According to witnesses, a car was traveling eastbound on Fullerton when the driver suddenly veered right into the bike lane and directly hit the bicyclist and caused the bike crash. The collision with the car immediately knocked the cyclist to the ground where she hit the curb. The hit from the car and impact with the curb left her with multiple injuries, including a knee injury that has required physical therapy as part of her recovery.
Witnesses reported that as the bicyclist lay injured on the side of the road, the driver of the car fled the scene without stopping to check on the bicyclist. Fortunately, many bystanders came to the aide of the bicyclist and were able to identify the car that hit her. After the alleged driver was located by the Chicago Police Department, he was issued three citations, including failure to report an accident. The attorneys at Keating Law Offices recently assisted the bicyclist as she appeared at traffic court as part of the criminal case against her alleged hit-and-run driver. This was particularly beneficial to the client as the offending driver was unruly in court and taken away by the sheriff's deputy acting as the court's bailiff.
This case is a reminder that even with protection from designated bike lanes, bicyclists in Chicago are still too often the victims of careless or inattentive drivers. Any motorist, like the alleged driver in this case, who hits a cyclist in Chicago and causes physical injuries to the rider or damage to a bike may face both criminal and civil penalties. Under Section 09-56-010 of the Chicago Municipal Code:
The operator of a vehicle involved in any accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or in property damage to an apparent extent of $250.00 or more, if such operator is physically capable of doing so, shall immediately report such accident to the police department.
