Numerous Pedestrian Accidents in Chicagoland area Raises Concern

The Personal Injury Attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. take note of the alarming number of accidents involving pedestrians that have taken place throughout the Chicago Metropolitan area this month. Nearly every one of the victims in these incidents suffered fatal injuries, demonstrating the high risk of death for a victim that is struck by a vehicle in a pedestrian accident. Even more disturbing, is that many of these crashes involved motorists that made the callous and heartless decision to flee the scene, and leave their victim to die, rather than stopping to render assistance.

Below are just a few of the motor vehicle-versus-pedestrian collisions that have occurred in and around the Chicago area since the first of the year:

• On January 1st, a 56- year-old man, James C. Marlowe, was struck and killed by a Ford Escort while attempting to cross Illinois Route 59 in Warrenville. According to reports, the victim was not in a crosswalk at the time of the collision.
• On January 2nd, a 53-year-old Chicago Heights man, Albert Valdez, was struck while crossing 26^th Street near Ash Street, in South Suburban Park Forest. The victim died two days later as a result of his injuries.
• On January 7th, a 19-year-old woman, Anna Mkreja, was struck by a Cadillac while crossing a busy street in Oak Lawn, just north of a crosswalk. The victim was died a short time later.
• On January 12th, an 86-year-old Morton Grove man, Richard A. Mikulec, was struck in a hit-and-run crash, while walking near Shermer Road, north of Harlem Avenue, in Morton Grove. He was transported in serious condition, where he later died.
• Also on January 12th, a 27-year-old woman was struck by a hit-and-run driver while performing her duties as a school crossing guard in an intersection on the Far South Side. The victim survived, but was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
• On January 14th, a 12-year-old Elgin boy, Gerardo Simental, was struck by a motorist while crossing Route 20, apparently on the way to visit his grandmother’s. Tragically, the boy died a short time later. An account has been set up to help the family with funeral and other expenses.
• On January 15th, a 95-year-old, Lilah DePaul, was walking with her 88-year-old brother in the Des Plaines Market Place Shopping Center, when she was struck by a dump truck that was traveling westbound through the parking lot.
• On January 16th, a 58-year-old woman, Maria Hernandez, was struck while crossing in a crosswalk on West Addison Street on the Northwest Side. The victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition, but sadly was pronounced dead the following morning.
• On January 17th, two men, Ramon Cruz and Pablo Esquivel-Vega, were struck and killed while crossing North Avenue at Kildare in Chicago’s Northwest Side. The 24-year-old woman responsible for the crash fled the scene, but was later taken into custody after she collided with three parked vehicles.

The Pedestrian Accident Attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. send our sincerest condolences to the family members and friends of each victim. While death is never an easy thing to deal with, losing a loved one in such a tragic and unexpected way, can be all the more difficult to handle. Particularly unsettling, are those incidents in which a motorist, after striking the victim, simply fled the scene of the accident. We find the actions of hit-and-run drivers to be purely inexcusable, and hope that these individuals will be criminally prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.

In addition, we hope that justice for the victims of pedestrian accidents, can be found through civil proceedings as well. While our attorneys recognize that the thought of commencing an action for wrongful death may be hard to consider following a loss, we also know that if your loved one was here to seek justice on their own behalf, they probably would.

If you were injured, or a family was killed by the negligent, reckless, and/or unlawful actions of a motorist, it is important to understand your options, rights, and entitlement to financial compensation. The attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer have 35+ years of practice experience in representing victims in injury and death proceedings extending from pedestrian accidents. Contact us at 773-516-4100 to schedule your no-cost, no-obligation, comprehensive case evaluation today.