Personal Injury and Railway Safety in Illinois

Rail Safety Week in Park Ridge

Are train commuters and drivers in the Chicago area at risk of serious personal injury in a railway accident?  According to a recent article from WGN Chicago, railroad accidents are much more common in towns like Park Ridge, Evanston, and Des Plaines than most of us would like to think.

During the week of September 18, an added police presence appeared near Chicago-area railroad crossings to promote rail safety in our state.  Indeed, this attention to personal injuries and railroad accidents—which involved police and approximately 275 agencies across the state—represented the first ever Illinois Rail Safety Week.  Some of those agencies included Park Ridge police and Union Pacific workers.

Why has so much attention shifted to railway safety?  According to the article, Illinois actually ranked 3rd in the nation last year for “having the most railroad crossing fatalities.”  In total, 46 people suffered fatal injuries in 2013 in railway collisions.  While most commuters have been receptive to safety information about crossing railroad tracks, “others just brush them off, complaining they don’t want to miss their train downtown.”  It’s those commuters—the ones who are in a rush and aren’t paying enough attention to personal injury risks—that the new campaign hopes to reach.

The Illinois Rail Safety Week comes twenty years after a tragic rail accident took the life of 14-year-old Lauren Wilson, who lost her life at a train crossing in Hinsdale.  Her brother had been driving her to a high school performance and, in a rush, went around the train safety gates.  According to reports, “a Metra train smashed their jeep into a tree” and Lauren sustained severe injuries from which she never recovered.  Her family has been working since that date to improve rail safety in Illinois, encouraging towns like Park Ridge, Mt. Prospect, Arlington Heights, and Schaumburg to install added video cameras and to increase fines for railroad violations.

Illinois Railroad Offenses

What kinds of railroad crossings can result in a fine?  In Illinois, these violations can involve vehicle crossings, pedestrian crossings, railroad property trespassing, and parking violations.  When it comes to vehicle crossing violations, you can receive a fine for the following:

·      Disobeying a signal indicating the approach of a train (which includes driving through, under, or around train gates);

·      Stopping on the railroad tracks;

·      Improper passing near a railroad crossing;

·      Failing to stop at a railroad crossing if you’re driving a “special vehicle” (includes certain buses, vehicles carrying hazardous materials, and vehicles moving heavy equipment); and

·      Reckless driving near railroad tracks.

Pedestrian crossing violations include:

·      Violating the crossing gates; and

·      Violating warning devices.

Violations for trespass on railroad property include:

·      Trespass on railroad or yard; and

·      Malicious removal of railroad property or damage to railroad property (which includes throwing or shooting objects at a train).

Illinois residents also can be fined for improper parking near railroad property.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a railway accident, it’s important to discuss your case with an experienced Park Ridge personal injury attorney.  Personal injuries can result from the bad acts or negligence of another party, and victims may be eligible to file claims for compensation. At Allegretti & Associates, we are here to help.

Falls from Heights in Chicago Area

Falls from Heights in Chicago Area

By James Allegretti

Fatal Injuries in Dangerous Falls from Heights

Can a slip and fall accident cause fatal injuries? Whether you slip and fall while walking on the sidewalk or you’re involved in a dangerous fall from heights, slips and falls can result in catastrophic and life-threatening injuries.  In the last month alone, the Chicago Tribune reported the accidental deaths of two different men in the Chicago area, both of whom suffered fatal injuries in dangerous falls from heights.

In a condominium building on the 200 block of North Columbus Drive, authorities reported that Zachary Lammers, 27, fell to his death from the 56th floor of the building.  Lammers was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.  While authorities continue to investigate, they believe it “was an accidental fall.”

A few days later, a 39-year-old man slipped and fell from the 22^nd floor of a building in the Gold Coast neighborhood.  In this case, authorities suspect that the accident victim may have been intoxicated.  Indeed, alcohol was listed as a likely contributing factor to his death. Bystanders reported that he slipped and fell from either a balcony or window at the DoubleTree Chicago Magnificent Mile hotel.

Injuries such as these can happen anywhere in the greater Chicago area, including Park Ridge, Evanston, Des Plaines, Mt. Prospect, Arlington Heights, and Schaumburg.

Falls from Heights Especially Hazardous

More than many other types of falls, falls from heights often result in serious or fatal injuries. Indeed, according to the National Safety Council (NSC), falls from heights account for nearly one-third of all reported fatalities from falls. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also identifies falls from heights as the most common cause of fall-related injuries, especially at construction sites.

What types of injuries are most common in accidents that involve falls from heights?  A study reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) studied 660 cases of falls from heights, including 469 males and 191 females. The researchers learned the following information about falls from heights:

• The height from which a person falls can have a significant impact on the type of injury sustained.  In falls of approximately 100 feet, head trauma and traumatic brain injuries are the most common cause of death. Brain injuries typically occur in accident victims who fall from a wide range of heights—from about 20 feet up to 100 feet. 
• Falls from 50 feet to 100 feet often result in organ damage, particularly to the liver.  The height of the fall can dramatically impact the extent of the injury. 
• Falls from heights of more than 80 feet very often result in serious and/or irreparable damage to the spleen. 
• Falls from heights of more than 50 feet often result in injuries to two or three regions of the body.

Preventing Slips and Falls

How can you help to prevent a slip and fall injury? While we never expect that we’ll sustain injuries in a fall, the NSC provides some important tips for preventing slips and falls at home and elsewhere:

• Always keep walkways and stairs free of tripping hazards. Tripping hazards can include papers, clothing or shoes, boxes, electrical cords, phone cords, etc. 
• Use non-skid mats on all rugs to prevent slipping. 
• Repair any damage to a walkway or stairway immediately. 
• Do not stand on surfaces with wheels, such as chairs or tables—you’re more likely to slip and fall. 
• Clean up any liquid spills immediately, including puddles resulting from inclement weather. 
• During inclement weather, keep your walkways free of ice and other slipping hazards.

If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, it’s important to speak to an experienced Park Ridge premises liability attorney. Contact the lawyers at Allegretti & Associates today to learn more about filing a claim for compensation.

Deadly Auto Accident Involving Semi-Truck - Chicago

Deadly Auto Accident Involving Semi-Truck

By James Allegretti

Chicago Woman Killed in Dangerous Truck Accident

Auto accidents often result in fatal injuries, and large truck crashes can be especially dangerous in Illinois.  According to a recent article in the Northwest Indiana Times, a car accident on Interstate 65 left one woman dead and three other people seriously injured.  The driver of the automobile, Jacqueline Brown, 53, sustained fatal injuries after a semi-truck collided with her passenger car.

Brown had been a resident of Chicago.  According to state police reports, officers pronounced Brown dead at the scene of the crash.  Two other passengers had been inside the car, and emergency medical responders took them to local hospitals where they received treatment for a possible concussion, broken femur, and broken ribs.  EMTs also took the semi-truck driver, David Lee Westra, 26, to a nearby hospital after he complained of pain following the crash.

What happened?  Based on reports, Brown had a flat tire and pulled onto the shoulder.  She turned on her emergency flashers.  However, Westra was “unable to stop” when he saw Brown’s car, and he “ran over the top of her Hyundai” in his 1994 Volvo semi tractor.  Police reported that Brown’s vehicle was totaled, and Westra’s big rig sustained about $10,000 in physical damage.  The officers at the scene didn’t issue any citations, but authorities planned to administer a toxicology test to determine whether Westra had been driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Truck Accident Severity and Statistics

Dangerous traffic collisions can occur anywhere in Park Ridge, and Illinois residents can experience catastrophic and even fatal injuries like those reported in the recent truck crash.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), crashes involving large trucks often result in passenger deaths.

In 2012 alone, nearly 4,000 people died in accidents with large trucks, and more than 100,000 suffered serious injuries.  What constitutes a large truck?  When the NHTSA collects data about large truck accidents, they’re referring to those that weigh more than 10,000 pounds.  We often know these vehicles by colloquial names like “tractor trailers,” “18 wheelers,” or “big rigs.”

 Based on NHTSA statistics, the number of fatal accidents involving large trucks has been rising in recent years.  And a large majority of those who sustain catastrophic or fatal injuries aren’t people in the trucks—they’re passengers in smaller vehicles.  Indeed, passengers in other vehicles accounted for nearly 75 percent of all large-truck fatalities.

A high number of these crashes actually occur each year in Illinois.  In 2012, the NHTSA reported the following statistics:

• 1,324 vehicles in Illinois were involved in fatal accidents 
• Of those vehicles, 115 were identified as large trucks 
•  Large trucks accounted for nearly 9 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes in Illinois. 
• Large truck accidents in Illinois accounted for about 3 percent of all fatal truck crashes in the country

While it’s difficult to predict a truck accident or car crash, we do know the following information about fatal collisions involve large trucks:

• 63 percent occur in rural areas 
• Nearly 80 percent occur on weekdays 
• 64 percent happen during daytime hours

 If you have been involved in a serious automobile accident or have lost a loved one in a deadly truck crash, it’s important to speak to an experienced Park Ridge auto accident attorney at Allegretti & Associates.  We serve clients throughout the state of Illinois, including residents of Park Ridge, Evanston, Des Plaines, Mt. Prospect, Arlington Heights, and Schaumburg.  Contact us today to learn more about how we can help.