Injured Bicyclist To Receive Settlement Thanks To Fellow Cyclist's Account

The driver of the SUV said that he entered the intersection traveling east on a green light when the westbound bicyclist abruptly turned left smack into the side of his vehicle.  Hard luck for the badly injured cyclist. . .

If only the driver's story were true.

The motorist did not count on the unbiased account of an eyewitness to undermine his story.  A female wedding events planner was stopped on her bicycle facing south on Humboldt Boulevard at the light controlling the intersection with West Cortland Street in Logan Square when she saw the horrible event unfold.  It was about 10:30 p.m. on July 8, 2012 and she was riding home from a wedding she had been working.  She saw a 31 year old male bicyclist riding at a moderate pace west on Cortland as she waited for the light to turn. She remembered thinking how much she liked his red bicycle a second before she noticed bright headlights speeding northbound into the intersection, blowing the red light.  The collision was massive and threw the male bicyclist's 6'2", 200 lb. frame into the air then down onto the truck's windshield, shattering it.  Sparks flew into the air from the metal bike scrapping the road, making the event look like an explosion.  Covered in blood, and unconscious the bicyclist was rushed via ambulance to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center where he was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage.

What followed was weeks of pain, and months of healing.  Thanks to his youth, good health and perhaps some luck, the bicyclist made a full recovery.  On Friday, November 16th my law firm, retained by the injured bicyclist, reached a fair settlement with the driver and his insurance company, thanks in no small part to a fellow cyclist who was willing to step forward and tell the truth.

Bicyclist Struck In Logan Square Continues On Road Toward Recovery

He was pedaling at a casual pace toward his Logan Square home on a warm July night when suddenly everything exploded.  At around 10:30 p.m. on July 8th a 31 year old male bicyclist was struck by a car who ran a red light at North Humboldt Boulevard and West Cortland Street in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood.  The cyclist was riding home for the evening after a laid back dinner with his girlfriend. His route home took him west on Cortland, a quiet residential street.  When he reached the intersection with Humboldt Boulevard's outer section he stopped at the stop sign.  The stop light a few yards ahead of him controlling traffic on Cortland and the main section of Humboldt Boulevard was green and he proceeded west.  He had reached the approximate center of the intersection when he saw the vehicle, a 2004 Suzuki, bearing down on him, the driver running the light.  

The collision was massive and threw the bicyclist's 6'2", 200 lb. frame into the air then down onto the car's windshield, shattering it. Covered in blood, he regained consciousness in the ambulance rushing him to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.  In the emergency department, medical personnel cut his clothes off of him and worked to stabilize his condition.  They would discover that his brain was hemorrhaging and admitted him to the hospital where he remained for several days.  He continues his long road toward recovery.

My law firm has been retained to represent the bicyclist.

Logan Square Bicyclist Killed By Van

A 46 year old Logan Square bicyclist died this morning after being struck by a van.  After the collision the van allegedly fled the scene.  The Chicago Sun-Times reported this event but did not report the date of the collision.  The paper simply noted that it occurred at "2 p.m."

The cyclist, Francisco Moreno, was helped to his home after the crash.  He was later taken to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center by family members after he lost consciousness.  The location of the crash has not be reported.

Layin' Down the Law In Logan Square

The City of Chicago's "Share the Road Campaign" will be in full effect in the Logan Square neighborhood on September 7th and 8th.  Two events on those dates will take place at the busy intersection of Kimball, Milwaukee and Diversey.  On Tuesday, the 7th, bicycle front headlights will be handed out at no charge to bicyclists without them between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.  Chicago Municipal Code requires bicycles to have a white light on the front that can be seen from at least 500 feet.  On the back a red light or reflector is required.

On Wednesday, September 8th, Chicago police officers and Mayor Daley's Bicycling Ambassadors will stake out a presence at the intersection and will stop cyclists and motorists acting dangerously and violating the rules of the road in order to "educate them on safety."  Specifically, motorists engaged in the following behaviors will be targeted:  parking in bike lanes, opening car doors in front of bicyclists, passing cyclists with less than 3 feet of space, distracted driving, failing to yield to cyclists and speeding.  Bicyclists will be stopped who disobey traffic signals, bike at night without headlights, bike on the sidewalk and bike against traffic.