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Personal Injury Law

Illinois Car and Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

By Hurley, McKenna & Murtz

Post Frequency: 1.1/day

Last Entry: November 16, 2012 at 19:16:38

Toyota Recalls Prius and Corolla Models

Posted on November 16, 2012
This past week, Toyota announced two safety recalls for its popular Prius and Corolla models. Toyota explained that these recalls are necessary to correct steering shaft problems resulting from a manufacturing error and faulty electric water pumps. In the case of the water pumps, the electric motor that drives the water pump can shut off...

Chicago School Bus Driver Charged with DUI

Posted on November 11, 2012
A Chicago school bus driver was arrested for driving under the influence while taking children to school last Tuesday. The arrest occurred when a good samaritan waved down a police officer after nearly being rear-ended by the school bus multiple times...

Second Fatal Bicyclist Accident in Chicago

Posted on November 01, 2012
A bicyclist died yesterday after being struck by a semi truck in the Noble Square neighborhood of Chicago. The accident marks the second time this fall that a bicyclist has died after being struck by a semi truck in the City of Chicago. In early October, a bicyclist swerved to avoid an open car door and was struck and killed by a semi truck on the Near North Side...

Tragic Death Shows the Danger of ?Huffing? and Driving

Posted on October 26, 2012
Last week, a Highland Park teenager pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless homicide and aggravated DUI. According to police, the teen was inhaling fumes from a computer cleaning product while driving when she careened onto the sidewalk and struck and killed a five year old girl...

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Report Names Cars with Highest Injury Rate

Posted on October 12, 2012
The Highway Loss Data Institute has released a study naming the cars with the highest injury rates per crash. Cars that rated poorly in this study were the Toyota Yaris, Suzuki SX4, Chevrolet Aveo, Mitsubishi Galant, Kia Rio, Nissan Versa and Sentra, Hyundai Accent and Dodge Avenger...

Bicyclist Killed in Tragic Accident

Posted on October 05, 2012
A bicyclist was struck and killed by a semi truck today on the Near North Side of Chicago. According to police, the bicyclist was traveling in the southbound lane when he swerved suddenly to avoid an open car door and fell underneath the front wheels of the truck?s trailer...

Hurley McKenna & Mertz wins $14 million verdict for boy who suffered a brain injury at birth

Posted on September 27, 2012
On Monday, the law firm of Hurley McKenna & Mertz won a $14 million jury verdict against Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Dr. Elias Sabbagha for the family of a boy who suffered a brain injury at birth. Over the course of a 3 � week trial, Christopher T...

GM Recalling Nearly 500K Cars Due to Dangerous Defect

Posted on September 21, 2012
Today, General Motors announced that it is recalling 473,841 Chevrolet, Pontiac and Saturn sedans to repair a defect that causes the cars to roll forward after drivers believe the cars are in park. The automaker explained that locking tabs on a shift cable could break causing the transmission gear position to not match the gear on the shifter...

Brother of Deceased Woman Speaks Out Against Progressive Insurance

Posted on August 17, 2012
This week, a man brought to light a case of shocking greed and callousness by Progressive Insurance Company. In 2010, the man?s sister was tragically killed when a driver ran a red light as she drove through an intersection. Because the driver was underinsured, the woman?s estate was woefully undercompensated for this loss...

Worrisome Rise in Illinois Traffic Deaths

Posted on August 07, 2012
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), traffic deaths increased 17 percent in Illinois from January through July this year, compared to the same period in 2011. Specifically, Illinois has seen an increased in fatal accidents on interstate highways, state roads, and city streets...

Hurley McKenna & Mertz Representing 27 Survivors of Christian Brothers Sex Abuse

Posted on August 01, 2012
As reported in multiple news outlets, Chicago law firm Hurley McKenna & Mertz is currently representing 27 men who survived abuse at the hands of predatory and pedophile priests serving Catholic schools operated by the Irish Christian Brothers. The Irish Christian Brothers filed for bankruptcy in April of 2011...

Ford Recalls 421,000 Escapes Due to Unintended Acceleration

Posted on July 27, 2012
This past week, Ford announced that it was recalling approximately 421,000 Escapes manufactured from 2001-2004 due to a defect that causes unintended acceleration in the vehicles. The defect at issue resulted from cruise control cables being damaged during an unrelated recall earlier this year...

Unsafe Driving May Have Led To Fatal Bike Accident

Posted on July 13, 2012
Last night, a mother of three was killed on the South Side of Chicago when her bicycle collided with a truck. The driver of the truck received citations for driving while license suspended, operating a vehicle without insurance, and driving an unsafe vehicle...

Victim of Child Sex Abuse Files Suit Against Priest, Joliet Diocese

Posted on June 28, 2012
This past week, Hurley McKenna and Mertz filed suit on behalf of a St. Charles man who courageously stepped forward to seek justice for the sexual abuse he endured as a child at the hands of a pedophile priest. In his complaint, he alleges that the priest used his position of power and moral authority to sexually abuse adolescent boys on religious retreats in Wisconsin...

"Party Buses" Pose Unnecessary Danger to Passengers

Posted on June 22, 2012
Earlier this week, fifteen people aboard a "party bus" were injured when their vehicle was sideswiped by a SUV on the Eisenhower Expressway in Chicago. Although most of the injuries were minor, one person suffered a broken leg. The driver of the SUV was later charged with a DUI...

Investigation of '09 Plane Crash Reveals Widespread Negligence

Posted on June 12, 2012
The investigation of the tragic crash of Air France Flight 447 in 2009 had led experts to suggest that the pilots were not properly trained to handle the plane in an emergency situation and were too dependent on the plane's autopilot system. Air France Flight 447 was traveling from Rio de Janiero to Paris on May 31, 2009 when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean...

Teen Receives Jail Time for Fatal Accident Caused by Texting

Posted on June 08, 2012
This week, a teenager in Massachusetts was sentenced to one year in jail for causing a fatal car accident while texting. The accident took the life of one man and seriously injured the man's girlfriend. Using cell phone records, prosecutors demonstrated that the teen sent text messages within a minute of the fatal crash...

Transportation Dept Proposes Anti-Rollover Requirement for Trucks

Posted on May 23, 2012
The U.S. Transportation Department recently proposed a mandate requiring electronic stability control in trucks and buses. Rollover crashes result in approximately 700 deaths each year. The U.S. Transportation Department expects that this mandate could significantly reduce this type of accident and the amount of deaths that result from it...

Federal Regulators Call for Mandatory Brake Override System

Posted on April 13, 2012
In response to the deadly crash and subsequent recall of millions of Toyota and Lexus automobiles due to unintended acceleration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing that all automakers be required to design a brake-throttle override system into future vehicles...

Railroad Cited for Safety Violations in Fatal Train Crash

Posted on March 30, 2012
Two years ago, a Chicago dance instructor tragically lost her life when an Amtrak train struck her SUV as she attempted to cross the train tracks in University Park. According to a Federal Railroad Administration report released this week, the train-car crash was caused by members of the Canadian National Railway track crew...

Senate Passes Crucial Automobile Safety Bill

Posted on March 16, 2012
The U.S. Senate recently approved a bill to boost auto safety regulations and strengthen the penalties for automakers who fail to recall faulty vehicles. Over the past year, many organizations have urged Congress to strengthen auto safety measures in light of the sudden acceleration concerns in Toyota cars...

Confession Four Years Later Highlights Impediments to Justice in Hit-and-Run Accidents

Posted on March 02, 2012
Four years ago, a 20 year old woman was tragically struck and killed by a driver while crossing the street in the early morning hours. After hitting the woman, the driver stopped momentarily but then fled the scene as others arrived, even though he knew the woman was seriously hurt...

2 Workers Fired in Connection with Probe of Morgue

Posted on February 24, 2012
The Chicago Tribune reported today that two employees of the Cook County Medical examiner?s office have been fired in connection with the recent discovery of hundreds of unidentified bodies left in a crowded cooler. This disturbing discovery last month led to a review of the operations at the morgue...

Cook County Morgue Fails to Identify Body for 14 Months, Suit Alleges

Posted on February 08, 2012
The Chicago law firm of Hurley, McKenna & Mertz P.C. has filed a lawsuit against the County of Cook on behalf of the family of a woman whose body lay unidentified in the Cook County Medical Examiner?s Office for over fourteen [14] months. The suit alleges that 47 year-old Carmelita Johnson went missing in Chicago in January of 2010...

Illinois Considering Cell Phone Ban for Drivers

Posted on January 24, 2012
An Illinois State Representative has introduced new legislation that would ban cell phone use while operating a vehicle throughout the State. Yet, the use of hands-free devices would continue to be allowed under the new law. Nine other states have enacted similar laws banning cell phone use while driving...

New Illinois Law Requires Adults to Wear Seat Belt in Back Seat

Posted on January 12, 2012
As a Chicago car accident attorney, I want to express my support for the new Illinois law requiring that adults wear seat belts while riding in the back seat of a vehicle, which took effect on the first of this year. As winter weather conditions make Chicago area roads more dangerous, the simple step of wearing a seat belt can prevent serious injury or death in the event of an accident...

Catholic bishop hid evidence of priest's child pornography from parishioners.

Posted on November 16, 2011
From roughly the 1950?s to the 1980?s, child sexual abuse by clergy occurred across the country virtually unchecked. Churches, including but not limited to the Catholic Church, hid allegations of sexual abuse and fellow parishioners. The Church clearly put its reputation ahead of innocent victims for many years by hiding abuse committed by its employees...

State of Illinois ignores vast majority of patient complaints.

Posted on November 15, 2011
As trial lawyers one of our duties is to investigate hospitals when patients are neglected or abused, since our government has neither the resources nor the political will to do so. As described in a Chicago Tribunue investigation: The Illinois Department of Public Health declined to investigate 85 percent of the 560 hospital complaints it received last year, even when the reports alleged violations such as patient abuse and inadequate infection control, records show...

Penn State scandal reminds us that teachers/coaches--and churches--must report abuse.

Posted on November 14, 2011
The Penn State sexual abuse scandal reminds us that state and federal laws may mandate that a teacher or coach, such as Coach Paterno and the assitant coaches and administrators at Penn State, has a duty to report suspected sexual abuse of children to the police...

Penn State Abuse Scandal Shows That Institutions Can?t Police Themselves

Posted on November 14, 2011
The Penn State sexual abuse scandal reminds us as trial lawyers that large institutions that deal with children do a terrible job of policing themselves when it comes to child sexual abuse. Institutions like the Catholic Church, and its Archdioceses in Chicago, Milwaukee and Boston, for example, have failed to respond to the problem of sexual abuse of children by priests, brothers and nuns honestly and firmly...

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