Bicyclist Killed On Dan Ryan Expressway

A 28 year old man from Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood was killed last night when he was struck while riding his bicycle on the Dan Ryan Expressway.  The incident occurred at around 9:00 p.m. in the northbound lanes of the Expressway near Garfield Boulevard.  The man, Christopher Hippchen, was dead on the scene.  Click here to read the account from cbs2chicago.com.

Exactly how this accident occurred has not yet been reported.  It is illegal to ride a bicycle on Illinois expressways.

Here is an update on this tragic story posted at 2:13 p.m. on the Chicago Breaking News Center.  It doesn't add much information about how and why this incident took place, but it offers a little information about who the cyclist was.

One City Gets Very Serious About Encouraging Bicycle Commuting

The folks in London have started building bicycling "superhighways" connecting the outer city and suburbs to central London.  The idea is to discourage people from driving into the city and encourage bike commuting that is, get this, fast and safe.  Cheers!

Bicyclist Killed By 85 Year Old Driver In Mount Prospect

An 85 year old driver struck and killed a bicyclist with his car near Golf and Busse roads in Mount Prospect very early Thursday morning.  The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but alcohol consumption is not believed to have been a factor.  Read the full story at cbs2chicago.com.

Anyone with information regarding this incident should call the Mount Prospect Police Department at 847.870.5656.

Belleville Man Hit By Car Walking His Bike, Suffers Skull Fracture

A man is hospitalized with an apparent skull fracture after being struck by a car while walking his bicycle with friends in Belleville, Illinois.  A report by KSDK.com suggests that the man was struck by the oncoming vehicle in the "traffic lane" of Carlyle west of the junction of Route 161.  For reasons that are thus far unclear, officials "do not anticipate issuing any citations in the incident," though it remains "under investigation."

Seven Year Old Struck By Car While Riding His Bike In Tower Lakes

A 7 year old boy was struck by a car and rendered unconscious while riding his bicycle in Tower Lakes, Illinois late yesterday afternoon.  The boy had been riding on West Lake Shore Drive and was wearing a helmet.  He was taken via ambulance to Good Shepard Hospital then was airlifted to Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital in Park Ridge, IL.

This matter was reported at the Chicago Breaking News Center.

Chicago Bicycle Commuter Involved In Crash At Milwaukee And Ogden

A sport utility vehicle suddenly pulled into the bicycle lane of Milwaukee Avenue, near Ogden, and directly into the path of a cyclist on August 10th, causing a serious collision.  The bicyclist was on his way home from work at about 7:30 p.m. when the SUV pulled in front of him from the CVS Pharmacy parking lot there.  He grabbed for his brakes immediately upon seeing the truck but could not avoid crashing head on into the vehicle.  He was wearing a helmet.  Our law firm has been retained to represent the biker.

Following the crash, our client was transported via ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was treated for a serious gash to his face, as well as neck and knee injuries.  His recovery is ongoing.

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.