Pedestrians v. Cars....Pedestrians Lose.

By:  Ari Kirshner, Associate Attorney In the past year we've represented three clients involved in automobile v. pedestrian crashes whose cases I'd like to share with you. The first was a woman who suffered a degloving injury to her leg after being clipped by a bus tire. *If you're not squeamish and not familiar with that kind of injury, Google it. The second was an employee who suffered a severe head injury after she was hit by a cab while returning to her office from a lunch break. The third was a patient returning to a parking garage after an appointment at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Each of these people was hit inside a crosswalk. Two of them were hit by cabs. All have, or will, recover money for their injuries.  After a 5 year investigation by the Chicago Department of Transportation, what we've known all along about crosswalks has been confirmed- they're not as safe as we think they are.  Here are some of the highlights from the 98 page study released by CDOT:   80% of pedestrian accidents occur in crosswalks or within 125 feet of intersection midpoints. Taxi drivers were responsible for 28% of injuries in downtown Chicago, and just 2% outside the downtown corridor.    Thursdays had the most crashes, and 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. was the highest crash period on any given day. A Devon Avenue corridor stretching from Sacramento to Leavitt was ranked one of the most dangerous in the City. Between 2005 and 2009 there were nearly 17,400 crashes involving pedestrians.   The City is doing its fair share to protect pedestrians, including: installing countdown timers at intersections, giving pedestrians more time to cross intersections and modifying newly constructed roads to slow down traffic. Additionally, the Chicago Police Department is stepping up enforcement and ticketing of drivers under  a new Illinois law that requires cars to come to a full and complete stop if pedestrians are within a crosswalk, as opposed to the old law that required drivers to just yield.    While the law will hold liable drivers accountable, common sense needs to be exercised too. Pay extra attention when crossing intersections; look to see if drivers are distracted or texting before stepping out in a street. Don't cross an intersection immediately when the walk signal illuminates, wait a moment to ensure a car isn't trying to 'catch the yellow'. Finally, texting and walking can be just as dangerous as doing it while driving- don't do it while crossing a street.  The fact of the matter is that accidents happen- and to pedestrians in large numbers. While nobody ever wishes to get hit by a car or bus, you want to make certain that you have a team of qualified attorneys ready and willing to fight for you when the worst happens. The above mentioned cases represent a sliver of the work that the Personal Injury Practice Group of Beermann Swerdlove LLP does on behalf of its clients. I encourage you to contact me directly if you have any questions regarding pedestrian or general personal injury claims.