injuries are considered "mild" according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) is commonly overlooked and not diagnosed. The Chicago injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer have represented accident victims with MTBI which are often difficult cases since the defense attorneys usually present a "hired gun" neurologist, psychiatrist or neuropsychologist expert to claim that the plaintiff is either malingering or he or she is imagining his or her symptoms.

As a result of an impact to the head or of a sudden strong movement to the head, an accident victim that suffers a MTBI may experience a brief change in mental status such as confusion, disorientation or loss of memory. The accident victim may also experience a brief loss of consciousness. People with MTBI may have normal MRI and CAT scans and still have cognitive and concentration problems, headache, memory problems, mood swings and other problems that persist. Sometimes close friends, family members and loved ones will notice the changes even more than the person with MTBI. However, victims of MTBI will often look and act normal to people who do not have a close relationship with the person with MTBI. The Chicago injury attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer believe it is important to speak with close friends and family members of persons with MTBI to see if they noticed a change in the injured person after the accident. The accident victim may also need to see a specialist such as a neurologist, psychiatrist or neuropsychologist to properly diagnose the condition.

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Posted In: Auto Accidents

Posted On: April 8, 2011

Motorcycle Safety Precautions Save Lives

Illinois reported 110 fatal motorcycle accidents in nine months in 2008 and 113 in 2009. A high percentage of these fatalities occurred in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics suggest three ways that will reduce motorcycle crashes, injuries and fatalities.

Increase helmet use:Helmets are 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcycle riders and 41% effective for passengers (NHTSA 2009) In 2008, 41% of motorcycle rider fatalities and 51% of motorcycle passenger fatalities were of riders and passengers who were not wearing a helmet. NHTSA estimates that 823 of these motorcyclists would have lived if they wore a helmet.

Reduce alcohol impairment In 2008, 30% of fatally injured motorcyclists had a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit of .08 (NHTSA, 2009)

Reduce speed In 2008, 35% of motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes were speeding and more than half of all motorcycle fatal crashes were single vehicle crashes which suggest that speeding was involved.(NHTSA, 2009)

Of the motorcycle injury cases that the Chicago motorcycle injury lawyers, Zneimer & Zneimer have handled, most involved cars or trucks either making a left turn in front of the motorcyclist or cars coming out from a side street or alley in front of the motorcyclist.

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Posted In: Motorcycle Accidents

Posted On: April 2, 2011

Chicago Motorists Required To Stop For Pedestrians In Crosswalk

Illinois motorists are required by Illinois law to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk. However, the Chicago injury lawyers of Zneimer and Zneimer have handled many cases for pedestrians who were hit and injured in a crosswalk in Chicago by motorists that did not stop. Most Chicago residents are probably aware that cars do not stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk in Chicago. Be that as it may, the law on the books in Illinois states as follows:
Pedestrians' right-of-way at crosswalks
(a) When traffic control signals are not in place or not in operation the driver of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is upon the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling, or when the pedestrian is approaching so closely from the opposite half of the roadway as to be a danger.

(b) No pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a moving vehicle which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard.

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