Personal Injury Law

Athlete's nighttime Chicago car accident a reminder of dangers

By Kris Briggs

Earlier this month, Earl Bennett, a National Football League wide receiver for the Chicago Bears, was involved in a Chicago car crash with another passenger vehicle. Though he was not at fault, the accident made national news because of his status as a pro athlete. With the change of seasons and winter driving just around the corner, is is a reminder to all of us of the dangers most take for granted during their daily commute.

An article by ESPN stated Bennett was driving a 1973 Chevy Impala in the early morning hours on Monday when he was rear-ended by someone driving a Pontiac Sunfire. The accident was not a result of someone driving under the influence but rather the other vehicle failing to reduce speed before crashing into the Chevy Impala.

Bennett had tweeted shortly after the accident that he was thankful to be alive. All too often when two vehicles are involved in a car crash, fatalities occur and victims aren?t as fortunate as these two drivers were Monday morning. Late-night/early-morning crashes are particularly notorious for causing serious or fatal injuries.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently reported that in 2008, Illinois had 445 passenger car fatalities which accounted for 62% of all reported passenger vehicle car crash fatalities.

The NHTSA also showed that Cook County alone reported a total of 272 fatalities in 2008 not specific to any passenger vehicle type. During 2005-2009, Chicago and the surrounding cities in Cook County decreased total fatalities involved in vehicle crashes from 379 in 2005 down to 264 in 2009. This statistic related to fatalities per 100,000 people was 7.19 lives taken in 2005 down to 4.99 fatalities in 2009.

If you find yourself needing to drive late at night, take some precautions before getting in your vehicle with the following safety tips:

-Walk around your vehicle to make sure all safety lights are working properly.

-Give your front windows a wash periodically as dirty windows offer less visibility.

-Reduce your speed allowing a 4-5 second gap between vehicles so that you can stop if needed.

-Be alert for pedestrians or bikers who are not wearing bright colored clothing or a safety light.

-Take plenty of breaks while driving.

Full post as published by Illinois Injury Law Blog on November 14, 2010 (boomark / email).