Bicyclist In Serious Condition After Being Struck By Rampaging Driver In Skokie

The mangled bike. Courtesy
Evanston Now

A bicyclist in his 50s was seriously injured yesterday in Skokie when he was struck by a 63 year old driver, according to Evanston Now. Video from ABC 7 Chicago shows the bike laying in the street in the 700 block of Main Street, the red carbon fiber frame sliced in half.  As of yesterday evening the bicyclist was in serious condition in St. Francis Hospital with a head injury.

The collision with the bicyclist reportedly came at the end of a three mile rampage in which the female driver struck several other motor vehicles and a woman on a motor scooter.  Witnesses apparently describe the woman as muttering to police that she did nothing wrong.  Drugs and alcohol were reportedly not found in her system.  No word as to whether she was experiencing a mental or physical calamity of some sort at the time of the crash.  

Skokie Bicycle Commuter Thrown High Into The Air By Minivan To Be Compensated

The case of a 33 year old bicyclist thrown 15 feet into the air by a minivan while commuting to work in Skokie has resolved successfully.  The male lab technician will be compensated for his injuries and the extensive damage to his bicycle thanks to a settlement reached in the case by my law firm late last week.

The cyclist was riding at a moderate pace along the right side of 7501 Lincoln Avenue in Skokie on the morning of October 24, 2012.  As he pedaled north a 1999 Plymouth Voyager emerged from a parking lot on the opposite side of the street.  The driver rocketed across Lincoln Avenue in an effort to enter Sigler's Auto Center on the north side of the street and slammed into the unsuspecting bicyclist, throwing him in to the air.  He landed hard on his helmeted head and left shoulder, sustaining a mild concussion and soft tissue shoulder injury.  He spent several weeks undergoing physical therapy, but has recovered fully.

68 Year Old Bicyclist Killed By Driver In Skokie

Courtesy The Chicago Tribune

Update:  6:00 p.m.: Robert McKenney, who died after being struck by a vehicle yesterday in Skokie, was an experienced bicycle commuter who, according to his brother, rode to work whenever the weather was nice, reports The Chicago Tribune.  Mr. McKenney was allegedly struck by a 30 year old motorist as he rode his bike south on Skokie Highway near Main Street.  The impact caused him to flip over his handlebars and strike the road, suffering a massive head injury, according to the Tribune.  It has not been reported whether Mr. McKenney was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, though Illinois law does not require bicyclists to do so.  He worked in the purchasing department at Northeastern University.

A 68 year old male bicyclist was  pronounced dead early this morning after being struck by a car while riding in Skokie, according to The Chicago Tribune.  Robert E. McKenney was hit near the intersection of Main Street and Skokie Highway at around 8:00 p.m. on Thursday.  He was a resident of Niles.  No further details have been reported.

Driver Smashes Into Commuting Bicyclist In Skokie

There was a moment a shear terror just before being launched into the air by the front end of a Plymouth minivan.  Fear was swept away by pain, and the loud crunch of his helmet breaking against the hard ground.  Confusion flooded in.  What the hell just happened?

At around 8:30 a.m. on October 24th, a 33 year old lab technician was riding his bicycle to work on Lincoln Avenue in Skokie when he was hit by the front end of a 1999 Plymouth Voyager minivan.  The crash occurred mid-block, near 7501 North Lincoln, in front of Sigler's Auto Center.  The minivan driver had shot across four lanes of traffic, attempting to go from the driveway of an apartment complex into the parking lot of Sigler's, when he smashed into the left side of the cyclist, pedaling northbound in the curbside lane.  The impact threw him high into the air before planting him on his head and shoulder on the sidewalk that had been on his right.  He was transported from the scene via ambulance to Skokie Hospital.

The driver admitted that he failed to see the cyclist before attempting his maneuver and was ticketed by police at the scene.  My law firm is representing the injured cyclist.