A Chicago jury awarded a mailman $75,224.00 for injuries he suffered after being bitten by a dog. The mailman plaintiff was delivering mail to 501 S. Willie in Mt. Prospect when the home owner’s twenty pound schnauzer got loose and bit the mailman on the back of his knee. The mailman plaintiff required surgery and incurred $58,435 in medical expenses. State Farm had offered $25,000. before the trial to settle the case but the offer was rejected by the plaintiff for being too low.
Speeding Chicago Driver Injuries Three
A speeding Chicago driver crashed into parked cars near Midway Airport on Saturday critically injuring all three occupants in his car. Edger Figueroa, the driver of the car, was cited for failure to reduce speed and for operating an uninsured vehicle. Figueroa and his passengers were hospitalized.
Illinois Man Charged After His Dog Bites Boy
An Illinois man was charged Wednesday for failing to contain a dangerous dog with a leash. St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department reported that Jesse D. Sellers was charged after his pit bull got loose. His dog attacked a boy who was playing in his own yard. The boy went to the hospital with bite wounds to his head, eyes and the back of his neck.
Driver in Fatal Auto Crash Had Multiple DUI’s
A driver of an automobile that blew a stop sign and smashed into another vehicle, killing a mother and her two children had two previous DUI’s on her record dating from 2001 and 2002.
Ann Marie Getz is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol when she crashed into a car being driven by Amanda Jahn. The crash caused the Jahn vehicle to roll several times in a field. Amanda Jahn and her two children, Kaitlyn, age 11 months and Ryan, age 3, died in the crash.
Ann Marie Getz, of Streator, Illinois, is charged with four counts of aggravated DUI and is now in Grundy County Jail with a $1 million bond.
Chicago Cell Phone Fines Now Can Be Settled By Mail
Chicago motorists pulled over for talking on a cell phone will now be able to hang on to their driver’s license and avoid traffic court by paying the ticket by mail or contesting the citation at an administrative hearing. The citation will now be treated more like a parking ticket and drivers will be able to avoid the hassle of not having their driver’s license and having to drive “on a ticket”.
Car Crashes Into Chicago Starbucks
Two cars crashed at the intersection of North Avenue and Wells Street in Chicago Wednesday morning sending one vehicle into the Starbucks coffee shop on the corner of the intersection.
No one inside the Starbucks was injured but a plate glass window was shattered.
The drivers of both vehicles were taken to Northwestern Hospital in stable condition.
Auto Accidents Leading Cause Of Death For Children
Car Accidents are the leading cause of death for children in the United States. Nearly 2,000 children ages 14 and under are killed in vehicle crashes and another 280,000 are injured each year.
However, child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants (less than 1 year old), and by 54% for toddlers (1-4 years old).
Teen Auto Accidents Spike In October
A recent State Farm study found that teen auto accidents spike in October. State Farm found that claims for teen drivers go up 20% in October. Larry Williams, a State Farm agent in Chicago, speculates that the auto accidents are a result of the days getting shorter and darkness coming faster. Also he notes that the roads are slicker with weather changing.
Auto Accident Child Deaths Down
A new study shows that the wide spread use of child safety seats and safety belts and the practice of putting children in the back seat has resulted in an 18 percent reduction in overall fatalities among children ages 0-12 since 1996. The findings were reported in the National Safety Council’s Journal of Safety Research.
Chicago Texting Ban Passes
Chicago City Council unanimously passed a proposed ban on sending text messages while driving in Chicago. Violators could face a $75 fine. The fine would increase to $200 if the violations occur at the time of a traffic accident.