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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.

Apparently Conner’s girlfriend Kathie LaFond was originally driving Conner and the child Michael Langford Jr. (5) home because Conner was too intoxicated. They were driving home from Conner’s cousin’s party in Chicago Heights. In a surprising turn of events, they were pulled over in Chicago Heights and Kathie was arrested for driving without a valid license. The officer then told Conner to drive himself and the child home. The officer was completely unaware that Conner was too drunk to drive. Conner proceeded to drive home and crashed his red Chevrolet Cavalier into a tree, through a fence, and into another tree. Little Michael Langford was reportedly sleeping in the back seat of the car at the time of the accident.

The trial had been delayed because Conner’s attorney had requested a new trial. He wanted a new trial because he was not given recordings of telephone conversations between Conner’s and Kathie while she was in jail. He also felt the trial was flawed because he was restricted from calling two witnesses, Kathie LaFond, and Jennifer Tartt (Conner’s friend), who he felt could have testified on behalf of Conner’s character. The judge rejected the request for a new trial, stating that he did not think the recordings would have provided any new information. Conner’s defense attorney even asked for the recordings after the trial was over, but his request was denied by the Illinois Supreme Court.

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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.

The lead researcher of the study, Dr. Richard Lichenstein found that people wearing headphones are at a higher risk of getting hit, injured, or even dying due to an accident. He claims that of these injuries, 70 percent proved to be fatal, and more than 50 percent of the victims were hit by trains. While these numbers seem a bit high, they are very believable. Chicago drivers can be a bit reckless and are always in a hurry. This is especially true with cab drivers. As I commute to work daily, I almost always usually see an accident almost happen, such as a biker getting hit by a car because neither was paying attention. The researchers report that between 2004 and 2005, there were 16 cases noted. However, that number rose to 47 between 2010 and 2011, nearly tripling. They found that the most common type of accident, at 55%, was being hit by a train. I would have guessed that the most common type would be being hit by a car. This is very shocking. The study also found that 75% of bystanders had actually seen the victim wearing headphones prior to the accident. Clearly these headphones are masking any sirens and outside noises.

A similar study was done in New Zealand in 1995 with 200 children. The study found that children with natural hearing problems were more likely to be hit by a car. It’s no surprise that Dr. Lichensteins study found similar results considering people are basically obstructing their own hearing with music. These people need to become more aware of their surroundings considering the city is full of many hidden dangers. Not only are they more likely to get hit by a car or train, but they may be easier pray for muggers or robbers. Bottom line, if you are venturing out into the world with your headphones on, please be aware of your surroundings. If you have been involved in a accident/injury, please contact injury attorneys Zneimer and Zneimer p.c. for a free personal injury consultation.

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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.

Jennifer’s findings are pivotal considering that even though Richard had an open beer in his car, and smelled of alcohol, he says he wasn’t intoxicated. Richard claims to have only had a couple drinks the night of the crash. He said he was speeding home munching on fast food when he saw the bicyclist coming toward him. After hitting the bicyclist, he said was in a state of shock and that’s what prevented him from calling 911. The night of the crash, Richard said he had 3 beers and two shots of vodka. However, now Richard is testifying that he had only one vodka drink and one beer drink. I would like to know why an off duty officer was speeding to begin with, regardless of being drunk or not?

What complicated the matter was that Richard wasn’t given a field sobriety test until 2 hours after the crash. Furthermore, he wasn’t given an actual breathalyzer test until 4 hours after the crash. That is why a forensic toxicologist was called to begin with. She estimated that Richard’s alcohol had to be as much as twice the legal limit at the time of the accident. Prosecutors claim that Richard was given preferential treatment from the other officers. It certainly does appear that way. Things do not look good for Richard Bolling. I think the average person can see that Richard was drunk at the time of the crash. Hopefully the jury makes the right decision, so justice can be served for little Trenton Booker. According to Chicago accident attorneys Zneimer and Zneimer, it is estimated that there are over 1,200 vehicle related fatalities a year in Illinois. If you have been in or affected by an auto accident, please contact accident attorneys Zneimer and Zneimer p.c. for a free personal injury consultation.

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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.

When the pit bulls owner, Latina Griffin (27), finally came out, she was issued two citations. One citation was for failing to restrain an animal, and the other for failing to exercise her responsibilities as an animal owner. Luckily, Vvorra is fine now and back on duty after two days.

There you have it; another irresponsible pet owner leaves her pit bulls unrestrained. What if it had been a small child walking by the make shift shelter? Would Latin Griffin had been able to run out in time and stop her dogs from attacking a child? Irresponsible owners like Latina are giving pit bulls a worse reputation than they already have. Banning this breed of dog definitely isn’t the answer either. But perhaps, requiring pit bull owners to obtain certain licenses or take certain classes in order to qualify to own one is the solution. Pit bulls aren’t a particularly vicious breed; they just require a lot of extra attention and socialization training from their owners. Chicago injury attorneys Zneimer and Zneimer specialize in dog bite cases, many of which are cause by unrestrained animals like Latinas dogs. If you have been the victim of a dog bite, contact Zneimer and Zneimer for a free personal injury consultation.

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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 auto accidents on a regular basis. It’s estimated that in 2010, 3,092 deaths in crashes were caused by distractions.

In a separate study conducted, ages of 18 and 24. Law officials fear educational messages are not enough to curb this behavior. They are stepping up giving out tickets to cell phone users because the simple fact is, many drivers won’t stop texting until they fear getting a ticket.

In fact, a record number of drivers were issued cell phone violation tickets in 2010 alone, translating into millions of dollars in revenue for Chicago. According to the 73% increase from 2006. These tickets brought in $2.2 million for the city. Furthermore, the fines are said to have increased steadily from $50 dollars to up to $500 dollars today. This type of ticket is very hard to fight in a court room. While there is no proof that giving out more tickets will translate into safer roads, do yourself a favor and stay off your phone while driving. Use a hands free headset or have a friend text the message for you. It isn’t worth a car accident and isn’t worth getting a ticket over. Cell phone bills are expensive enough. If you have been in an auto accident, contact injury attorneys

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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.

When it comes down to it, an animal control officer has the last word as to whether or not an animal is deemed too dangerous. Penalites depend on the animals offense. The city can order the animal to be destroyed humanly if it hurts a human severly. On other less severe occasions, the city can order the owner to obtain a dangerous animal license, have a microchip installed, have it sterilized, secure liability insurance, have the animal muzzled, have the animal spayed or neutered, and have owner put up appropriate signage on their property. If the owner violates these rules, they can be fined up to 1000 dollars, and have their animal taken away from them and impounded.

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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.

According to The Anti-Cruelty Society, in Chicago and many of its’ surrounding suburbs, the owner of a dog must restrain his or her animal by a leash, crate, cage or vehicle, or keep it confined on the owner’s premises. In other words, it is illegal for the animal to be outside the owners property lines without the proper confinement (leash), unless the animal is at a dog park.

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A horrible start to the New Year for a 62-year old Chicago jogger left in critical condition after being attacked by two pit bulls while jogging along the lakefront near Rainbow Bridge Park early Monday morning. According to the Chicago Tribune, the dogs bit the jogger all over his entire body, including his face, arms, and especially legs. An eye witness, Stanley Lee, overheard the joggers screams for help from his nearby apartment and attempted to stop the dogs. He hit them repeatedly with a baseball bat, but the dogs would not let go. Their jaws were locked in place. Luckily the police arrived soon after and shot both dogs.

Authorities have stated that the dogs’ owner has been ticketed for failing to restrain them and for not having city dog licenses. He could be facing fines of up to $2000 dollars. In addition, under the Illinois Animal Control Act, dog owners are strictly liable for injuries caused by their animals. The owner claims the dogs got loose when somebody left his gate open. The owner should have been responsible enough to ensure that this gate was closed considering such large dogs where being housed. While the dogs did have collars on, they did not have identification tags on the collars, or microchips embedded underneath their skin. The owner came forward as the owner of the dogs in good faith.

The dogs were both unneutered adult males, weighing in at over 70lbs each, pretty large considering the average pit bull weighs between 55-65 lbs. It should be noted that any dog can be dangerous, not just pit bulls. They tend to have a bad reputation, but in reality, any dog unproperly socialized can be dangerous.

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As reported by Fox News, last week Tommy Beams (Seattle, Washington) went into surgery to get a bump removed from his head. What he thought would be a short- routine procedure, has become a nightmare. During the procedure, his oxygen mask burst into flames while he was under anesthesia. Tommy believes the fire was ignited by a cauterizing tool used during surgery, but the hospital is still investigating the cause.

“It’s just surreal, to see skin melted off your face, and look in the mirror and see chunks of skin hanging from your face, it’s not a pretty sight,” exclaimed Tommy. He describes the feeling of being burned as extremely painful, and is brought to tears on a daily basis. The burns on his face should be healed in about a year according to doctors, but I believe the horrific events will haunt him for the rest of his life. One tends to always have second thoughts before going into surgery, but you never expect such an awful experience to happen to you.

The sad thing is, this was the second time an accident like this has occurred in a week. A similar situation happened to a 29 year old Florida woman who underwent surgery to get a cyst removed. Her oxygen mask burst into flames and she now has burns on her face and head. She is afraid to show herself to her kids. She doesn’t want them to see what has happened to their mommy. Who is at fault when such a terrible accident occurs? Clearly these hospitals will be liable, but what preventative measures are being done to ensure this doesn’t happen again?

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