Monthly Archives: June 2025

Road Safety Improvements Coming To Brighton Park Neighborhood

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Block Club Chicago reported recently that there are several road improvements and additional bicycle lanes coming in the Brighton Park neighborhood along Kedzie and Archer avenues.

The Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) announced that there will be a complete redesign on Archer Avenue from Western Avenue to 47th Street and South Kedzie Avenue from 28th Street to Archer Avenue. The improvements are part of what the city has called the “Complete Streets Initiative.”

The announced plans include 4 miles of protected bike lanes, added left turn lanes, concrete pedestrian islands, curb extensions and updated bus shelters.

These are much needed improvements as this stretch of roads was considered dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists. According to city officials, Brighton Park had 43 percent more traffic fatalities than other neighborhoods in Chicago. Of the 6,439 traffic accidents on those stretches of the streets from 2019-2023, there were 1,426 people injured and 14 people killed, with half of those killed being pedestrians despite the population only being involved in 2 percent of all car crashes. “The goal of the proposed street transformations is to make Brighton Park a safer neighborhood for drivers, bicyclists and people on foot”, officials said. The new outlet did not provide a timeline on when the project will be completed.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a Chicago traffic accident or Chicago pedestrian accident, then call the Chicago personal injury attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LLC., for a free consultation at 312-614-1076, or go directly to the firm’s website www.blgchicago.com.

Jackson County, IL Sheriff Ramping Up Traffic Safety Enforcement

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The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is joining hundreds of other Illinois law enforcement agencies in the effort to increase traffic safety over the 4th July holiday. The traffic safety campaigns include “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” “Drive High Get a DUI,” and “Click It or Ticket.” The sheriff’s department are deploying additional traffic patrol officers, which is supported by federal traffic safety funds from the Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”). These efforts are part of IDOT’s broader “It’s Not a Game” media campaign, highlighting the dangers of impaired driving.

The initiative will focus on catching impaired and unbuckled drivers from June 20 through July 7. “We’re asking all of our residents and visitors to celebrate Independence Day safely,” said Sgt. Ronald Stanton from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.

4th of July is a busy time on the roads, which a lot of celebrations. Please buckle up and always have a designated driver in your group.

Should you or a loved one unforturnately suffer a serious injury from an Illinois traffic accident or Chicago truck accident, then call the Chicago car accident attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LLC. for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go directly to to the firms website at www.blgchicago.com.

Swim Safety Tips For Kids

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School is out, summer is here and pools are open. This is a fun time of year for all and it’s a great time to remind ourselves how to keep our kids safe at the pool. If you haven’t already, it’s a great time to get your kids into swim lessons. If time or money is an issue, the Red Cross has free online lessons that can be accessed here. Also, the Chicago Park District offers affordable aquatic lessons ($20-$50 for 8 week sessions) at multiple city pools.

The American Red Cross releases swimming safety tips every year, which I have provided below:

  • Swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards. Always swim with a buddy; do not allow anyone to swim alone.
  • Provide close and constant attention to children you are supervising, even when a lifeguard is present, no matter how well the child can swim or how shallow the water. Avoid distractions including cell phones.
  • Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.
  • Designate a “water watcher” whenever in a group setting.
  • Stay within an arm’s reach of any weak or inexperienced swimmer who is in the water. 
  • Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone.
  • Do not rely on the use of water wings, swim rings, inflatable toys or other items designed for water recreation to replace adult supervision. 
  • If you have a pool, secure it with appropriate barriers to prevent unsupervised access to the water.
  • If a child is missing, check the water first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability.
  • Know how and when to call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number.
  • Have appropriate equipment, such as reaching or throwing equipment, a cell phone, life jackets and a first aid kit.
  • Enroll in age-appropriate Red Cross water orientation and learn-to-swim courses.
  • Enroll in Red Cross home pool safety, water safety, first aid and CPR/AED courses to learn how to prevent and respond to emergencies.

Have fun this summer but be always take precautions. If you or a loved one have a suffered personal injury or an accident in Chicago, then call the Chicago accident attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LLC., for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go to the firms website at www.blgchicago.com.

Good News: Kennedy Expressway Construction Ahead of Schedule

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Chicagoans who commute in and out of the downtown loop using 90/94 and others driving to and from O’Hare airport received some welcome new this week. The final phase of the 90/94 (“Kennedy Expressway”) appears to be a month ahead of schedule. IDOT has not wavered from the Thanksgiving completion date, but they did state they are about a month ahead of schedule, which would hopefully put completion sometime in October 2025.

IDOT announced last week the following lane and exit openings and closings, which they said, have come a month ahead of what was originally scheduled.:

-Effective Sunday, June 1, traffic leaving downtown Chicago and heading northwest will be able to use both the express and local lanes to continue between Addison Street and the Kennedy-Edens junction at Montrose Avenue to get to O’Hare International Airport.

-the outbound lanes will shift slightly to the left on the new pavement between Addison Street and Montrose Avenue, and the reversible lanes will remain open in the outbound direction — with two mainline outbound lanes closed at a time. The reversible mid-gate entrances and exits will stay closed

This is welcome news and let’s hope that the project is actually completed ahead of schedule. Remember to stay alert when driving on the Kennedy. Traffic is tight and always be aware of the construction workers on the road.

If you or a loved one have been injured in Chicago traffic accident, please call the Illinois car crash attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LLC., for a free legal consultion at 312-614-1076 or go directly to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Beware of Online Illinois Traffic Ticket Scam

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If you recieve a text to your phone or an email stating that you owe money for unpaid traffic tickets or unpaid Illinois road tolls, you should delete and report those messages as junk.

Many of the text messages look like this:

Illinois State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Final Notice: Enforcement Penalties Begin on May 28. Our records show that as of today, you will have an outstanding traffic ticket. In accordance with Illinois State Administrative Code 15C-16.003, if you do not complete payment by May 27, 2025, we will take the following actions:

  1. Report to the DMV violation database
  2. Suspend your vehicle registration starting May 27
  3. Suspend driving privileges for 30 days
  4. Transfer to a toll booth and charge a 35% service fee
  5. You may be prosecuted and your credit score will be affected

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias had this to say about these scams: “If you receive one of these fake, unsolicited text messages, do not respond to it or click on any links,” Giannoulias said. “These phony texts are designed to trick you into giving up personal or financial information, which can lead to identity theft and fraud.”

This is a phishing scam, and should be deleted immediately. Even if you don’t provide your personal and financial information, clicking on the link could lead to sypware being downloaded onto your phone or computer which could lead to stolen personal information.

The Bryant Law Group, LLC., is a Chicago personal injury law firm. Call our office for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go directly to our firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.