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Posted On: November 29, 2011

Lake Shore Drive Crosswalk Open Again

The pedestrian crosswalk from Buckingham Fountain to the Chicago lakefront is open again after 6 years. The city removed the chains that blocked pedestrians from crossing Lake Shore Drive to reach Lake Michigan at Queen's Landing. The crosswalk was originally installed in 1988 after a 13 year old girl was stuck and killed by a car attempting to cross Lake Shore Drive to reach Queen's Landing. In 2005 the crosswalk was closed and chains were put along the sidewalk to speed traffic on Lake Shore Drive. People still crossed Lake Shore Drive at that location to reach the lake. Two young festival goers were seriously injured during Lollapalooza when they attempted to cross Lake Shore Drive at that location and we hit by a car.

Luann Hamilton, CDOT deputy commissioner stated in the Chicago Tribune:"Traffic flow is important. But pedestrian safety is No. 1 priority and we have to make sure this location is safe for all users."

The move is part of Mayor Emanuel's goal of making the city of Chicago safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. Chicago's first protected bike lanes were opened this summer on Kinzie Street downtown.

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Posted In: Pedestrian Accidents

Posted On: November 13, 2011

Chicago Speed Camara Plan Passes Illinois House


A plan to use cameras to enforce speed limits around schools and parks in Chicago has passed the Illinois House and is on its way to Governor Quinn for signature. Chicago Mayor Emanuel stated: "I commend the Illinois House for their leadership in voting to protect our children around schools and parks" Under the plan, speeders going 6 mph to 10 mph over the speed limit would face $50 fines and those going 11 mph and over would face the full $100 ticket. The cameras would run in school zones from 6 a.m. to 8:30 am Monday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays. The cameras near city parks would still run one hour before opening until one hour after closing. Chicago Tribune analysis predicts that "safety zone" cameras would cover nearly half the city. Opponents argue that the cameras are more about generating revenue from tickets than they are about safety. Indeed, CDOT studies point to the possibility of the city generating over $150 million a year from tickets. In one study, two south side intersections on Western Ave. were monitored with speed cameras over a period of one month in 2008 and it was found that that 23% of drivers or 19,660 drivers were speeding 5 mph over the speed limit.

Supporters of the measure argue that the speed cameras will make the streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. Ron Burke, executive director of Active Transportation Alliance stated that his organization supports the measure adding that "automated speed enforcement will slow down cars, which makes our neighborhoods more walkable and bike-friendly".

The personal injury law firm of Zneimer & Zneimer have handled many cases of inured pedestrians and injured bicyclists hit by speeders. The law could help to slow down motorists but will be very unpopular with anyone who gets a ticket.

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Posted In: Auto Accidents

Posted On: November 13, 2011

Dollars for Doctors

It is not a secret that pharmaceutical companies use doctors and other medical professionals to promote certain drugs. The idea of a doctor receiving dollars from a drug company for prescribing its pills raises a lot of ethical questions, and one wonders whether in prescribing a certain pill, the doctor has the patient's best interest in mind. The drug companies have long been rewarding doctors with fees for speaking engagements (promoting the drug), consulting fee, or research grants. However, until recently, what goods and dollars were exchanged was not public information.

According to ProPublica reporters Dan Nguyen, Charles Ornstein, and Tracy Weber, some of the drug companies have begun publicizing the details of payments they make to physicians, hospitals, in other health professionals for promoting their drugs. The payments are usually in the form of consulting fee, speaking engagement fees, or research fees. Most of the money goes to physicians, however, nurses and pharmacists also work with pharmaceutical companies. ProPublica has pulled the disclosures made by the pharmaceutical companies into a searchable database. Check if your doctor has received benefits from the drug companies.

Many patients suffer personal injuries from defective drugs. The list of recalled drugs by the FDA is rather long. A lot of the drugs on this list were recalled after many patients have suffered personal injuries.

If you have been injured by a defective drug, call the Chicago Law Office of Zneimer & Zneimer p.c. or contact us online.

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Posted In: Personal Injury , Products Liability

Posted On: November 2, 2011

Another Chicago Child Killed In Crosswalk

A 6 year old Chicago girl was killed on Saturday when she was hit in a crosswalk while attempting to cross Loomis with her 16 year old sister. Diamond Robinson died at a local hospital after the accident. The accident happened around 8:20 p.m.

The driver, Thomas Young who was headed south bound on Loomis Ave. in Chicago at the time was cited by police for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, driving too fast and driving without insurance.

Relatives say that Diamond Robinson who was a first-grader at Brownell Elementary School enjoyed school and received an award for perfect attendance.

A man who lives close to the accident site, Eddric Tolliver, noted to the Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mitch Dudek that "cars come flying down this street doing damn near 50, sometimes 60 miles per hour. There are accidents all the time at that corner. They need a stop sign there, or at least a speed bump, or something."

Chicago injury attorneys, Zneimer and Zneimer handle many pedestrian injury cases and the vast majority of the time, the pedestrian is hit by a car while attempting to cross a street in a crosswalk. Currently, the law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. Residents of Chicago know, however, that drivers rarely yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk in Chicago. Residents of Chicago also know that there are no consequences since the law is rarely enforced. Chicago police vehicles do not even yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in a crosswalk.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed an ordinance that would require drivers to to stop at a crosswalk when pedestrians are attempting to cross. It is hard to see how the change would make any difference unless police actually enforced the law.

Posted by Zneimer & Zneimer, P.C. | | Email This Post

Posted In: Pedestrian Accidents

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