Chicago Injury Law Blog

Child safety seats are one of the best ways to protect a child in the event of a car accident. However, many parents don't understand how to choose the correct car seat or make sure it is installed correctly.

To that end, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has released new public safety announcements designed to educate parents about the importance of car seat safety. According to the NHTSA, car seats saved more than 8,900 children's lives between 1975 and 2008.

This past Sunday, three Tinley Park residents were killed when their vehicle was struck by a street sweeper in Orland Park. A subsequent police investigation revealed that the Illinois fatalities occurred after the driver of the street sweeper ran a red light.

The victims - a married couple and their 15-year-old daughter - were occupants of a Toyota Camry being driven by another member of the family. The driver of the Camry was stopped, waiting to make a safe left-hand turn from southbound LaGrange Road to eastbound 171st Street.

All of a sudden, the Camry was struck by a street sweeper travelling northbound on LaGrange. According to police, the signal light had changed prior to the accident and the driver of the street sweeper was in clear violation of the law.

A Chicago teenager is facing felony charges after a crash in which a 28-year-old man was killed. Authorities say the teen was intoxicated at the time of the accident.

The Chicago drunk driving accident occurred on the Southwest Side early Sunday morning. According to police reports, the 18-year-old drunk driver was driving northbound on South Archer Avenue and attempting to make a left turn on South Sawyer Avenue. However, she failed to yield to a car that was headed south on Archer, causing a deadly accident.

The driver of the other car was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His two passengers were both hospitalized in critical condition.

With the advent of smartphones, GPS devices, MP3 players and other mobile devices, distracted driving has become a major problem on our nation's roads. However, handheld devices aren't the only culprits. Increasingly, manufacturers are equipping vehicles with onboard devices that take drivers' attention off the road.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has taken notice of this problem. It is proposing voluntary guidelines that aim to limit driver distraction from onboard devices.