Our personal injury attorney/Chicago Alert notes this latest auto accident:

6 children hurt in crash on Eisenhower

Six children suffered minor injuries after a motor vehicle accident on the Eisenhower Expressway early Friday in west suburban Oak Park.

At 12:30 a.m., a crash occurred on I-290 near Lombard Avenue that resulted in minor injuries, Illinois State Trooper John McDermott said. A van with 11 people and a driver of a small SUV were involved in the crash, Oak Park Fire Battalion Chief Kevin Wiley said. Six children involved in the crash suffered minor injuries, Illinois State Sgt. Rich Kozik said.

They were transported to Loyola University Medical Center, West Suburban Medical Center and RUSH Oak Park Hospital, Oak Park Fire Lt. Bill Henry said.

If you, or anyone that you know, has been injured in a car accident, contact our Chicago injury lawyers for a free consultation on how to protect your rights, recover your medical expenses, and receive compensation for your injuries.

Our Chicago DUI Lawyers continually are amazed at the double standard when it comes to DUI arrests.  Check out the following story from Orange County, California.

DUI For Orange County Deputy

Kimberly Edds, Staff Writer – Orange County Register

An Orange County Sheriff’s deputy found himself on the other side of the jail bars Monday after he crashed into a Toyota in Laguna Niguel, sending the car and the elderly couple inside on a collision course with a tree.

Deputy Allan James Waters was driving under the influence when he crashed his 2008 Mercedes, according to a California Highway Patrol report.

And The Watchdog has learned that it wasn’t the first crash of the day for Deputy Waters, a 13-year veteran of the force who was already on paid administrative leave — for what, the sheriff’s office isn’t saying.

Just 33 minutes before and less than a mile and a half away on Golden Lantern, sheriff’s deputies were called to a wreck outside of Dana Point City Hall between Waters’ Mercedes and a Lexus. Deputies took a traffic report, Assistant Sheriff Mike James confirmed. Then the drivers were sent on their way.

Minutes later, Waters crashed again, the California Highway Patrol investigated, and this time Waters was sent to the county jail, accused of driving under the influence.

Wait a minute.  This deputy was stopped just half an hour prior to the second crash he had – where he was arrested for DUI – and no one noticed that he was DUI at the first crash?  Think that regular members of the public would have gotten that break?

The hypocrisy continues.

Our Chicago DUI Lawyers wish the best to to ex-Chicago Blackhawks’ goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin in his up-coming DUI Trial.

Khabibulin DUI case put over again

EDMONTON

Another false alarm for Nikolai Khabibulin.

The Oilers netminder showed up in Arizona court Wednesday only to find out his DUI trial had been postponed again.

It’s the second time this month and the fourth time this summer that his trial date has come and gone without a trial.

The next date won’t be set until later this week, but it doesn’t look like it’s coming anytime soon – the judge offered Khabibulin’s lawyer a choice between the end of August (trial by judge) or at the end of September with a jury trial.

Khabibulin’s camp prefers a jury trial, so this thing could drag out into the fall.

The problem now is that the situation is encroaching on the Oilers season. If found guilty in August or September, Khabibulin could face a minimum 30-day jail sentence, which would seriously cut into his preparation for the upcoming season. The maximum penalty in Arizona, which has some of the stiffest drunk driving laws in the U.S., is a six-month jail sentence, which would have grave consequences on Khabibulin and the Oilers.

Khabibulin, recovering from back surgery at the time, was arrested after midnight on Feb. 8 near his home in Paradise Valley after being pulled over for speeding in a black Ferrari. His speed peaked at 70 m.p.h. in a 45 m.p.h. zone, according to the police report.

Khabibulin consented to a blood test and was cited for an extreme DUI after the test revealed his blood alcohol content to be .164 — more than twice the legal limit.

Arizona’s DUI Laws have long been criticized as draconian by DUI Lawyers.  Minimum 30 days in jail for a first time DUI?  Our DUI Attorneys can understand jail time if Khabibulin had been in an accident or injured someone, but all he did was get stopped for speeding.  No other erratic driving was noted.  Now Khabibulin is facing the loss of his job.  When is enough enough?  Apparently never when it comes to DUI arrests.

Not the first time a personal injury attorney, Chicago and elsewhere, has had to deal with a tragic circumstances of a young person involved in a terrible accident causing personal injury.

Former Jesse White tumbler sues group after paralyzing injury

Jarvis Williams dashed forward in the red-and-white uniform familiar to anyone who’s seen the Jesse White tumblers defy gravity. Going last in a line of acrobats during the parade in Wheeling, he gathered speed, bounded off the trampoline and turned two-and-a-half somersaults.

Williams would say later he had done the same daring maneuver at least 50 times. The Fenger High School senior had learned to make the jaw-dropping stunts look routine, just as thousands of other youngsters had done as members of the famous team named after Jesse White, the Illinois secretary of state.

But on this particular day — the Fourth of July, 2008 — something went wrong. Williams said he turned the flips but over-rotated just before landing, coming down on the back of his neck after soaring about 10 feet off the ground.

“I started getting dizzy, and I couldn’t get up,” he said. “They just said my nerves were shot.”

A teammate picked him up over the shoulder, he said, and carried him to the team’s van.

His days as a tumbler were over. He had suffered a spinal cord injury and would never walk again, his lawyer and family members said.

In a lawsuit recently filed in Cook County Circuit Court against Jesse White Tumbling Team Inc., Williams claims the nonprofit group should have done more to treat him.

In many cases, inadequate care after an accident can make a bad situation worse, said Kimberly Archie, director of the National Cheer Safety Foundation.

In 2008, the foundation published a guide to prepare youth sports coaches and trainers for catastrophic injuries.

For spine injuries, it warns: “The athlete should not be moved unless absolutely essential to maintain airway, breathing and circulation. If the athlete must be moved … the athlete should be placed in a supine position while maintaining cervical immobilization.”

Proper medical treatment of a personal injury is obviously key.  Our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyers wish the best for all involved.

Chicago DUI Lawyers have seen the faux reason for a DUI arrest more than once.  The old, “well, the defendant smelled drunk” justification to ignore proper procedure.

Wisconsin: Court Overthrows DUI Conviction For Smelling Drunk
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals on Wednesday overturned the conviction of a woman arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) because she smelled of alcohol. Brittany A. Meye, 22, stopped for gas at a Kwik Trip gas station on January 22, 2009 just before 3:30am. A Pewaukee police officer claims that he caught the scent of intoxicating beverages as Meye and her passenger walked past him into the store. After a few minutes inside, the pair returned to their vehicle, and the officer arrested Meye as she got behind the wheel. The appellate court found the officer’s response inappropriate.

“It is against the law of Wisconsin to operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated,” Chief Judge Richard S. Brown wrote in an unpublished ruling. “But, although unwise, it is not against the law to drink and then drive.”
The arresting officer did not observe Meye driving dangerously or note any defective equipment on her vehicle that would have justified a traffic stop. He did not see anything about the way she walked to suggest intoxication. In fact, he could not even specifically state that it was Meye who smelled of alcohol.

The saddest part of this story?  The girl was first convicted for driving drunk under those very set of facts.  The Appellate Court had to reverse that decision.  Only in the context of a DUI arrest would something this ridiculous happen.

Our Chicago Lawyers saw this latest story out out New York today.  What many people do not release is that driving with a suspended, revoked drivers license – Chicago and elsewhere – still remains an arrestable offense.

Ice-T was arrested in New York today.

The rapper and actor, whose real name is Tracy Marrow, was pulled over for driving without wearing a seatbelt. He was then arrested for driving with a suspended license.

He was taken to a police station and released.

Driving on a suspended, revoked license is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail and fines of up to $2,500.00.  Contact one of our Chicago Attorneys if you have been arrested for driving while on a suspended or revoked license.  We can help.

With so many employers doing background checks and jobs becoming more and more difficult to get, here are some answers to a question that our Chicago Lawyers are often asked; “How do I expunge my criminal record?”.

Do You Have A Criminal Record?

If you have ever been arrested – you have a criminal record. Even if your case was dismissed or you won.

What Does The Expungement / Sealing Law Allow?

Section 5.2 of the Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630/5.2) allows qualifying arrests, supervisions and convictions to be either expunged or sealed. Only criminal records prosecuted and maintained by the State of Illinois are affected. Federal and out-of-state convictions do not fall under the Illinois law.
What Is Expungement And Sealing?

Expungement and sealing are ways to limit access to criminal records.

EXPUNGEMENT: Only those individuals who have never been convicted of a criminal offense or municipal ordinance violation are eligible to expunge records. When your record is expunged, it is destroyed.

SEALING: If you have ever been convicted of a criminal offense or a municipal ordinance violation, you cannot expunge any records, regardless of the outcome of the individual case. Your records, however, may still be eligible for sealing. Once sealed, your criminal record is kept confidential and can only be reviewed for limited law enforcement and sentencing purposes. In Illinois, sealed criminal history records are not released to employers.

What Kind Of Records Can Be Expunged?

Under current Illinois law, you can have a court expunge your record if any of the following circumstances apply to you:

1. Your record can be expunged of municipal ordinance, misdemeanor and felony charges IF:

• You were found NOT GUILTY of the charges, OR
• The State dismissed the charges against you.

2. If you were sentenced to supervision for certain misdemeanors, AND

• It has been at least five years since supervision was discharged, AND
• You have not been arrested or criminally charged since the supervision was discharged.

3. If you were sentenced to probation for certain misdemeanors, AND

• It has been five years since successful termination of probation, AND
• You have not been arrested or criminally charged since probation was discharged, and there are no charges pending against you.

4. If you were released without conviction following a sentence of supervision for certain offenses AND it has been two years since successful discharge and dismissal from supervision.

5. If you were convicted or found guilty AND EITHER

• You received a pardon from the governor that specifically authorizes an expungement*, OR
• Your conviction was set aside on direct review or collateral attack, and the court “determines by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant was factually innocent.”

What About Felony Convictions?

The only felony convictions which qualify for sealing are Class 4 Drug Possession under Section 4 of the Cannabis Control Act or Section 402 of the Controlled Substances Act, Class 4 convictions under the Methamphetamine Precursor Control Act and the Steroid Control Act, and Class 4 Prostitution convictions under 720 ILCS 5/11-14. Certain special felony probations, such as TASC probation or First Offender drug probations under Section 10 of the Cannabis Control Act, Section 410 of the Controlled Substances Act and Section 70 of the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act are not considered convictions and may be eligible for expungement or sealing. For all other felony convictions, the only way to clear the record is pursuant to a Pardon from the Governor authorizing expungement of the record.

Our Chicago Lawyers have helped many people expunge criminal records.  Let us help you clear your record too.  Don’t let tomorrow’s job slip away because of a past mistake.

Some bad news for all the Aerosmith fans out there.

Personal Injury Attorney – Chicago Update: Aerosmith’s Joe Perry involved in a minor motorcycle accident.

Aerosmith’s Perry injured in motorcycle accident

MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. — Authorities say Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry was rear-ended by a car when he was riding a motorcycle, and he has been treated for minor injuries at a Massachusetts hospital.

Middleborough police say Perry was on his 2009 Ducati Monster 696 early Thursday afternoon when he was struck from behind by a car driven by 62-year-old Linda O’Brien. Both vehicles were traveling at a low speed.

The 59-year-old Perry, who lives in nearby Duxbury, was taken to a hospital and released a couple of hours later. A hospital spokeswoman did not release the nature of his injuries.

O’Brien, who was not injured, was cited for following too closely.

The accident is not expected to affect any of Aerosmith’s scheduled concert dates.

Motorcycle and car accidents can cause severe personal injury.  Perry is fortunate that he was not badly injured.

A Chicago DUI Lawyer Update on the DUI case of former NHL player Rob Ramage.

Ramage starts jail term for impaired conviction

Former NHL player Rob Ramage has begun serving a four-year prison sentence.

Ramage lost a bid for a new trial on impaired driving charges related to a car crash that killed another ex-NHL player.

Ramage was convicted in 2007 of four charges including impaired driving causing death in the crash that killed his friend, former Chicago Blackhawks all-star Keith Magnuson.

Ramage also received a five-year driving ban.

Another reminder of the dangers of drunk driving.  Chicago DUI Attorneys see this same scenario play out all too often.

Our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyers were pleased to hear of the record setting personal injury settlement received ex-Chicago Bear Gabe Reid.

Record injury settlement for ex-Bears TE Reid

The largest settlement for a pro athlete in the state of Illinois was granted to former Bears tight end Gabe Reid, according to Chicago’s NFL Players Association attorney Gil Gordon on Thursday.

Reid was awarded $325,000 in Illinois workers’ compensation after suffering a right knee injury while playing for the Bears from 2003-06.

In addition, former Bears All-Pro safety Mike Brown, who led the Kansas City Chiefs in tackles last season, was awarded $140,000 after suffering leg and foot injuries while playing for the Bears.

If you have been injured at work or injured in an accident please contact our Chicago Injury Lawyers for a free consultation.