Author Archives: abryant633

Questions Remain Following Blue Line Crash At O’Hare

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Very early Monday morning, a Blue
Line train carrying passengers pulled into the station at O’Hare airport, but
instead of stopping, it derailed and crashed into a commuter escalator. As a
result of the train crash, thirty (30) passengers were injured. The Associated
Press reported today the train was not speeding as it drove into the
station. National Transportation Safety Board (“NTSB”) investigator Ted Turpin said a preliminary review of
Monday’s derailment at O’Hare International Airport showed that the train was
traveling at 25 mph — the correct speed — as it entered the
station. Turpin, who is in charge of the investigation, said an automatic
emergency braking system was activated on the tracks, but that it failed it
stop the train as it headed for the platform. “It activated,”
Turpin said. “That’s all we know factually. Now, whether it did it in time
or not, that’s an analysis that we have to figure out.”

Another issue that
has raised eyebrows is the possibility that the conductor of the train was
drowsy at the time of the train accident. Several news outlets have reported
that the conductor may have dozed off at the train crash, which would mean he
or she did not brake on time. That is why there is an emergency brake, but
according to the above reports, did not work properly.

If the injuries
sustained by any of the passengers were severe enough, then there will
definitely be lawsuits filed against the Chicago Transit Authority
(“CTA”). The basis of a Complaint at Law will be based on multiple
allegations. First, the driver negligently operated the train by not braking
on time. Second, the CTA was negligent for possibly allowing one of its’
employees to work too many hours or days in a row, thus leading her to doze
off. Third, the CTA did not have a properly working emergency brake, as it
clearly did not prevent the train from stopping or derailing. It could be
alleged that the emergency braking system was not properly installed. This
could in turn lead to lawsuits against the manufacturer or the subcontractor
who installed and/or maintained the emergency braking system. The answers to
these questions will not be known until the NTSB and other experts complete
their full reports on the accident. Regardless, there a liable parties out
there that could have prevented this train accident. 

If you or someone
you love has been injured in a Chicago train accident, Chicago CTA crash or
Chicago bus accident, the call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant
for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384. 

Uber & Lyft Expand Insurance Coverage Following Pressure From Chicago and Illinois Legislatures

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We have heard of new companies like
Uber and Lyft that have taken over the ride share community in Chicago. A
simple app on your phone will help you track down a driver to take you
somewhere in the city. Uber and Lyft are similar to taxis but can be a little
more expensive but users prefer the convenience and appreciate the fact that
the vehicles are usually nice and provide more room than your typical taxi
(think town car or luxury SUV).

While these companies have taken off
Chicago and state officials are cracking down on them to determine if there is
sufficient insurance coverage for passengers and other drivers. WBEZ (NPR)
radio reported last week the steps that the Illinois Senate and the city has
taken to ensure there is enough insurance coverage in case an Uber or Lyft
vehicle is involved in a car crash. Uber, Lyft and Sidecar require their
drivers to have personal auto insurance, and claim to offer excess liability
insurance of $1 million per incident, but have declined to share copies of that
policy with WBEZ and others. The problem, said witnesses at the hearing, is
that the excess policies are not triggered until a driver’s personal insurance
is exhausted — and personal insurance policies explicitly preclude coverage
for commercial use of a vehicle. Sandoval noted that Lyft and Uber
recently changed their policies to “drop down” to serve as primary insurance in
case a driver’s personal policy declines to cover damages from an accident. But
insurance industry representatives said they could not verify if that covers
the insurance gap without seeing copies of the policy. They also noted other
problems with the excess policies, namely the companies’ stipulation that the
coverage applies only when a driver has accepted a fare, until that ride has
ended.

Well, the pressure from subpoenas by
the city and the Senate Committee hearing last week has apparently forced these
companies to act quickly. Uber announced late last week that their insurance
will now cover their drivers when they are out and about searching for
fares. Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, held a conference call with reporters
to discuss an extension of its coverage to periods when drivers may be looking
for passengers. “What we’re announcing today is that for the period of
time between trips, when the app is open and the driver is essentially
available for requests, we are announcing that we are rolling out coverage for
Uber partners on uberX nationwide, and that coverage starts today,” said
Kalanick.

City and state legislatures often
receive a lot of criticism for the work they do (or don’t do), but in this case
I think they deserve kudos for focusing hard on this issue. If they had not
issued subpoenas or called for answers then I don’t believe Uber would have
expanded their insurance coverage. This means that if a passenger is hurt in an
Uber or Lyft vehicle, there will be a lot more insurance coverage (one million vs.
$50,000/$100,000) and those other drivers or pedestrians who are injured while
the driver is searching for fares will also be covered. It’s not clear at this
point if Lyft has expanded their coverage like Uber has. I will be interested
to find out.***

***Edit. CBS News in San Francisco (where both companies are based) reported that Lyft is also expanding its’ insurance coverage during the period that where drivers are seeking fares.

If you or someone you love has been
involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, at 312-588-3384 for a free legal consultation. 

Mayor Emanuel To ‘Attack’ Chicago’s Pothole Conundrum

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Those of us who live in
Chicago (or any cold weather city) know that there are multiple problems that
come with snow, ice and sub zero temperatures. It’s not just driving through
treacherous roads or walking down icy sidewalks. It’s also the resulting
pothole epidemic that invades the streets of Chicago. Anyone that has driven
through the city the past few months knows that our streets are filled with
potholes – – everywhere. This can be dangerous. It can cause major damage to
vehicles and more importantly lead to a car crash or truck accident. The city’s
residents have responded: Chicago’s 311
call center had received 47,227 complaints about potholes, more than triple the
15,641 calls the city received for the same period in 2011-12 and far more than
the 17,468 complaints it got during the same time frame last winter.

The Chicago
Tribune reported this week about what Mayor Emanuel is doing to combat
this issue. The mayor’s office has sent out 10
pothole-related announcements since Jan. 10 to highlight everything from more
street crews working extended hours to fill potholes to a Web page featuring a
map showing where streets have been patched. Emanuel said at a recent press
conference that the city would deploy “strike teams” to strategically fan
out and fill potholes on the major thoroughfares. The city isn’t adding more
crews, but it will have them focus on the busiest roads on Mondays and Fridays
instead of just responding to keep up with complaints on the 311 line.
According to the city, of the 47,227 pothole complaints the city has received
since Dec. 1, more than 28,878 are listed as resolved while an additional
18,349 have not been addressed, according to city figures.

What is
the mayor to do? Is it realistic to think there is more money to pour into this
situation? Or should this unusually cold and snowy winter be considered an
aberration. Regardless, driving through Chicago this winter is like driving
through a war zone, which includes a lot of dodging and weaving. This is not
safe for anyone. Hopefully the city can move quicker to help resolve this
problem.

If you
or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago truck accident or Chicago caraccident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, at
312-588-3384 for a free legal consultation. 

Will Smart Highways Help Prevent Auto Accidents In Illinois?

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The Chicago
Tribune reported last month about an interesting investment being made
by the state of Illinois. Government officials are hoping a $45 million dollar
investment into highway technology will help decrease traffic congestion and
hopefully car accidents. 

Traffic
engineers are focusing initially on the Edens Expressway and the northern
stretch of U.S. Highway 41 and will begin incorporating a mix of existing and
new technology during the next two years, an undertaking that could spread to
the entire Chicago-area expressway system.

“We are trying to
fix a lot of problems with very cost-efficient solutions that can be introduced
relatively soon,” IDOT Secretary Ann Schneider said.

Those technologies include
travel-time estimates using motorists’ Bluetooth devices, bus-on-shoulder
service during rush hour, and traffic cameras along every interchange.

A major part of the
project will be a series of radar devices designed to detect wrong-way drivers
and warn other motorists about them. The problem causes more than 300
fatalities a year nationwide, according to the National Transportation Safety
Board.

The system, similar to
one already being tested in Peoria, will alert the wrong-way driver by
triggering flashing red lights, telling the driver not to enter the highway,
according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. It will also broadcast
warnings on electronic signs to warn oncoming drivers to stay in the far-right
lane to help prevent collisions, IDOT officials said.

Wrong-way drivers, the
vast majority of whom are intoxicated or older drivers, tend to steer to the
far right, which in the wrong direction of travel is the left lane for
right-way drivers, officials said.

In addition to alerting
drivers, the system could feed information to IDOT and the Illinois State
Police, said Steve Travia, IDOT’s bureau chief of Chicago-area traffic
operations.

The various projects are
in the preliminary engineering stage and construction will be done in phases, likely
starting in two years, Travia said. Schneider said she is hoping to accelerate
the schedule. Projects would be extended over time to other expressways in the
area.

I love investments like
these made by our government.  I will be interested to see what the results of these studies are and
whether more money will be invested. I would also like to see investments in studies that would provide information on how to deal with traffic congestion throughout Chicago. As we know traffic jams often arise due to car crashes and vice versa. 

If you or someone you
love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then
call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free legalconsultation at 312-588-3384. 

IIHS Study Shows Red Light Cameras Are Working

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 I have written on this blog multiple times about red light cameras and whether they actually make intersections safer for drivers and pedestrians. There have been studies and critics have stated in the past that the cameras are money grab for local governments and that they don’t actually decrease the number of car accidents.

 Well, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (“IIHS”) recently completed a study in Arlington Virginia, which concluded that these cameras are actually decreasing the number of red light infractions. The study found found that red light running rates declined at Arlington, Va., intersections equipped with cameras. The decreases were particularly large for the most dangerous violations, those happening 1½ seconds or longer after the light turned red. “This study provides fresh evidence that automated enforcement can get drivers to modify their behavior,” says Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at IIHS and the study’s lead author.

 To calculate how the cameras affected violation rates, researchers at the Institute, which is located in Arlington, videotaped traffic during the warning period, a month after ticketing began and again after a year. In addition to the four camera-enforced intersections, videotaping was done at four other intersections in Arlington — two on the same corridors where cameras were located and two elsewhere — to see if there was any spillover effect from the cameras. Four control intersections in neighboring Fairfax County, which does not have a camera program, also were observed.

One year after the start of ticketing, the odds of a red light running violation at the camera locations went down. Violations occurring at least 0.5 seconds after the light turned red were 39 percent less likely than would have been expected without cameras. Violations occurring at least 1 second after were 48 percent less likely, and the odds of a violation occurring at least 1.5 seconds into the red phase fell 86 percent.

Although this is a small sample size in one town in a few specific intersections, the findings are encouraging. I am still skeptical that red light cameras actually make intersections safer. I would like to see a few more studies outside of Arlington and maybe by an organization other than the IIHS before we can determine that red light cameras are a deterrent and do reduce auto accidents.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or a Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, at 312-588-3384 for a free legal consultation.

2014 Chicago Auto Show Premiers New Safety Features

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The auto show that
travels around the country every, including at Chicago’s McCormick Place,
always has a flavor of new vehicle safety features. As Medill Reports noted
in a recent article, 2014 was no different. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis featured a new
automatic emergency braking system. The front camera and the front radar
combine to alert you to a possible crash and will signal the breaks to go off
for you. 

“It’s
ultimately all about safety features this year,” said Jim Vurpillat, director
of Emerging Markets at Cadillac. “If you can have all that radar around you to
protect you, it avoids accidents. All of these technologies have been rolling
out to enhance your driving capabilities.” At the Chicago Auto Show
Cadillac showed off the newest radar and camera safety features added to all of
its 2014 and 2015 models, such as advanced breaking, and front and rear
obstacle protection.  One of Cadillac’s most highly-touted features is a
seat buzzer that alerts the driver if the car begins to drift out of a lane.


The technology is similar to Buick’s, which also
alerts a driver via seat vibration. The alert is activated along with the turn
signal. If a vehicle is coming from the right, the right side of the driver’s
seat will buzz or from the left if a vehicle approaches from the left side. The
entire seat will vibrate if there are two vehicles approaching on both sides.

It
always amazes me the type of new technology car makers are able to implement
every year. It will be interesting to see in the years to come, when these
safety systems become more prevalent, whether the number of car accidents
actually decreases.

If
you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, at
312-588-3384 for a free legal consultation. 

Does ADHD Increase The Chance Of Car Accidents

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As we all know there are multiple
causes for auto accidents. Causes can range from texting and driving to
drinking and driving. Another cause is simply not paying attention while on the
road. According to psychcentral.com, a major cause for drivers not focusing on
the road is Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD). The website believes that
medication that treats this condition will help adults to pay attention to the
road and help prevent car accidents. 

 The site a Swedish study discovered that up to half of the
traffic accidents involving men with ADHD could be avoided if the men were
taking medication for their condition.  Investigators studied 17,000
individuals with ADHD over a period of four years (2006-2009) using various
population health’ registers.

They then
analyzed the risk of traffic accidents for individuals diagnosed with ADHD
and how ADHD medication influences this risk. 

“Even
though many people with ADHD are doing well, our results indicate that the
disorder may have very serious consequences,” said Henrik Larsson, Ph.D.,
associate professor at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and
Biostatistics.

The study
also demonstrates in several different ways that the risk of traffic accidents in adult men with ADHD significantly reduces if their condition is
treated with medication.

In the
study, researchers discovered the incidence of traffic accidents was lower
among men with ADHD who received medication than among men with ADHD who did
not.

This is an
interesting study, which raises multiple questions. Why do drivers feel the
need to pick up their phones while driving? Also, is the lack of medication
causing drivers to lose focus on what is in front of them? I think the answer
to the second question is yes. The first question is less clear. Not every
driver that uses their phone while driving has ADHD, but is constant phone use
making the condition worse, or worse, causing ADHD drivers to pick up their
phone more often. I don’t think there is an easy answer but there would
definitely need to be more research done. I do think it is clear that if you
have been diagnosed with ADHD and you plan on driving, then please take your
medication. You could help save your own life and the lives of others.

If you or
someone you love has been seriously injured in a Chicago car accident or
Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron Bryant,
for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384.

Choosing The Proper Car Seat For Your Child

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As many parents know,
choosing a car seat is not always the easiest decision. There a myriad of
choices, specifically for the different ages and sizes of their children. The
most important thing going through parent’s minds is which one will provide the
best protection in case of a car accident. Thanks to healthychildren.org and
the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a detailed chart provides the
specific type of car seat need for the age your child. Below is a breakdown of
the type of car seat parents should choose in determining how to best protect
their children. The list not only provides the type of car seat, but also
indicates which direction it should face.

 

Infants/toddlers

Rear-facing
only seats and rear-facing convertible seats

All
infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear-Facing Car Seat until
they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height
allowed by their car seat’s manufacturer.

 

Toddler/preschoolers

 

 Convertible
seats and forward-facing seats with harness

 

Any
child 2 years or older who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or height
limit for their car seat, should use a Forward-Facing
Car Seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest
weight or height allowed their car seat’s manufacturer. This also applies to
any child younger than 2 years who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or
height limit of their seat.

School-aged children

 

Booster
seats

All
children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their
car seat should use a Belt-Positioning Booster Seat until the
vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9
inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

School-aged children

 

Booster
seats

All
children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their
car seat should use a Belt-Positioning Booster Seat until the
vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9
inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

 

If you or someone you
love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then
call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384. 

2013 Saw A Slight Increase In Illinois Traffic Fatalities

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The Chicago
Tribune reported this month that there was a slight increase in
traffic fatalities in 2013. There were 973 crash fatalities in 2013 compared with 956 fatalities in 2012, a nearly 2 percent
increase.  Despite the slight uptick, the report points out that this was
the fifth year in a row where car accident deaths were below 1,000. This is a dramatic
change from previous decades regularly saw traffic deaths well over a
thousand.  

The
Illinois department of transportation attributes this recent level of traffic fatalities to the strict enforcement of traffic laws like the seat belt
law. IDOT spokeswoman Paris Ervin said the department credits the
historically low fatalities in recent years to “increased seat belt usage
as a result of Illinois’ primary belt law, education and enforcement,” and
to safety improvements to the roads. But the department is not satisfied,
she said. “Our goal is to drive zero fatalities to a reality in
Illinois and get everyone to their destination safely,” she said.  

The
uptick in traffic deaths in Illinois comes as the number of traffic fatalities
in the U.S. is expected to be lower in 2013 than it was in 2012. In Wisconsin, for example, officials expect that traffic deaths in
2013 — totaling 519 in late December — were far below the state’s five-year
average of 571.

As I have written about
in the past, there are two new laws that went into effect in 2014 that could
the number of traffic accidents in Illinois. First, is the total ban of hand
held cell phone use throughout the state. The second is the speed limit
increase on certain interstates to 70 mph. It will be interesting to see which
direction the number of car crashes and traffic fatalities ebbs or flows in the
next year with these new laws in effect.

If you or someone you
love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or a Chicago truck accident, then
call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free legalconsultation at 312-588-3384. 

Are Variable Speed Limits The Key To Unlocking Traffic Gridlock In Chicago?

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The Chicago Tribune had
an interesting article about the future of driving in congested areas like the
Chicagoland region. The article touched on the possibility of V2V technology
that would allow drivers to communicate with each other via Wife and also
self-driving cars. The most promising trend, to me, was a type of technology
that allows speed limits to vary in congested areas called Active Traffic
Management of “ATM.” This technology is already being used in St.
Louis, Minneapolis, Ann Arbor and parts of Nevada, California and Florida.

ATM, Through the use of road sensors, the limits can be adjusted to
accommodate traffic, with the changes or other road-related information posted
on electronic signs above specific lanes. For example, one lane’s
electronic sign may show a speed limit of 60, another 55, and another may indicate
that drivers need to merge, depending on what traffic sensors show is ahead.
The system also can close individual lanes and space traffic on ramps.

“We’ve seen really great
response from drivers getting out of the lanes beforehand,” said Maan
Sidhu, freeway operations engineer for the Washington State Department of
Transportation, which started an ATM program in 2010 along Interstate 5 and has
expanded it to Interstate 90 and Washington Highway 520 in and around Seattle.
“We don’t have that stacking up of vehicles.”  Sidhu also said
the department has recorded “a general reduction in the number of
(vehicle) collisions” on those roads but “no really great
impact” on travel times on Seattle-area highways, which are
notorious for long traffic jams.

It will be interesting to see if
this is something that will be developed in Illinois. As I have written about
multiple times in the past, Chicago has some of the most congested traffic
areas in the United States. More importantly, would this type of technology
help reduce the number of traffic accidents in our area? I will be following
this closely to see if Illinois looks at this further and ultimately implements
ATM into some of the more congested areas.

If you or someone you love has been
injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free legal consultation at
312-588-3384.