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Chicago Settles Wrongful Death of Elderly Pedestrian Hit by City Fire Department SUV For $700,000

The city of Chicago says it will pay the family of Carrie Boston $700,000 following her 2006 pedestrian death. The 69-year-old woman died on October 16, 2006 at around 6:30pm when she was struck by a Ford Expedition while crossing South Chicago Avenue.

The sport utility vehicle that struck Boston was transporting the Fire Department?s 6th District deputy chief and his driver, but they were not on an emergency call at the time of the crash. The blinking yellow lights at the crosswalk were not working at the time of the fatal pedestrian accident.

According to the Boston family?s legal representatives, the crosswalk lacked the proper safety measures needed to protect pedestrians?especially seniors. There is a senior citizen building and a pharmacy located on opposite sides of the street. The family has accused the city of Chicago of creating a dangerous crosswalk mid-block that gave pedestrians the illusion that they were protected when, in fact, drivers do not have to stop for them.

Following the deadly pedestrian accident, city traffic engineers examined the crosswalk so they could make recommendations, such as adding more signage, hard-wiring warning lights, or modifying pavement markings. No changes, however, have been made to the crosswalk since Boston's accident almost two years ago.

Fire Department officials have said that Boston was the one who stepped into the SUV?s path and that the driver was not speeding or driving under the influence when the accident happened.

However, the Boston family has eyewitnesses that say the elderly woman flew some 25 feet into the air, which could indicate that the driver may have been driving too fast for the wet weather conditions even if he wasn't exceeding the speed limit.

Senior Pedestrian Facts
According to the US Department of Transportation, a pedestrian?s chances of getting injured or killed in a traffic accident increases with age. One reason for this is that seniors become less ?physically resilient? the older they become. Older pedestrians also have a higher fatality rate than other pedestrians when they are involved in traffic accidents at intersections, while walking close to vehicles that are backing up, and during the winter when visibility is lower.

If your loved one has died in a Chicago pedestrian accident caused by another party's negligence, you may be entitled to wrongful death recovery.

City to pay $700,000 in woman's traffic death, Chicago Sun-Times, October 6, 2008

Focusing on Senior Pedestrians, Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center

Related Web Resources:

Street Smarts for Senior Pedestrians, Safety.com

Focusing on Pedestrian Safety, Federal Highway Administration

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on October 06, 2008 (boomark / email).