Personal Injury Law

Chicago motorist was on cell phone when he hit two children

Chicago police are currently questioning a Chicago motorist who struck two boys on Saturday afternoon in the West Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side of Chicago. The motorist was reportedly on a cell phone when the car he was driving struck two boys Saturday afternoon. An 11 year-old boy and a 15 year-old boy were both on foot when a car hit them around noon at 119th Street and Harvard Avenues. Fortunately, the children were stabilized on the scene by paramedics and then taken to an Oak Lawn hospital. Witnesses on the scene described to police that the motorist was on a cell phone during the Chicago car accident.

The National Safety Council estimates that 200,000 car crashes yearly are caused by drivers who are using their cell phones while driving. Talking on a cell phone causes nearly 25% of all Illinois car accidents. Four out of every five accidents are attributed to distracted drivers, which is more than the statistics for accidents attributed to drunk drivers. Drivers talking on cell phones were 18% slower to react to brake lights.

Read more about the Chicago car accident by visiting the Chicago Sun-Times.

Full post as published by Illinois Injury Lawyer Blog on March 02, 2011 (boomark / email).