Chicago’s streets are becoming increasingly crowded with cars, bicycles, delivery vehicles, buses, scooters, and pedestrians all competing for space. Unfortunately, bicycle accidents involving motor vehicles continue to happen throughout the city, often causing devastating injuries to cyclists.
The experienced bike injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer are often asked:
“What if the accident was partially my fault? Can I still recover compensation?”
Chicago has seen a sharp increase in e-scooter use, along with a rise in serious crashes and fatalities. The City recently launched a new e-scooter safety campaign following several deadly incidents involving scooters and motor vehicles. (FOX 32 Chicago) The e-scooter injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer have seen a sharp rise in e-scooter cases in the last to years, most involving serious injuries.
For injured riders, one of the biggest questions is simple: If I was hit by a car while riding an e-scooter, do I have a case?
In many situations, the answer is yes.
You are driving through an intersection on a green light in Chicago when you notice from your peripheral vision a cop car coming from the cross street at high speed with flashers on but no siren. You put on the brakes and you feel lucky you were able to avoided a crash. Not everyone is so lucky. With all the police activity in Chicago, crashes involving police vehicles responding to calls are not uncommon. With a dense urban environment, frequent emergency responses, and busy intersections, these collisions happen with surprising (or unsurprising) regularity, and they often result in serious injuries to innocent drivers who simply had the right of way.
The personal injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C., get calls from people who have been in an accident with a police car. A common question is: Can you sue the police? The answer is yes, but the law in Illinois makes these cases far more complicated than a typical car crash.
The Critical First Question: Was the Officer Responding to an Emergency?
As Chicago finally thaws out after another long winter, the streets begin to change. Warmer temperatures mean more pedestrians, more outdoor activity, and importantly, a sharp increase in bicyclists sharing the road. For drivers across Chicago, this seasonal shift brings new risks and responsibilities.
At Zneimer & Zneimer P.C., a Chicago plaintiff’s bike injury law firm, this is the time of year when we unfortunately begin to see more bike-related injuries, many of which are entirely preventable.
More Bikes, More Risk
Chicago is continuing its aggressive expansion of automated traffic enforcement. According to a recent CBS Chicago report, the City plans to install 50 additional speed cameras in 2025, adding to an already extensive network across Chicago neighborhoods.
For drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists, this raises a critical issue:
Are speed cameras making Chicago streets safer, or are they simply another form of revenue generation?
Chicago’s continued expansion of the Divvy bike-share system marks a major shift toward sustainable transportation. The City’s March 2026 announcement highlights new stations, broader neighborhood access, and incentives like reduced-cost memberships aimed at increasing ridership across the city.
Divvy is already one of the largest bike-share systems in North America, with over 1,000 stations and more than 11 million bike and scooter trips recorded in 2024 alone.
As access expands, more Chicago residents are turning to Divvy bikes, including electric bikes, for commuting and recreation. But this rapid growth comes with an important legal and safety reality:
By Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. – Chicago Personal Injury Attorneys
For many Chicago families, walking or biking to school is a daily routine that promotes exercise, independence, and community connection. Children enjoy seeing friends along the route, getting fresh air, and arriving at school energized. Unfortunately, the simple act of traveling to school can also expose students to significant traffic risks on Chicago streets.
Recent data highlights just how serious the problem can be. According to an analysis of Chicago Police Department crash reports, at least 2,860 Chicago pedestrians or cyclists between the ages of 1 and 19 have been struck by vehicles since 2021. These incidents represent thousands of children whose trips to school, parks, or neighborhood activities ended in injury.
By Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. – Chicago Personal Injury Lawyers
Electric bikes and scooters have rapidly reshaped transportation across Illinois. What began as pedal-assist bicycles traveling 15–20 mph has evolved into a new generation of high-powered electric devices capable of 40–50 mph speeds — often operated without licensing, insurance, or clear regulatory oversight.
Electric bikes are ubiquitous nowadays on the streets of Chicago. What began as pedal-assist bicycles traveling 15–20 mph has evolved into a new generation of high-powered electric devices capable of 40–50 mph speeds, often operated without licensing, insurance, or clear regulatory oversight. The question becomes where exactly e-bikes are supposed to be driven. Should people be riding their e-bikes 30 miles per hour in bike lanes and on the lake bike trails? When a bike reaches that speed shouldn’t they even be treated more like a motorcycle and less like a bike? What ages should be allowed to ride e-bikes that can achieve high speeds? How safe is it to have high speed bikes on trails and lanes meant for pedal bikes? These are questions that our city and state lawmakers have left unanswered.
Chicago is once again debating how to balance traffic safety with everyday commercial reality. A recently advanced ordinance, championed by Ald. Daniel La Spata and approved by the City Council’s Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety, would expand enforcement against vehicles that block bike lanes, bus lanes, and crosswalks.
The proposal would allow residents to submit photos and videos of illegally parked vehicles through 311, with enforcement aides dispatched to investigate and issue citations. Early phases would reportedly focus on commercial vehicles, with the goal of improving compliance and safety.
The personal injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer, P.C., see firsthand how obstructed lanes and poorly managed street design contribute to serious injuries. But we also understand the practical tensions this ordinance raises.
Across Chicago city planners have installed concrete bump-outs, pedestrian refuge islands, and protected bike lanes in the name of safety and traffic calming. While these features are designed to reduce pedestrian injuries and slow traffic, they can also pose serious dangers to motorists, especially when they are poorly marked, poorly lit, or difficult to see, especially at night. At night during a rain storm or snow storm with the glare of on coming traffic, they are remarkably easy to hit. I know from first hand experience since I hit the pedestrian island pictured above on the left at night during a rainstorm causing over $800 of damage to my car. The only difference being that when I hit it, the pedestrian island had no signage. The signage has been added recently probably as a result of complaints by drivers who rammed it.
The personal injury lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer, P.C., have seen firsthand how these roadway designs can contribute to crashes resulting in severe vehicle damage and significant personal injuries.
This article we discuss the risks of bump outs and and what can be done to alleviate the risk.
Chicago Accident Lawyer Blog