Chicago Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog

Our Chicago personal injury attorneys recently read a Chicago Tribune investigative piece reporting that Chicago area courts drop most cases against frequently ticketed taxi drivers. Sadly, one tragic account found that in a three and a half year period, police stopped one cab driver 22 times, issued him 34 tickets, all before he crashed his taxi into a pedestrian. The worst part, "almost all of the tickets were wiped from his driving record…." This is scary news, especially since we have seen two recent pedestrian deaths involving taxi drivers in Chicago.

Research has shown that taxicabs are involved in 28 percent of pedestrian crashes downtown, that's more than one of every four pedestrian crashes. See City of Chicago, 2011 Pedestrian Crash Analysis. If taxicab drivers continue to receive special treatment, motorists and pedestrians will remain at a higher risk. Taxicab drivers should be held accountable for unlawful and careless driving if Chicago streets are going to be safe for residents and visitors.

The Chicago personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Jeffrey J. Kroll have experience suing negligent taxicab drivers and their companies, and have secured millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for our clients. In fact, Jeff Kroll obtained a $5.25 million dollar settlement for a Lake County woman, who was injured by a Yellow Cab taxi driver when the driver drove his cab across three lanes of traffic in an attempt to reach an exit. The woman suffered a brain injury and had difficulty with walking. At the time, the settlement was the largest with a cab company in the State of Illinois. He also obtained a $2.05 million settlement for a single mother who was killed by a taxicab in a Chicago intersection. Last year, Jeff Kroll was interviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times regarding the insufficiency of most taxicab insurance limits.