Street Closures For 2024 Chicago Marathon

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It’s that time of year where we see multiple street closures throughout the city of Chicago for the annual marathon, which takes place on Sunday October 13. Plan ahead so you do not get caught in traffic.

The main downtown closures include Jackson Drive, between Columbus and DuSable Lake Shore drives, starting 10 a.m. Wednesday. Jackson is expected to reopen Monday morning.

Sections of Columbus Drive will close beginning Thursday at Roosevelt Road, north to Ida B. Wells Drive. The closure will extend to Monroe Street on Friday morning and to Randolph Street on Saturday morning.

There are several dozen more street closures throught the north, west and south sides. You can see all of the closures by clicking here and so you can plan ahead if you live or plan on being in Chicago this weekend.

Good luck to all the runners this week and plan ahead if you need to navigate the city starting today through sunday.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago traffic accident, then call the Illinois injury attorneys at The Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com to learn more.

Illinois State Police & Governor Announce New Traffic Accident Notification System

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The Illinois State Police (“ISP”) and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced this week that the state will be using a new emergency notification system when there are car accidents that involve emergency personnel.

Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology and ISP partnered with Google Public Sector to develop a real-time, GPS-based alert system to tell drivers about upcoming ISP traffic activity.

The process begins when ISP sends their GPS coordinates to the Google Cloud. Waze transforms the information into an alert message that’s distributed to approaching drivers. A police crash or disabled vehicle icon will appear on their map screen and an alert to slow down and move over. Google maps will show similar icons in the coming weeks.

Brad Hoffman, the director, State & Local Government and Education, at Google Public Sector, had this to say about the partnership with the state of Illinois: “By routing incident information through Google Cloud to populate in Waze and Google Maps, we can help ensure drivers are better informed and attentive when approaching road incidents. We applaud the Illinois State Police and Gov. Pritzker for taking a proactive approach to preventing ‘Move Over’ crashes and safeguarding the lives of those who serve and protect communities across the state.”

This is a positive sign that shows the type of public private synergy that improves traffic safety for everyone. This is helpful to oncoming drivers where a car accident already occurred but also protects the always vulnerable emergency response workers. This included state troopers, police, EMS workers and firefighters.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Illinois truck accident, please call the Chicago injury attorneys at the Bryant Law Group, LLC for a free legal consultation or go to our firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Tesla Cybertrucks Recalled For The 5th Time This Year

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The much maligned and often teased (for their rediculous look), Tesla Cybertruck was recalled for the 5th time this year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced along with Tesla that 27,000 Cybertrucks due to a delay in rear-view camera images that could impair driver visibility and increase crash risks.

Tesla is is issuing a software update to address the latest issue. This is the largest of the five recalls made on the Cybertruck. Back in April a recall was made to fix a loose accelerator pedal pad and another in Juneover issues with windshield wipers and exterior trim.

All of these recalls are made to help prevent future traffic crashes. I have not seen any reports that th faulty rear-view images have caused any car accidents.

If you own a Cybertruck, be sure to contact your Tesla dealer to ensure that the software in your vehicle has been updated.

If you have been seriously injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident then call The Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go to our website at www.blgchicago.com.

GM Fined $1.5 Million For Failure To Disclose Cruise Vehicle Accident

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General Motors’ autonomous vehicle division, Cruise, was fined $1.5 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) for their failure to fully report a vehicle-pedestrian accident.

According to ABC News, back on October 2, 2023 once of GM’s driverless Cruse vehicles struck a pedestrian in California. Following that accident, GM suspended all of their driverless vehicle operations after California’s department of motor vehicles deemed that  cars posed a danger to public safety. The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the license for Cruise, which was transporting passengers without human drivers throughout San Francisco.

The NHTSA said on Monday that as part of a consent order, Cruise will also have to submit a corrective action plan on how it will improve its compliance with the standing general order, which is for crashes involving automated driving systems.

It’s unclear in any of the news articles did not provide any details on how GM did not “fully report” the pedestrian accident according to the NHTSA’s standards.

Cruise will meet quarterly with the NHTSA to talk about the state of its operations, and to review the periodic reporting and progress on the requirements of the consent order. Cruise will also submit a final report detailing its compliance with the consent order and state of operations 90 days before the end of the base term.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago rideshare accident or a Chicago pedestrian accident, then call the Chicago personal injury lawers at The Bryant Law Group at 312-614-1076 or go to our website at www.blgchicago.com.

Illinois Governor Signs Bill Allowing Digital Driver’s Licenses On Phones

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Last month Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker, signed a House Bill 4592 into law, which gives Illinois residents the option to have a mobile Illinois Identification Card or mobile driver’s license.

The digital version of the ID card would be issued in addition to the physical card, not instead. The law allows agencies and businesses to choose whether they want to accept digital IDs but bars anyone from requiring a digital ID over a physical card. 

Additionally, residents would still have to show their physical identification card to law enforcement, if the officer requests it. The law also gives officers immunity from any liability resulting in damage to a mobile device, except in the cases of willful and wanton misconduct, as well as barring law enforcement from searching an individual’s phone without consent if they are provided digital identification.

This bill will go into effect on January 1, 2025.

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

NHTSA Announces Recall Of Over 40,000 Harley Davidson Vehicles

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), announced last week that it was recalling 41,637 Harley Davidson motorcycles due to a potential for short-circuiting and increased motorcycle crash risk.

The recall includes the FLHX, FLHXSE, FLTRX, FLTRXSE, and FLTRXSTSE models. According NHTSA’s notice, a voltage regulator wire may rub on other components near the motorcycles’ engine, wearing down the outer casing and exposing the wire. This can lead to short circuits and a loss of power with little to no warning to the driver.

This auto defect could lead to a very dangerous scenario for a motorcycle rider. If you own any of the above models manufactured by Harley Davidson please contact your local Harley dealer to ensure that your bike is updated and repaired to remove that potential defect.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago motorcycle accident or a Chicago traffic accident, please call the Chicago injury lawyers at the Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go to our website at www.blgchicago.com.

6 Chicago Suburbs Receive Federal Grant For Traffic Safety Study

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6 Illinois towns outside of Chicago received federal grants to study traffic safety accord to new outlet Patch. Manhattan, Illinois, a southwest Chicago suburb, received a $100,000 grant focused on Route 52, which runs through their downtown. The village of Manhattan will use the funds to study pedestrian safety and hopefully reduce traffic congestion.

Morris, village of Channahon and village of Minooka to receive a $320,000 Statewide Planning and Research grant for a traffic study on East Route 6. Each of these towns will split the funds equally.

The money, which stems from the bipartisen infrastructure plan signed by President Biden in 2022, is used to establish a cooperative, continuous and comprehensive framework for making transportation investment decisions and to carry out transportation research activities throughout the state of Illinois.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call the Chicago injury attorneys at The Bryant Law Group for a free consultation at 312-614-1076 or go to our website at www.blgchicago.com.

What To Do If You Are Inolved In A Car Crash

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I’ve been asked through the years by clients, friends and family what exactly they should do if they are involved in a motor vehicle accident. The most important thing to worry about is your safety and the safety of any passengers or those involved in the car crash. Beyond seeking immediate medical attention, I put together a list of what to do and what not to do following a traffic accident.

Do:

• Do get names, addresses, license plate and phone numbers of the involved drivers and any witnesses
• Do call the police immediately or have someone at the scene call for you
• Do take photographs of accident scene, damaged vehicle and any bodily injuries
• Do notify your insurance carrier and the insurance carrier of the at-fault driver
• Do seek medical attention as soon as possible and concentrate on getting better
• Do keep records of your medical treatment • Do keep track of time missed from work including vacation and sick days used as a result of your injuries

Do Not:


• Do not give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver’s insurance company
• Do not negotiate with the at-fault driver’s insurance company before your medical treatment is completed
• Do not wait months or yearsfrom the date of injury before hiring an attorney, as your right to file claim or lawsuit may be barred
• Do not wait days or weeks from the time you are injured to seek medical attention. Your health comes first and also insurance companies are wary of paying for medical bills or for pain and suffering if treatment is postponed.

This is not an exhaustive list but important to keep in mind if you are involved in a car crash. If you or someone you know has been involved 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 or go to the firm at www.blgchicago.com.

GMC Recalls SUV And Pick Up Trucks For Brake Fluid Defect

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced this week that GMC will be recalling approximately 450,000 SUVs and Trucks due to an electronic brake control module software that could fail to display a warning light when a loss of brake fluid takes place.

The recall includes 2023-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESVs, 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2023-2024 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban 1500, 2023 GMC Sierra 1500, 2023-2024 GMC Yukon and Yukon XL,

GMC stated that the recall will include a free software update, which will hopefully eliminate the defect.

The NHTSA stated th a vehicle may be driven with low brake fluid if they aren’t provided the warning, which can reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a Chicago car accident or an Illinois traffic accident involving a auto defect, then call the Chicago personal injury lawyers at the Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

NHTSA Proprosal Aimed To Protect Pedestrians

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The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced a proposal aimed to protect podestrians during car crashes. “We have a crisis of roadway deaths, and it’s even worse among vulnerable road users like pedestrians,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman. “Between 2013 and 2022, pedestrian fatalities increased 57 percent from 4,779 to 7,522. This proposed rule will ensure that vehicles will be designed to protect those inside and outside from serious injury or death. We will continue to work to make our roads safer for everyone and help protect vulnerable road users.”

 NHTSA’s plan would essentially affect the design of all SUVs and pick-up trucks. The new standard would “require vehicles to meet a head injury criterion when subjected to testing simulating a head-to-hood impact. The vehicles would have to reduce the risk of serious to fatal head injury to child and adult pedestrians in impacts at vehicle speeds up to 25 mph, which encompass about 70 percent of pedestrian injuries from vehicle impacts.”

The NHTSA’s ultimate goal is for the new frontend designs to better mitigate the force of a pedestrian head impact, in turn increasing the chances of survival. Increasing visibility for the driver is also a major factor.The NHTSA mentioned that the proposed changes would save up to 67 lives per years.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago auto and pediastrian accident, please contact the Chicago injury lawyers at the Bryant Law Group, LLC for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.