Chicago Illinois Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A street race along the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290) ended in a serious car accident Saturday night.

The accident occurred at approximately 11:36 p.m. in Berkeley, a western suburb of Chicago.

According to the Illinois State Police, three vehicles were racing in the inbound lanes of I290 when one vehicle lost control and struck a concrete barrier on the median just south of St. Charles Road.

Continue reading "Street Race Along Chicago's Eisenhower Expressway Ends In Serious Accident" »

This afternoon, a woman was struck by a vehicle on Chicago's Kennedy Expressway after she ran onto the expressway.

According to the Illinois State Police, the accident happened around 12:30 p.m. at Pulaski Road near Irving Park (on Chicago's Northwest Side) in the southbound lanes.

Continue reading "Woman Struck By Vehicle On Chicago's Kennedy Expressway On Northwest Side" »

Two people died and four other people were injured during a 6-vehicle accident on Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway Thursday night.

The accident happened at roughly 11:15 p.m. on the Dan Ryan Expressway at 47th Street in the outbound local lanes, according to the Illinois State Police. The accident involved two semi trucks, a bus carrying nine passengers, two cars, and a minivan.

Continue reading "6-Vehicle Accident On Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway Kills 2 People" »

There was another accident caused by a wrong-way driver early this morning; this accident happened on Chicago's Kennedy Expressway.

According to the Illinois State Police, Vanessa M. Castillo, 25, of Chicago, got onto the Kennedy Expressway at Armitage and headed inbound in the outbound lanes. After hitting a semi truck as well as a black Mazda, she crashed head-on into a black Nissan Maxima at about 4:20 a.m. near Division Street. Castillo was driving a silver Chrysler Sebring.

Continue reading "Another "Wrong-Way" Driver Incident On Chicago's Kennedy Expressway" »

A man, said to be in his 30s, was struck by a car and killed early this morning on the Dan Ryan Expressway (Interstate 94).

Details are limited at this time.

Continue reading "Man Dies On Chicago's Eisenhower Expressway (I94) After Walking Into Traffic" »

ABC7 News, in an article today (February 11, 2012) titled "Wrong-way driver crash is sixth in month" tells of another "wrong-way" car accident in the Chicago area, this one on the Eisenhower Expressway near Austin.

Details on the accident are limited.

As seen in the ABC7 News story :

It was Scott Davis's worst nightmare. A van was speeding the wrong way toward him as he traveled to work Saturday morning on the inbound Eisenhower near Austin. "I just said oh my God and I just turned my car," Davis said. "I thank God that I'm still alive right now."

Continue reading ""Wrong-Way" Driver Collides With Car On Chicago's Eisenhower Expressway " »

A man has been killed and a Illinois State Police officer injured in a fatal car accident on the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) early this morning.

The Illinois State trooper had stopped to assist a man with a non-injury traffic accident on eastbound I-290 near Mill Road. The trooper used his car and lights to block the left lane in which the disabled car sat.

While waiting for a tow truck to arrive, the man sat in the back of the Illinois State Police car. At approximately 1:20 a.m., a car rear-ended the squad car.

The man killed has not yet been identified; however, he is said to be 42 years old and from Brookfield. He died after being taken to Elmhurst Hospital.

According to officials, the Illinois State Police trooper was also injured, and taken to Loyola University Medical Center with a possible concussion. He is said to be in his 20s.

Continue reading "Fatal Car Accident On The Eisenhower Expressway (I290) When Illinois State Police Car Rear-Ended " »

In the recent past there have been a variety of "wrong-way" driver incidents on Chicago area expressways.. Some of these incidents involved accidents, including fatal accidents.

Here is a list, in reverse chronological order, of "wrong-way" driver incidents that have been widely reported, along with links to the relevant blog posts concerning these incidents:

February 9, 2012: "Wrong-Way Driver Collides With Car And Van On Chicago's Lake Shore Drive"

February 6, 2012: "4 Dead In Wrong-Way Car Accident On I-80 In Hazel Crest, Illinois"

February 3, 2012: "Wrong-Way Driver On Chicago's Stevenson Expressway Drives 6 Miles, Then Crashes "Head-On" Into Another Car"

January 16, 2012: "'Wrong-Way' Driver Incident On Chicago's Kennedy Expressway"

Continue reading "Recent "Wrong-Way" Driver Incidents In The Chicago Area" »

There was a car accident on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive early this morning involving a wrong-way driver.

According to police, at approximately 2:00 a.m. a red Nissan was driving northbound at a high rate of speed in Lake Shore Drive's southbound lanes, and it collided with a Toyota Corolla at Roosevelt Road.

After this collision, the Nissan also hit a van.

Continue reading "Wrong-Way Driver Collides With Car And Van On Chicago's Lake Shore Drive" »

This morning, four people died in a fatal car accident on Interstate 80 in Hazel Crest, Illinois.

There are some differences in the various news accounts with regard to details regarding the accident. However, here are various details being widely reported:

Alcohol is thought to have been a factor in the accident.

The accident involved 2 cars; one car was driving the wrong direction on the westbound lanes of I-80, near Kedzie Avenue, at the time of the accident.

The wrong-way driver was driving a beige Infiniti sedan, with three passengers, at approximately 2:30 a.m., when the accident happened.

According to a February 6 CBS Chicago article titled "4 Killed On I-80 When Wrong-Way Driver Hits Car Head-On" :

Police said the driver, Gustavo Vargas, 29, of Berwyn, had just left the Skybox gentlemen's club in Harvey with his three passengers. He wanted to turn around and go eastbound on I-80 instead of westbound, after reaching a median cut-through intended for emergency vehicles. Instead of getting into the eastbound lanes, he made a three-point turn and began heading the wrong way.

The Infiniti Vargas was driving then collided with another car. Vargas and two passengers in the car were killed during the accident. The two passengers killed were Jorge Pina, 27, of Chicago, and Armando Ruiz, 29, of Berwyn.

According to police, another passenger, Eduardo Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, was taken in fair condition to Oak Lawn's Advocate Christ Medical Center.

Continue reading "4 Dead In Wrong-Way Car Accident On I-80 In Hazel Crest, Illinois" »

Early Friday morning, a Chicago car accident happened when a "wrong-way" driver drove 6 miles on the Stevenson Expressway before crashing head-on into a car on the ramp to Lake Shore Drive.

The "wrong-way" driver, Rakesh Baker, 23, of Chicago, has been charged with DUI.

It is unclear as to when Baker started driving the wrong way; however, motorists started reporting him driving inbound at a high rate of speed in the outbound lanes at 3:07 a.m., according to Illinois State Police.

At approximately 3:15 a.m., his 2008 Jeep Liberty, which he was driving at a high rate of speed, hit a woman, Bessie Postles, 25, "head on" on the Lake Shore Drive ramp. Postles was driving a 2005 Toyota Corolla.

Continue reading ""Wrong-Way" Driver On Chicago's Stevenson Expressway Drives 6 Miles, Then Crashes "Head-On" Into Another Car" »

A Chicago fire truck collided with a car Tuesday night, injuring 9 people.

The accident is still being investigated. However, it is being reported that the fire truck was on the way to a call, around 6:15 p.m., when it collided with a sedan at West 128th Place and South Halsted. This intersection is on Chicago's Far South Side.

According to authorities, the car reportedly had been stopped at the intersection, waiting for the fire truck - but then suddenly started moving again as the fire truck approached. The fire truck could not stop, and collided with the car.

Continue reading "9 Injured When Fire Truck Collides With Car On Chicago's Far South Side" »