Tag Archives: auto accident

All State Study Reveals Chicago Drivers Are The Least Safe In Illinois

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According to All State Insurance Company’s 2015 “Best Driver” report, Chicago was the most unsafe drivers in the state of Illinois. Out of the 200 U.S. cities ranked, Chicago ranked 134th, with drivers having a likelihood of being in a car accident 24.4 percent more than the national average, and having an accident once every eight years. Chicago was up one spot from last year at 139.

The other Illinois towns that were ranked in the report include: Rockford ranked No. 46, with drivers having a traffic accident every 9.9 years; Aurora ranked No. 65, with drivers having a car accident every 9.2 years; and Naperville ranked 100th on the list, with drivers having an auto accident every 8.7 years.

I think looking at this report at first blush, one could easily view Chicago drivers as being much more unsafe that other drivers around the state. But, I think we need to consider the fact that there are tens of thousands of more drivers in Chicago than anywhere else in the state. And – -as I have written numerous times in the past – – Chicago is one of the most congested cities in the country. The odds of being involved in an auto accident increase exponentially while driving in Chicago merely because there are so many of other motorists on the road. I do not have any scientific evidence to back this up but I think it should be a factor rather than automatically assuming that Chicago drivers are much more careless than other places around the country.

If you or someone you love has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

 

How Much Will A Car Crash Affect Your Insurance Rates In Illinois?

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The Chicago Tribune posted an interesting article last month about the effects that car accidents can have on car insurance premiums in Illinois.

According to a study by Insurancequotes.com, if a 45-year-old married woman in Illinois with a perfect driving record and excellent credit has just one car accident where she is at fault, a claim of $2,000 or more will increase her health insurance rates 35 percent.

What happens if this person is involved in a second auto accident in the same year? She’d pay 104 percent more for car insurance than a claim-free driver. If you aren’t covered by any insurance, don’t wait to get covered by any auto insurance.

The insurance quote company hired Quadrant Information Services to conduct the study, which looked at six large carriers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It assumed a $2,000 claim and policy limits of $100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage.

Some states are worse than others according to this study. In Massachusetts, someone who’s at-fault auto accident there increases premiums by 76 percent versus the national average of 41 percent.  In California filing a bodily injury claim in that state will drive up insurance costs 86 percent.

Injuries are by far the most costly of claims for insurance companies because hospitals and treating physicians are much more expensive than auto body shops. The average bodily injury claim cost $15,443 in 2013 versus the average property damage claim of $3,231.

Also, important to point out is if the traffic accident is the other drivers fault, their insurance kicks in and should not affect your rates. If there’s any disputes regarding who’s at fault, make sure to seek legal assistance from an auto accidents attorney.

Regardless, it is important to drive carefully, obviously for your health and the health of others. But, as this study points out, it’s also important to drive safely for your pocketbook.

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

Could The City Of Chicago Face Liability In Fatal Lincoln Park Car Crash?

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Multiple news outlets, including the Chicago Tribune and DNAinfo.com, reported last month about a car crash on Lake Shore Drive where a vehicle lost control and skidded into the rowing lagoon just south of Diversey Harbor in Lincoln Park. The driver of the vehicle, Rafael Rodriguez, survived the auto accident but the passenger, Claudia Beruben, was pronounced dead later that night.

This is a very sad case as it was reported that Ms. Beruben left behind a three year old daughter. In a case like this a wrongful death lawsuit could be made by the Ms. Beruben’s estate to provide compensation for her child. The first, and most obvious, defendant in this case would be Mr. Rodriguez. He has already been charged with felony DUI, reckless driving and speeding as it is alleged that he was driving 90 mph on Lake Shore drive, weaving in and out of traffic and had a blood alcohol content double the legal limit. Negligence will be alleged on this count and should easily prevail. Mr. Rodriguez, based on news reports, was not driving as a reasonable person should in that situation.

The second, and more important question, that Ms. Beruben’s car accident lawyer must ask, is whether the city’s actions (or lack of actions) could have prevented her death. News reports have stated that the guard rail was missing in the area where Mr. Rodriguez skid into the lagoon. Apparently it had been removed for repairs following a different accident. There are difficulties involved with suing a government entity. One cannot sue the city of Chicago for simple negligence due to tort immunities. In order for Ms. Beruben’s estate to prevail against the city would be to show that they behaved in a willful and wanton manor by failing to have the guardrail replaced. Willful and wanton is a higher standard than negligence but it does not necessarily mean that the act has to be intentional. Willful and wanton can involve reckless indifference or a conscience disregard for the safety for others. So the attorney’s for Ms. Beruben’s estate must investigate the exact circumstances for the missing guard rail and why it had not been replaced. Was it missing for days? For weeks? This appears to be a precarious location of Lake Shore Drive to have a missing guard rail, and something that should have been replaced immediately even if it required something temporary. If attorneys can provide enough evidence that the city should have replaced this guard rail sooner, then they could convince a jury that the cities actions were willful and wanton and should be liable, or at least partially liable, for the death of Ms. Beruben.

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a Chicago car accident or has a Chicago wrongful death claim, then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free legal consultation.

Short Yellow Lights The Cause Of Red Light Tickets Being Dismissed

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The Chicago Tribune published an interesting report recently about the rash of red light tickets being thrown out by administrative law judges. The reasoning behind the judge’s decision is simple: shorter yellow lights. The city requires that yellow lights last at least three (3) seconds and video evidence has revealed that tickets are being issued to drivers because of quick yellow lights. According to the article,   Xerox State & Local Solutions took over the program in March. Since April, hearing officers have cited short yellow lights as the reason for throwing out more than 200 of roughly 1,500 rejected red light tickets, according to their written notations. In the four years before that, under the old vendor, judges blamed short yellows only 37 times out of more than 12,000 successful appeals, according to their written notes. It’s a rate 50 times higher than when the old vendor, Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., ran the program.

Asked why Xerox had so many tickets with yellow times below 3 seconds when Redflex tickets — which showed measurements to the hundredths of a second — almost never showed a time below 3 seconds, city officials declined to answer, citing an ongoing investigation by the city’s inspector general.

The red light cameras have been under scrutiny from the beginning. Media outlets previously reported, and I have discussed here, about federal bribery charges against former city officials and the prior company that managed the tickets, Redflex. Further, a class action lawsuit was filed against Redflex alleging that they were unjustly enriched millions of dollars due to their corrupt bribery tactics.

Where does this leave the city now regarding red light and speed camera tickets? I have said since the beginning that these types of tickets appeared to be a money grab, despite the mayor’s office insistence that these were implemented as purely a safety precaution. Studies have shown, which I have documented on this blog, that red light cameras actually make intersections more dangerous because drivers tend to stop quickly at intersections for fear of being ticketed. As a result, driver’s are more prone to being involved in rear-end auto accidents. Unfortunately, I don’t think red light or speed cameras are going anywhere anytime soon. And the city will continue to be blasted by the local newspapers and TV stations as long as they continue to hand out tickets that are unwarranted.

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 312-614-1076.