Chicago is known for many things; among them, being the longest running musical on Broadway; as the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame band debuting in the Windy City back in 1967; and of course, as the city honored to be the home of the legendary Chicago Bears, who have placed more members into the Pro Football Hall of Fame than any other NFL team.
However, for those of us living and working here in Illinois we recognize Chicago as a world-famous city with a spectacular history and a vital contributor to the building of our nation.
The Chicago we know is huge. More people live here than in almost any other city in the United States; the only two cities to beat us in population are New York City and Los Angeles. Chicago covers a lot of territory, too: it is known officially as a major metropolitan area, nicknamed Chicagoland.
Consider how Chicago is described by Brittanica, giving a tip of the hat to how O’Hare helped build Chicago into the expansive metropolis it is today:
Chicago sprawls in all directions from the curving lakefront. The vast public-transportation and expressway networks have allowed the metropolitan area, popularly called Chicagoland, to stretch from Kenosha, Wisconsin, around the south end of the lake through northwestern Indiana to the Michigan state line. Early suburban development gave the appearance of a wagon wheel. On the outer rim is a broad arc of older industrial cities—Waukegan, Elgin, St. Charles, Geneva, Aurora, Joliet, and Chicago Heights…. Immediately surrounding the city are such communities as Evanston, Oak Park, Cicero, and Blue Island…. Connecting the hub and rim are a number of other older residential suburbs that developed as part of spoke-like strings of towns extending outward from the city along several commuter rail lines…. After 1960 the presence of O’Hare International Airport spurred businesses and light industry to concentrate in the northwest suburbs. New high-technology research facilities and offices developed after 1970 along the “Silicon Prairie” corridor stretching west of the city. As a result, the formerly quiet village of Naperville has been transformed into a sprawling “technoburb” with one of the largest populations in the state.
For more, read “Chicago Illinois, United States,” written by Cathlyn Schallhorn and Perry R. Duis and published by Brittanica with latest update on February 16, 2024.
Dangers of Serious Injury or Death in Chicago Accidents
Life can be rich for Chicagoans. It can also be dangerous or deadly. For those dedicated to safety issues, including government regulators; safety agencies; and those advocating for injury victims and their loved ones, Chicagoland and Cook County are all too often the place where someone suffers severe or fatal injuries in things like truck crashes; car accidents (including pedestrian accidents); and on-the-job work accidents on all sorts of industrial worksites.
Hurt on the Job: Work Accidents in Chicagoland
Chicago is famous for the variety of industries that contribute to our local, state, and national economies. The city’s location alone helps to bring all sorts of warehousing, transportation, maritime, trucking, shipping, freight, and rail jobs. Cook County is within one day’s driving distance to all parts of the continental United States, for instance. See, “Chicago is a major logistics hub. But what makes it so?” written by Mia Goulart and published by RE Journals on September 26, 2023.
Some of the biggest employers in Illinois demonstrate the impressive assortment of industrial worksites employing workers in Chicagoland, such as this top ten list compiled by Zippia detailing the top employers:
- Accenture (Chicago)
- City Garden Waldorf School (Chicago)
- ArcelorMittal (Chicago)
- Power Construction (West Chicago)
- Hyatt Hotels (Chicago)
- Abbott (North Chicago)
- United Airlines (Chicago)
- JLL (Chicago)
- Elite Staffing (Chicago)
- Mondelez International (Chicago).
Read, “The 100 Largest Companies In Illinois For 2023,” written by Chris Kolmar and published by Zippia on July 21, 2023.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics warns us there was a 5.7% jump in fatal work injuries in 2022 and that a worker died every 96 minutes from a work-related injury in 2022. The BLS also confirms that:
(1) the deadliest worksites are in transportation and material moving occupations, based upon 2022 fatality numbers. Workers in these industries suffered the most work accident deaths, with those employed in construction and extraction workers ranking second in the number of on-the-job fatalities.
(2) as for the most common type of deadly work accident, “transportation incidents” are the biggest risk facing workers, with fatal injuries in motor vehicle accidents tallying as 37.7% of all on-the-job fatalities.
Read, “NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN 2022,” news release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, USDL-23-2615, published December 16, 2023.
Safety researchers warn these industrial worksites are very hazardous with workers facing an extremely high risk of being catastrophically injured or killed in a work accident while on the job. Workers in Chicago run a greater risk of being seriously hurt or killed on the job than some that are employed in other parts of the country.
For those who are hurt while at work in Chicago or Cook County, there is the right to an independent investigation into the on-the-job accident to determine whether or not legal duties of safety have been breached that form the basis of personal injury or wrongful death claims for the worker victim and their loved ones. Not only workers’ compensation but negligence, premises liability, product liability, and wrongful death laws may provide avenues of justice here.
For more, read:
- What Is The Most Dangerous Job in Indiana and Illinois?
- The Most Dangerous Jobs in America Are Still the Most Deadly in 2021; and
- The Increasing Danger of Dying on the Job: Fatality Risk Just Keeps Growing for Workers.
Hurt in Chicago Pedestrian Accident
It is likely that you know someone or have heard about a severe or deadly crash here in Chicago where a pedestrian died from injuries sustained in the accident. Walking near any street, drive, or roadway in Cook County is dangerous no matter the age of the pedestrian. Children, adults of all ages, people walking alone or in groups: the risk of being severely hurt or killed by a motor vehicle while on foot is unacceptably high in Chicagoland.
Consider this: according to statistics reported by the City of Chicago, “…more than one person per day was seriously injured or killed while walking in Chicago in 2022.” This continues a recognized trend in pedestrian accident dangers in the Chicagoland and Cook County areas, as well as the rest of the country.
Deaths for those pedestrians in motor vehicle accidents have jumped a shocking 59% since 2009 according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (“IIHS”). And according to the Governors’ Highway Safety Association, Chicago has seen a continuing upward trend in pedestrian fatalities since 2019. Read, “Spotlight on Highway Safety, Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State,” published by the Governors’ Highway Safety Association in June 2023, page 29.
For pedestrian accident victims and their loved ones, there may be a variety of civil claims to advance in the pursuit of justice after the crash. Investigations will consider things like: (1) street design and situational contributors (like unkempt shrubbery blocking a view); (2) drunk drivers and those who may have contributed to the inebriation of the driver; and (3) speeding with other failures to abide by established traffic safety laws. More than one party may be legally liable for a pedestrian accident.
Read:
- Why is Chicago So Deadly for Pedestrians?
- Chicago Pedestrian Accidents: How Dangerous Are Chicago Streets?
- Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accidents in Chicago; and
- Pedestrian Accident Deaths in Indiana and Illinois: The Rising Danger of Dying While Walking.
Chicago Crimes and Civil Injury Claims
Crime statistics comparing cities within the United States consistently list Chicago as among the most dangerous for intentional injuries involving criminal behavior, such as murder or rape. Read, “Which U.S. Cities Are the Most Dangerous?” written by Aliza Vigderman and published by Security.Org on February 2, 2024.
Victims of crime in Chicago as well as the entire state of Illinois need to be aware that state law (and sometimes federal statute) may provide them with civil claims for personal injury damages that must be pursued independently of any law enforcement investigation and prosecution within the criminal justice system.
Both the crime victim and their loved ones may be able to seek monetary damages including medical expenses, psychological counseling, rehabilitation treatment, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more under various personal injury causes of action.
These claims may allege legal liability not only against the person who committed the violent act but those that may share responsibility in what happened because of things like negligent hiring; negligent supervision; and the failure to do things like providing proper safety features (such as lighting in a parking garage).
To learn more, read:
- Crime Victims and Personal Injury Claims: Prosecutors Are Not Injury Lawyers Helping With Victim’s Injuries;
- National Crime Victims’ Rights Week: Justice Is the Goal of Both Criminal And Civil Actions for Victims of Crime;
- Growing Dangers of Workplace Violence and Employer’s Responsibility to Keep Workers Safe from Severe or Fatal Injury;
- Truckers Can Use Exception to HOS Rules If Threatened with Violent Crime; and
- Workplace Violence: Employer’s Responsibility to Keep Workers Safe.
Chicago Injury Claims for Accident Victims
For anyone who is seriously hurt or killed in an accident that happens in the Cook County or Chicago area, there may be legal rights to pursue against one or more parties who have legal responsibility for the incident and its aftermath. Each case is unique and deserves individual respect.
Victims have a right to investigate civil claims under state and federal law. They must act within a specific timeframe or risk their claims being barred as a matter of law. Anyone suffering harm in an accident here, as well as those who are victims of crime, deserve this ability to determine what claims for relief may be available to them.
In the next article in this Chicago Injury / Accident Series, we will begin to delve into the various types of accident claims and the remedies that victims may have under statute and case precedent.
For more, read:
- Work Accident in Illinois or Indiana: Workers Compensation Claim vs. Personal Injury Damages
- Wrongful Death Damages After Fatal Work Accidents in Illinois or Indiana
- Catastrophic Injuries in an Accident: Damages for the Loss of a Normal Life
- Pain Awareness: Claims to Cover an Accident Victim’s Pain Damages
- Loss of Consortium Damages in Illinois or Indiana Work Accidents.
Chicago personal injury victims not only suffer from the bodily harm they have sustained, but they have the burden of pursuing civil claims for justice in our judicial system. Of course, true justice would be that these injuries never happened, but all too often duties of care and safety are ignored or disrespected and people get hurt. Please be careful out there!
