Chicago Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog

The Chicago personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Jeffrey J. Kroll recently commented on a Chicago Tribune investigative piece on taxi drivers. The statistic that "more than 1 in 4 downtown crashes involved cabdrivers" stuck with us, and a quote from Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein didn't make us feel much better about the matter: "It isn't just a few bad apples. The overwhelming number of taxi drivers, unfortunately, speed on a regular basis and set a pretty bad example for everybody else. They hit the gas at every green light and slam on the brakes at every red light a block later," reported the Chicago Tribune. The worst part about this is that many taxi drivers with horrible driving records still have their license. Anyone who has ever walked on a Chicago street can relate to such conduct by a cab driver.

Thankfully, Chicago tightened its licensing policy recently. Now, three convictions for traffic violations within a year will automatically revoke a taxi driver's license. The key to protecting motorists and pedestrians in Chicago is to get dangerous taxi drivers off the streets. The police department and courts must do their best to prosecute the numerous driving violations issued to professional drivers.

Our Chicago personal injury attorneys have experience suing negligent taxicab drivers and their companies, and have secured millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for our clients. Jeff Kroll obtained a $5.25 million dollar settlement for a Lake County woman, who was injured by a Yellow Cab taxi driver when he 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.