State Trooper Matt Mitchell was driving at 126 mph in order to reach an accident scene on I-64 which has already been responded to by serveral emergency vehicles.
Killed in the accident were Jessica Uhl 18 and her sister Kelli Uhl 13. Injured in the accident was Kelly marler and his then-pregnant wife Christine.
Trooper Mitchell was speeding to the accident with people trapped in a burning car.
Prosecutors dispute that fact. They say the only car that was on fire was the car that Mitchell struck.
St. Clair County Assistant State's Attorney Jim Piper is asking the judge to allow the charges of reckless homicide against Trooper Mitchell. "A 'person of ordinary intelligence' would know that a trooper does not engage in such conduct, especially in light of the the fact that the defendant was responding to a secured accident scene to essentially write a report."
John O'Gara, Mitchell's attorney has asked the judge to dismiss the state's charges. O'Gara says Mitchell wasn't aware that he was breaking the law when he was driving at those speeds.
]]>At 70%, New York City ranked first with the highest incidence "hit while parked" accidents,. Chicago and Phoenix ranked second with 67 percent.
While most states legally require the driver to notify and identify themselves to the owner of the parked vehicle, the majority of drivers do not.
Bill Daly, an assistant VP with Allsate auto claims says, "Leaving the scene of an accident without stoppping is a very serious matter. If you caused damage to a vehicle you may be liable and can be held responsible. Collision coverage will protect you if someone hits your parked car and can help pay for repairs."
]]>The Illinois Supreme Court determined that the caps violated a jury's right to determine such damages.
It is the third time the Illinois Supreme Court reversed legislative attempts to cap awards.
In 2007, after hearing the case of Abigaile Lebron v. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, a Cook County judge ruled the caps as unconstitutional. Lebron's family filed suit again Gottlieb after the child was born with brain damage.
Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, the courts will stay with what is considered to be established law. The law determinig the caps violated the separation of powers between the legislature and the courts was ruled on twice before by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Business groups, doctors and hospitals in Illinois lobbied hard for the caps in 2005. They argued that doctors were leaving Illinois to practice in other states because of the high premiums they had to pay for medical malpractice insurance.
]]>Senator Millner also wants to have every red light camera head to be painted yellow so that drivers can see the cameras. He also wants a sign on every red light camera in Illinois warning drivers about the camera.
Representative Jack Franks believes that the fines for tickets issued because of a red light camera, should be reduced to $50 and that a driver should not receive a ticket for a rolling stop.
Senatory Dan Duffy believes that red light cameras are a "racket" and that all of them should be taken down except at railroad crossings and construction sites.
]]>Instead of jury duty Mance was sentenced to 30 days of home confinement and 90 days probation. He was also fined $5,000.
Mance was found in contempt of federal court on Thursday.
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Three peope were sent to St. Francis Medical Center.
State Police Capt Dean Kennedy said that between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., there were at least six accidents, mostly on I39, which were caused by slick road conditions. Approximately 7 other cars had slid off roadways.
]]>The reports is for 2009. Illinois State Troopers dealt with over 35,000 incidents which include 527 DUI arrests, 1333 criminal arrests and tickets and 1143 car accidents. Troopers also seized over 800 pounds of cannabis, 510 grams of cocaine, 6837 grams of heroin and ecstasy with a combined street value over 2.8 million dollars. Fatalies in these counties declined to 30 in 2009 down from 47 in 2008.
In 2010, Illinois State Troopers will continue to concentrate on traffic enforcement and safety education in an effort to make Illiniois roads safer.
]]>Should your car break down on an Illinois tollway, the quarter mile signs will make it easier for tow truck drivers to find you.
"The Tollway Authority along with the Illinos State Police, tow truck operators and emergency first responders all agreed that the quarter mile spacing would help customers better indentify where they are, especially if their vehicles are stranded and they need to call for help," said Joelle McGinnis, spokeswoman for the toll agency.
]]> The old mile markers which marked the beginning and half way point of each mile will be replaced. The signs will also show driver the direction of travel and the shield of the highway they are traveling on.Fractions will aslo be used on the new signs.
The cost per sign is $125. The cost to add and replace the signs per mile is $2,000. The total bill for the entire tollway system comes to $562,000.
The Tollway Authority is also planning on a new numbering systems for exit ramps. The ramps numbers will match the mileage at the location. The name of connecting roadway will still be on the sign.
Ray LaHood, Transportation Secretary says followers will be able to view the summit on the department's web site.
If it was up to LaHood he would ban all drivers from sending and receiving texts.
]]> The Transportation Department has said that concerns about texting while behind the wheel is growing:"A number of deadly accidents involving text messaging behind the wheel have called attention to the dangerous problem of distracted driving. Last year, a commuter train crash in California involving an operator who was texting on a cell phone killed 25 people and injured 135 others. In another incident, a Florida truck driver admitted to texting moments before a collision with a school bus that killed a student. In yet another, only a few weeks ago, a 17-year-old high school student from Peoria, Illinois was killed when she drove off the road while texting with friends.
"Added Lahood: ''The bottom line is, distracted driving is dangerous driving. Following next month’s summit, I plan to announce a list of concrete steps we will take to make drivers think twice about taking their eyes off the road for any reason.' "
Truckers, who use on-board compuaters worry about the ban. They use the computers to stay in touch with their dispatchers. They say that would have to pull over in order to use the computers. They believe the computer is less distracing than a cell phone.
While lobbyists for wireless phone companies supports the ban, automakers believe that using a cell phone or other electronics in your car to communication can be managed:
Ford Motor researcher Louis Tijerina, a veteran of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says that even as mobile-phone subscriptions have surged to more than 250 million during the past decade, the death rate from accidents on the highways has fallen.
"Some tests done in simulators suggested that talking on a phone, no matter how it's done, sharply elevates the risk of an accident. But so-called naturalistic studies -- essentially watching people driving around in the real world -- suggest that just talking, especially when hands-free, isn't as risky as the laboratory experiments indicate.
"That's good news for automakers selling onboard telematics systems, such as Ford's Sync or General Motors' Onstar, that offer the ability to dial and respond to phone calls hands-free.
"Tijerina says his work, and the work of others, suggests that in the real world, 'people appear by and large to be acting responsibly' when it comes to using mobile communication devices.
"Texting with your fingers and thumbs, however, is clearly a problem. A recent Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study found that text messaging elevated the risk of a crash [PDF] or near crash to more than 23 times higher than 'nondistracted' driving."
]]>Recently, inspection data hs been released which details what is wrong with may of the state's bridges and what work will be needed to make keep them safe.
A portion of the Congress Parkway bridge got the lowest rating possible for a portion of bridge that has been allowed to stay open.
]]> IDOT officials say that the number of bridges that ranked poorly has gone down, marginally, since 2008. However, there is additional money available for repairs from the stimulus package and the state.Release of the information on the inspections is an about- face for the State. Governor Blagojevich refused to release the information siting concerns that terrorists could use the information to target bridges in Chicago including the Congress Parkway Bridge.
Now the state wants to reassure Illinois motorists that our bridges and roadways are safe.
Officials say there are just over 1500 bridges in in the state that have been labeled structurally deficient. This means that they are safe to drive on, but they can no longer withstand the weight that they were designed for when they were built. Additionally, these bridges do not meet updated standards and are considered to be obsolete in their function.
Since receiving the funding from the stimulus package, the state is playing catch-up. Todd Ahrens, a bridge planning engineer with IDOT says that there is a backlog of bridges because they are either waiting to be repaired or the state has not yet received the funding to make the repairs.
He does say that any bridge that is deemed unsafe will not be open to traffic.
Information about the inspection of the bridges can be viewed at Bridge Information
]]>In 2006, almost 5,000 boating accidents were reported to the United States Coast Guard. Over 700 deaths resulted from these accidents and approximately 3500 injuries.
Of the boaters killed, approximately 630 were not wearing flotation devices and were riding in boats that were 21 feet long or less. These are boats that the City Council's Police committee have on the radar.
Federal regulations already require life jackets on boats that are 16 feet long or less. However, authorities rarely enforce the requlation.
]]> Lou Sandoval, partner in Chicago Yacht Sales, believes that requiring boaters to wear life jackets is not really addressing the real problem. Sandoval says that there are "no enforceable boater instructions or qualifications for navigating a vessel" on Chicago waterways."You can just walk up and buy a boat. "There's no [verifying] your ability to navigate that vessel...Weekend warriors go out...without proper knowledge, imbibe and put themselves in a precarious situation," Sandoval said.
Isaac Carothers (29th ward) who is the Police Committee Chairman, believes that licensing boaters would be a good idea if they can work out training and licensing.
But until that happens, issuing citations to boaters who don't use life jackets may be what's next.
]]>Cook is facing 15 counts of aggravated DUI and 11 counts of first degree murder. He was also indicated on 10 counts of burglary and 1 count of driving a stolen car.
On August 21, Cook was dirving a stolen car while under the influence. He lost control of the car, went onto a sidewalk, where David Long, 57, was taking his dog for a walk. He struck and killed Long.
Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti made the announcement of the indictment just 72 hours after Cook was arrested.
The grand jury decided on the murder charge due to Cook's actions leading up to and including the accident. However, absence the presence of premeditation, in may be difficult to get a conviction.
Prosecutors believe they can show premeditaiton based on the fact that Cook knowingly was driving a stolen vehicle after he had been drinking.
]]>Austin was wearing protective gear including a helmet, when the ATV's throttle stuck causing the ATV to accelerate. The boy could not control the ATV. The vehicle hit a tree, tossing the young boy from the ATV.
Austin died of blunt trauma to his head and chest. Although the ATV caught fire, Austin did not suffer any burns.
]]> Midwest Motor Sports in Hartford, the dealer which sold the Henry's the ATV, defends the safety of the ATV. Personnel at Midwest said that there are age restrictions when children are operating a more powerful ATV. There are also tethers that an adult can use to cut off the accelerator of an ATV being operated by children. Accelerator screws can also be installed on the ATV which keeps the aTV from going past a certain speed.Brian Basell, a salesman with Midwest believes that when ATV's are used properly "they are safe."
The crash remains under investigation.
]]>Since the installation of the cameras, about 10,000 tickets were issued resulting in approximately $1,000,000 in fines. That was until the village decided to stop enforcing right- turn-on-red violations.
Deputy Chief Paul Rizzo says that since the removal of the cameras, the number of violations issued has gone done. In June, the last month that the cameras were operational, only 14 violations were issued.
Schaumburg decided not to renew their contract with Red Speed Illinois due to the dwindling tickets and additional studies that showed that the cameras did little to reduce accidents.
]]> Critics of the camera say that the Schaumburg case confirms what they have been saying all along- the carmeras do not prevent or reduce the amount of accidents. Their only purpose is to serve as "cash cows" for the the municipalities that choose to use them.Critics believe that the red-light cameras are consistently wrong when it comes to issuing violations for right turns. Tickets are being issued for inching past tthe stop line or stopping before the camera picks up the car.
This controversy is the reason that Aurora will not use red light cameras as an enforcement. They instead will have police officers reviewing every citation issued by red light cameras.
Aurora will be installing red light cameras at highly traveled intersections. These intersections do allow for right turns on red. However the cameras can't discriminate which is why the police officers will be examining every ticket issued.
Naperville and St. Charles also use the red light cameras.
The red light cameras have become quite a controversey in Kane county. Sheriff Pat Perez was planning on having a red light camera installed at Orchard Rd and Route 88, an unincorporated area of Kane County. Kane County Board members do not like the idea of the camera because of the potential issue of right turn violations.
Perez is also considering installing a camera at the intersection of Red Gate and Randall roads. Perez believes there is no difference between the red light camera violations and any other moving violation, "If someone blows a red light, what's the difference it it's straight or a right turn."
Plainfield and Geneva have decided to install the red light cameras in their communitiies. Batavia is currently investigating the installation of these cameras and is talking with red light camera companies.
]]>After the death of their son, Matt 25, in Sept 2006, The Wilhelms, along with their family and friends and scores of others, pushed the Illinois legislature to toughen the penatlies for drivers who were distracted while driving.
Today, Governor Quinn, will sign into law, a ban on texting while driving. "This is a big stride," says Chuck Wilhelm. Both him and his wife have campaigned for new laws to restrict the use of cell phones by drivers since the death of their son.
On Sept 6, 2006, Matt, then 25, was a U OF I graduate in mechanical engineering. He was riding his bicycle along 130 east of Urbana, when Jennifer Stark hit him from behind with her car. She confessed to downloading ringtones at the time when she hit Matt.
The legislature had problems with making texting while dirving a misdemeanor or felony. This new legislation makes texting while driving a petty traffic offense. Drivers caught texting while driving will be fined.
Wilhelm said that Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State, was instrumental in getting the legislation passed. White formed a task force that investgated distracted driving. They issued their report in 2008 which revealed the negative affects on area roadways of distracted drivers.
"This is a major starting point in saying you can't do it," Chuck Wilhelm said.
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