Chicago Accident Lawyer Blog

As reported in Speeding Car Causes Multi-Vehicle Crash on Far South Side, a driver traveling at a high rate of speed south on Ewing Avenue caused a 4 vehicle pileup. Witnesses say the 1992 Oldsmobile Sierra possibly reached a speed of 100 mph. The Oldsmobile collided with a Dodge Durango headed east on 106th Avenue. Police News Affairs officer John Mirabelli said, “That set off a chain reaction that included a Cadillac CTS and a Chevrolet Malibu.” The accident which occurred at the intersection of 106th street and Ewing Avenue left two people in serious to critical condition. One of the injured was the driver of the Oldsmobile.
The car accident which occurred around 7:30 Sunday morning caused major traffic delays. The streets were blocked to allow police to conduct an investigation and as a result the CTA South Chicago bus route, No. 30, had to be rerouted. According to the CTA the No. 30 buses were back on schedule as of 10:25 a.m. Police investigated the crash and no citations or charges have been issued as of 10:30 a.m.
Accidents such as these can be avoided if drivers reduce speed and abide by the rules of the road. Such measures allow people to save money on personal injury lawsuits and save lives. The careless actions and negligence of the Oldsmobile driver have caused damages against himself and another person, damages that the victim should not be responsible for.

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In relation to our last post about fire ordinances, there was a fire early Tuesday morning at an 3-story complex on 130th street, near the far south side of Chicago. Sergeant Mike Saladino, a veteran of 11 years, was on a routine patrol early Tuesday morning around 3:15 a.m. when he heard there was a fire about two blocks from his location. He responded immediately and arrived in a matter of minutes. A tow truck driver, who was originally there to repossess a car, was already on the scene and had just smashed open the jammed door of the first floor apartment. The tow truck driver had a fire extinguisher in hand and was attempting to put out the blaze. Two small children were reportedly trapped in the burning building. The American Burn Association state that there are approximately 1.1 million burn injuries in the United States each year severe enough that they warrant medical attention. Experienced accident and injury attorneys Zneimer & Zneimer p.c. understand the immediacy and sensitivity required in handling cases that involve burn injuries.

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Let’s rewind back a few years to 2003, when a fire killed six people trapped behind locked doors in a stairwell in the Cook County Administration Building located in the Loop. This fire prompted Chicago Tribune analysis of city records, of the 700 residential high-rises required to step up their fire safety measures as required by a 2004 ordinance, 369 still haven’t made the necessary improvements, or submitted approved plans. That’s more than half of high-rises still not up to code. The experienced personal injury team at Zneimer & Zneimer p.c. helps people who have suffered chemical, heat burns, or fire burns. They can also help you with personal injuries sustained from old residential buildings hazards; such as elevator doors not up to code that may crush your arm.

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By now, many of you Chicagoans have heard about the 7 teenagers that beat up and robbed an Asian high school senior this past Sunday. This is mainly because one of the teens recorded the beating with their cell phone and the video has gone viral via Youtube. The teens involved in the beating were all under the age of 18. There was one 17 year old boy, two 16 year old boys, three 15 year old boys, and a 15 year old girl. The girl allegedly lured the victim into the alley on the 2700 block of South Shields, where the boys waited to beat him. All the teens, except 17 year old Raymond Palomino, are being charged with juvenile delinquencies. While accident injury attorneys Zneimer and Zneimer do not typically handle these types of cases, they do handle personal injury cases caused by assault. Typically, insurance companies will not cover these types of acts unless the act is forseeable

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The Sun-Times Media has reported that Cecil Conner (24) was sentenced today in Will County Court to 9 ½ years in prison for a fatal DUI crash that claimed the life of his girlfriend’s 5 year old son last May of 2010. Conner was facing from three to 14 years in prison after being convicted of two counts of aggravated DUI. Chicago accident and injury attorneys Zneimer & Zneimer p.c. have handled cases involving auto accidents, with excellent results for their clients. They can help give you peace of mind by dealing with the insurance companies and medical care providers first hand.

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As you walk through the streets of Chicago, everywhere you look fellow pedestrians all have on ear buds or head phones. This is especially true with joggers. These people may want to turn their music down next time they go for a jog or walk because according to University of Maryland researchers, use of iPods and other MP3 players make people much less aware of their environment, including oncoming traffic. This is particularly startling because almost everyone has a smart phone these days which have MP3 player capabilities. It’s as if people are deafly walking through the streets, unaware of all the impending dangers the city has to offer. The Chicago accident and injury firm Zneimer and Zneimer p.c. handle cases related to pedestrian injuries, whether caused by car, truck, or slip and fall. Please contact their office with any questions.

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This past Friday, January 13, expert toxicologist Jennifer Bash told jurors she feels Chicago Police Officer Richard Bolling was legally drunk at the time of his May 2009 crash, per The Chicago Red Eye. Richard is currently on trial for aggravated DUI, reckless homicide, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Officer Richard allegedly hit and killed a 13 year old boy on a bike, with his Dodge Charger. Richard was off duty at the time of the hit and run, and was pulled over shortly after for driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Prosecutors alleged that Richard’s car had blood on it, a cracked windshield, and an open bottle of beer in the front console. Chicago accident attorneys Zneimer and Zneimer p.c. are experts in auto accident cases. Many of which are hit and run cases and DUI cases.

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Yet again, pit bull attacks are in the news in Chicago. Thankfully this time, the attacks were not on a human. According to the Chicago Tribune, last Friday, January 6, Chicago Police Officer Kevin Keel took his police dog, Vvorra, out for training near South Loop. As they walked by a make shift shelter around 4 in the afternoon, two unleashed pit bulls darted out and attacked the 3 year old Belgian Malinois police dog. While two pit bulls darted out of the structure, only one of them managed to bite the police dog. The dog owner was nowhere in site. Vvorra was rushed to the emergency room after being bit on the thigh and nose. Her nose bled profusely. Officer Kevin broke the dogs up just in time. His police canine did not bite the pit bulls back. She had never been in a fight with other canines before.

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In this day and age, everyone has a cell phone, from children to senior citizens. They certainly are a convenience since you can use them to listen to music, text, surf the internet, check your email, take photos, play games, and the list goes on and on. What is alarming however, is that today more and more people are driving while texting. Texting while driving has gone up 50% last year despite many states rushing to ban it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration measures this by staking out certain stoplights and intersections and counting the people using cell phones and other hand held devices. As it turns out, at any given moment, approximately 1% of people are manipulating their cell phone while driving. While that number may seem low, it is basically saying that 1 out of 100 cars that drive by you today may hit you because they were busy texting. Cell phones have certainly added to the number of distractions drivers already have while behind the wheel. A distracted driver is a big problem since they may be more likely to cause an accident. Chicago injury attorneys Zneimer and Zneimer handle distraction related auto accidents on a regular basis. It’s estimated that in 2010, 3,092 deaths in crashes were caused by distractions.

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As far as winters in Chicago are concerned, this has been a fairly mild one. Although, we all know how quickly the weather can change here in the windy city. Freezing cold weather is just around the corner. Along with the cold weather, people like to enjoy warmer treats such as soup and hot chocolate. There is however, a hidden danger that comes along with the instant soups. Doctors in burn units of hospitals see at least 2 out of 3 patients a week that have been burned by instant soup. Most of the time, these patients are small children and toddlers who accidently tip the cups over on themselves. Many of these patients are treated for burns all over their entire bodies. According to NPR, 8 of 12 hospitals nationwide claim they see this type of injury several times a week.

The Chicago personal injury firm Zneimer & Zneimer handles cases involving burn related accidents. We will assess your situation and explain to you your appropriate choices and options.

It is not difficult to understand why the cups are tipping. The cups tipping over can be attributed to the way they are designed.

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Let's continue with last weeks dog related theme seeing how there has been alot of dog and animal related discussions in the news lately. In the last post I explained a little about Chicago's leash ordinance,which again, basically means dogs must be kept on a leash or confined when outside their owners property and in the public sphere. Today let's focus on the dangerous animal ordinance and what defines a dangerous animal.

According to the Chicago Red Eye, Chicago defines a dangerous animal as "any animal that bites, inflicts injury on, kills, or otherwise attacks a human being or domestic animal without provocation on any public or private property." This definition includes animals that are trained to chase and have an attitude of attack, such as dogs trained for fighting. This ordinance also covers dogs used in the commercial venture to guard public or private property. However, Chicago does not include govermental or law enforcement canines in this definition.

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As previously mentioned in our last post, the pit bull attack on Chicago resident Joseph Finley has caused quite the controversy. Per the Chicago Red Eye, it has sparked a conflict between Chicago dog owners, and residents who feel attacks such as this are reason enough to ban dog breeds such as pit bulls from the city limits. It has left our city divided. Everywhere you go, someone has an opinion on the matter. Even users of the popular social networking site facebook.com have begun circulating a petition not to ban pit bulls in Chicago. It is targeted toward Ward 2 Alderman Robert W. Fioretti and has a goal of 1000 signatures, but is already nearly 3000 strong.

Chicago already has several ordinances in effect to impose penalties on irresponsible dog owners. Some of which include the leash ordinance, the dangerous animal ordinance, and the bite ordinance. A little more about the leash ordinance after the jump.

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