The Chicago Department of Transportation reports that bicyclists represent as much as 38 percent of traffic during the morning rush hour. The city has undertaken several measures designed to help traffic, including bike traffic move quickly and safety. Last week the city unveiled the “green wave,” a plan to help bicyclists and motorists move in […]
Runway Incursions Continue to Be a Problem
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration consider runway incursions to be a top safety concern. Runway safety appeared on the NTSB Most Wanted List of advocacy priorities as recently as 2012. Runway incursions, situations involving planes taxiing, taking off or landing, represent a significant threat at airports throughout the country. A […]
Collision Avoidance Systems Pushed by NTSB
The National Transportation Safety Board has advocated for the use of collision avoidance technology for some time. In a recent report, the NTSB has once again advanced the idea that these systems should be standard equipment on all vehicles. The report suggests that thousands of deaths and injuries each year could be prevented with the […]
Rapoport Sims Perry & VanOverloop, P.C., Files Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Against Chicago-Area Hospital For Causing Baby’s Traumatic Brain Injury
Rapoport Sims Perry & VanOverloop filed a medical malpractice lawsuit today in the Circuit Court of Cook County against a Chicago-area hospital for causing a baby to sustain a traumatic brain injury during delivery. According to the lawsuit and the attached physician’s certificate of merit, an otherwise healthy baby was being delivered by cesarean section, […]
Addressing the Problem of Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving and road rage are related, but distinct problems. Aggressive driving is substantially more common and involves violations of traffic laws. Road rage is assault either using or related to a motor vehicle. The distinction is important because aggressive drivers may be able to convince themselves that they are not a problem because their […]
David Rapoport Co-Presenter at ABA National Specialization Round Table
Attorney David Rapoport, President of the National Board of Legal Speciality Certification, attorney Gary McNeil, Executive Director of the Texas Board of Legal Speciality Certification and Joan Eagle, a Chicago lawyer and current Chairperson of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, co-presented at the ABA National Specialization Roundtable held in Denver, Colorado, last weekend. The […]
Is Your Deck, Porch or Balcony Safe?
Throughout Illinois, homeowners are required to get a permit before building a deck, balcony or porch. Municipalities maintain safety standards for what is required in building these structures. For example, in the City of Chicago, a deck, porch or balcony floor must be designed to support a minimum of 100 pounds per square foot. There […]
Many Railroads Will Miss a Key Safety Deadline
In 2014, the National Transportation Safety Board included Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation on its Most Wanted List of safety initiatives. The NTSB had been calling for the devices for 45 years at that point. Congress had taken action on that suggestion already in the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 by requiring all railroads […]
Biking In Chicago
Today is Bike to Work Day and riders all across the country are taking the opportunity to commute with their bicycles. That journey will be considerably easier for some than for others. Biking in a metro area can be challenging even during low traffic periods. During rush hour, it can become a near impossibility in […]
Lawsuit Filed Against Construction Company After Truck Collision Results In Career-Ending Injury
Rapoport Sims Perry & VanOverloop, filed suit against a construction company and its employees today in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. The action arose out of an injury that occurred when a large box truck struck a pickup truck in a local scrap yard. The collision threw down a roofer working in the […]
Tips for Safe Bicycling in Time for Spring
When the weather turns warm, people are once again able to enjoy the outdoors on their bicycles. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and the Illinois Department of Transportation offer a number of tips designed to help bicyclists stay safe on our roads. If you or your loved ones will be bicycling this year, it […]
Investigation into CTA Crash Concluded
The investigation into last year’s Chicago Transit Authority train crash at the O’Hare subway station concluded this week. The National Transportation Safety Board listed several factors as contributing to the March 2014 accident that injured 33 people. The failure of the rail operator to report to work properly rested and the failure of the CTA […]
Lawsuit Filed After Commercial Truck Causes Eight-Car Accident on Illinois Highway
A lawsuit has been filed in Cook County, Illinois, by a police officer who suffered permanent injuries after his family vehicle was crashed into by an 18-wheeler whose driver was traveling too fast in a construction zone. The lawsuit, filed by Rapoport Sims Perry & VanOverloop alleges that the truck driver was driving too fast […]
Truck Tires and Speed Limits
From 1974 to 1995, the National Maximum Speed Law banned states from setting speed limits above a certain level. From 1974 to 1988, that meant the top speed limit was 55 miles per hour. From 1988 to 1995 it was 65 mph. After 1995, Congress once again allowed states to set their own speed limits. […]
The Reality of Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is widely acknowledged as a dangerous activity. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, More than 95 percent of licensed drivers believe that drivers who text, email or use social media while driving are a “somewhat” or “very” serious threat to their personal safety. This belief has not put an end to distracted […]
Safe Driving in Wet Conditions
Driving too fast for road conditions is a common cause of accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Roughly 1.4 million fatal crashes were attributed to weather conditions from 1975 to 2000. While people might think that driving during the winter is the most dangerous time that is not actually the case. Icy […]
Lawsuit Filed in DuPage County, Illinois for 38-Year-Old Man Seriously Injured in Auto Collision
A lawsuit has been filed in DuPage County, Illinois, on behalf of a 38-year-old man who sustained serious and permanent injuries after being rear-ended in an auto collision on August 27, 2013. At the time of the accident, the plaintiff’s vehicle was stopped in traffic in the westbound lanes of I-88 in York Township, when […]
A Look at Impaired Driving from the NHTSA
A 2014 survey of U.S. drivers shows that the issue of impaired driving has changed significantly over recent years. The Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers is conducted periodically by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The survey was first conducted in 1973. Since its inception, the survey has shown a dramatic […]
A Campaign to Increase Seat Belt Use
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a new campaign focusing on seat belt use. The campaign specifically targets parents and children aged 8 to 14. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adult seat belt use tops the list of ways to reduce injuries and fatalities in motor vehicle accidents. […]
New Chairman of the NTSB Confirmed
In a unanimous vote, the U.S. Senate confirmed Christopher Hart as the new chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. Mr. Hart has been acting chairman of the NTSB since April, when Deborah A.P. Hersman left to become the president and CEO of the National Safety Council. The confirmation allows Christopher Hart to officially begin […]
