Chicago, IL Personal Injury Blog

Recently, several cars and big trucks were cruising down Skokie Highway (U.S. Route 41.) Suddenly, one of the big trucks slammed on its brakes and in seconds, the semi had caused a six vehicle pile-up. Four cars and one mangled rig later, one man was dead and several others were injured.

Big trucks continue to create big problems on our nation's roadways. In 2010, more than a half-million large trucks and commercial vehicles were involved in crashes and over 100,000 people were injured. Data from the Truck Safety Coalition (TSC) indicates that truck crash-related deaths increased to 4,000 in 2010, which is a significant increase from the 3,380 truck accident fatalities of 2009.

Distracted driving is a major problem in Chicago and throughout the state of Illinois. In an attempt to cut down on the number of Chicago car accidents caused by distracted driving, the city banned the use of all hand-held mobile devices behind the wheel. Even talking on a cell phone is prohibited, unless the driver is using a hands-free device.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 60 percent increase in emergency room visits by young people for injuries resulting from sports and recreational activities.

CDC researchers feel that the increase in adolescents coming to emergency rooms for brain injury care is directly related to the heightened level of brain injury awareness by adults, as parents, teachers and recreational officials are usually the ones making the decision to call emergency response teams and health care providers.

In March of 2010, Kenneth Laymon was driving an 18-wheeler southbound on Interstate 65 near Munford, Kentucky. The truck crossed the median, entering into the northbound lanes of traffic, where it collided with a passenger van. The resulting accident killed 11 people, and led to an extensive investigation to determine why the collision occurred. The recently released report shows that distracted driving remains a serious concern.

Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine proposed new legislation seeking to open interstate highways to trucks carrying larger loads. The legislation will allow trucks with six-axles weighing up to 100,000 pounds to use interstate highways. Snowe explained that current federal restrictions on interstate highways are an example of bureaucratic regulations causing "safety hazards on secondary roads" and increased risk for trucking accidents.

Every day, people head to their places of employment as part of the daily routine. For those who work in factories producing goods or materials, time is of the essence. Workers must fulfill orders in a timely manner, or their company could lose valuable sales. This forces companies to work as fast as possible to make enough product to meet demand. While most employees will return home safely after completing their daily tasks, occasionally, some workers may find themselves the victim of a serious personal injury in a workplace accident.

Recent high profile bus accidents in New York, Virginia and other locales have brought attention to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's ability to protect passenger safety initiatives. One key aspect of federal regulation is the FMCSA's lists of approved motorcoach, mini-bus, school bus, passenger van and limousine service companies.

A new highway bill sponsored by the Obama administration will seek more authority by expanding the role of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Several regulations have been created to help remove unsafe truck drivers from the roads. Trucking company policies that fail to address safety issues, such as drug testing and the number of hours commercial truckers can drive during and in-between shifts, are under scrutiny to determine effectiveness.

The FMCSA does not have direct authority over drivers, except when the carrier that employs them is undergoing a compliance review. The new bill, if passed, could grant the agency more direct regulatory power over drivers.