Chicago Honor Student Charged For Alleged Deadly Vehicular Crash

The Chicago Sun Times reports that a Chicago teenager and honor student, Marquis Harrison, has been charged with the vehicular death of Chicago 911 dispatcher Marciea Adkins.  The 16 year old admitted he was drunk on vodka and high on marijuana and ecstasy when he stole a car and crashed into a 911 police dispatcher, killing her as he tried to elude officers, authorities said Monday.

Adkins was driving home after her shift, said Roderick Drew, a spokesman for the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication.  Harrison is an honors student, basketball player and quarterback of the football team at Urban Prep Charter Academy’s East Garfield Park campus.

During Sunday’s police chase, Harrison ran through a stop sign at Armitage and Hoyne avenues and slammed the silver 2004 Range Rover he allegedly stole into Adkins’ car, causing it to careen into a fire hydrant, Costello said.

Emergency workers had to extricate Adkins from her car before she was transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries.

This is a tragis story obviously because of the pointless loss of Ms. Adkins, an innocent bystander. It is also tragic because Harrison, a promising young man, who apparently excelled both academically and athletically, will most likely lead the life as a felon, all for a pointless joy ride. I hate discussing stories such as these but they are all too common of a tale in a city the size of Chicago.

If you or someone you love is a victim of a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.

Dangerous Car Accidents Occured In Chicago Over The Weekend

Snow, sleet and ice hit the Chicago area over the weekend, but police are saying the weather did not appear to be the cause of a huge nine (9) vehicle car crash . The car accident  took place on Sunday morning on the Dan Ryan highway near the Bridgeport neighborhood. According to Chicago Breaking News , six (6) people were taken to the hospital due to the car crash.  It was the second multi-vehicle accident that took place in Chicago over the weekend.

Regardless of the cause of the accident, remember to be wary of winter weather and black ice. Winter is not over and the roads are always dangerous.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident , then call Chicago car accident attorney , Aaron J. Bryant, for a free consultation  at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com

NTSB Holds Forum On Elderly Drivers

The New York Times reported last week that the National Traffic Safety Board (NTS would be holding a forum on the state of elderly drivers.

“This is the first time we’re spotlighting aging drivers,” said Bridget Serchak, a spokeswoman for the board. “We’re looking to see what can be done with highway design, vehicle design, state programs and policies — things that affect all of us as we age.”

The driving summit will include academic and medical researchers, industry leaders, law enforcement officials, safety experts and advocacy groups like AARP.  

This is an important subject that garners this type of attention. It will be interesting to see if any new legislation will be proposed from these meetings, including stricter testing requirements for aging drivers.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident  or Chicago truck accident , then call Chicago personal injury attorney , Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation  at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.

Park Ridge, Illinois Considerig Its Own Ban On Cell Phone Ban While Driving

After passing on a cell phone ban late last year, Park Ridge is now considering its own law that would forbid drivers from using any hand held device while driving.

This is a growing trend in the area after Chicago, Evanston and Winnetka have all enacted bans on the use of hand held devices within the past year.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Stephanie Kunz, a nurse and Park Ridge resident, asked aldermen to reconsider a ban on using hand-held devices while driving. Aldermen agreed to discuss the idea at their committee-of-the-whole meeting Monday. Kunz called such a measure “a very smart (way) to promote public safety.”

This seems to be a popular trend for local lawmakers, and I foresee many town falling in line by enacting their own cell phone bans.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident  or Chicago truck accident , then call Chicago accident attorney  Aaron Bryant for a free consultation and 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.BLGCHICAGO.com

New Illinois Traffic Laws Take Effect On January 1

In the past several months I have written about several new traffic laws enacted by Illinois legislators this year. Some of these include a ban on texting while driving, an increase in highway speed limits for trucks and increased fees and penalties for driving on a suspended license.

The Illinois Secretary of State has made a list of all the new laws, which you can find here.

Have a happy and safe New Year and be ready on the roads for these new laws.

If you or someone you know has been involved in an Illinois car accident or Illinois truck accident, then call attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384.

Illinois Transportation Officials Launch Operation Save 100

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Illinois State Police (ISP) announced on November 13 the “Operation Save 100” campaign, which is aimed at having 100 less fatalities on the roadways this year.

Operation Save 100 will run through the end of 2009. During this eight week enforcement campaign, more than 400 law enforcement agencies will be asked to enhance operations and provide weekly activity and car crash reports. The earned media campaign will consist of television and radio interviews, bi-weekly press releases, periodic news conferences and community activities statewide. In addition, IDOT/DTS’s Occupant Protection, Impaired Driving, Motor Carrier and Operation Teen Safe Driving Programs will also be leveraged to drive the Operation Save 100 initiative to fruition.

“An integral part of the ISP’s mission is to promote public safety and improve the quality of life in Illinois as we strive toward the state’s goal of Zero Fatalities on our roadways,” said Director Jonathon Monken. “That vision is shared by the men and women of the Illinois State Police through their commitment to traffic safety initiatives such as Operation Save 100. Through directed patrols, our officers have dedicated themselves to reducing the number of traffic fatalities in Illinois during 2009.

In 2007, 1,248 highway fatalities occurred on Illinois roadways. In 2008, 1,043 fatalities were reported. If less than 1,000, highway fatalities occur across Illinois in 2009, Illinois will join a small, elite group of states who have experienced less than 1,000 highway fatalities. Highway fatalities in Illinois have plummeted from a high of 1,454 in 2003 to lows not seen since 1923. The downward trend has accelerated with highway fatalities down on a provisional basis as of November 10th, from 883 at this time last year to 781.

To read the entire press release, click here.

This is an excellent initiative by IDOT and ISP. Let’s hope they reach their goal.

If you or someone you know has been involved in an Illinois car accident or an Illinois truck accident, then call attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384.

Illinois Increases Speed Limit For Semi Trucks to 65 MPH

Illinois truck drivers are celebrating in the streets from Belleville to Joliet. Well, maybe not, but truckers are definitely happy as a new law will allow them to drive 65 mph on interstate highways outside of St. Louis and Chicago.

Governor Quinn signed the bill, and it goes into effect on January 1, 2010. 

“Its very long time overdue,” says Canadian carrier Jack Wyszotski.

“I appreciate being able to set it on cruise control at 60 miles per hour and being able to cruise on through Illinois,” explains driver Jo Anne Nelson. “Because it’s a long state from north to south, and it takes a long time at the “double nickel.””

Nelson has been a trucker for more than 20 years and has logged more than 2-million accident free miles behind the wheel. She says, this isn’t only about convenience, its about safety…

“More than anything else, you can flow with the traffic, which is better than being held up and holding up traffic. I think its really a reasonable thing. Its more dangerous the other way.”

lllinois is one of the last states in the nation to increase their semi-truck speed limit.  This will hopefully make the interstates safer. We will see.

To read the complete story about this law change, click here.

If you or someone you know has been involved in an Illinois car accident or  an Illinois truck accident, then call attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384.