A crash over the weekend on the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago resulted in the death of a passenger and the driver charged with a DUI.

Pavlo Lulak, 24, was traveling in the northbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway in his Mitsubishi Lancer when he lost control of the vehicle near Armitage Avenue around 4:20 a.m. The Chicago resident’s car hit a barrier and bounced back into traffic before hitting two other vehicles. One of those vehicles, an SUV, veered down an off-ramp.

The Lancer was carrying seven people at the time. Some of the passengers were sitting on the laps of others, including 23-year-old Maryana Holovii who was seated behind the driver. Holovii, a resident of Medinah, was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic and was pronounced dead at 6:45 a.m. Lulak was found with a blood alcohol level three times over the legal limit of .08. He was charged with Driving Under the Influence.

Alcohol and driving is not a safe combination. If you or a loved one knows someone who has lost a family member to a DUI-related accident, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 to explore your legal rights. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

Traffic accidents resulting in fatalities are on the upswing for Illinois motorists.

Last week, the Illinois Department of Transportation noted that traffic fatalities in 2012 are up 9 percent from 2011. The reasons why are many. Roughly 10 percent of this year’s fatalities are related to distracted driving, specifically drivers checking text and email messages.

Another group that has seen an increase is fatalities due to motorcycle accidents. To combat this issue, the State Police are initiating a new program called Operation Rogue Rider that targets speeding motorcyclists. They are asking the public to call police whenever they see motorcyclists that are driving too fast.

Lastly, while the poor economy is not seen as a factor as a reason for increase in fatalities, lower fuel prices does contribute to more people being on the road. An increase in traffic leads to more congestion and more opportunities for accidents.

Other factors in the increase are more DUI accidents and wrong-way drivers. One wrong-way accident resulted in the deaths of four people.

Accidents involving motor vehicles can change the make-up of a family and leave occupants of those vehicles in lifelong pain. If you or a loved one knows someone who has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 for professional legal representation. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

After a fire erupted at Riverside Medical Center during a routine procedure, a public notice is now being discussed by hospital officials. The notice states that because of the fire, a ban on Medicare-funded patients using the hospital may go into affect.

Officials with the Secretary of Health and Human Services sent a notice to the hospital that stated that if officials did not take corrective action to prevent issues like this from occurring again, the contract between the department and the hospital will expire on August 13. The fire incident occurred on July 9.

A spokesperson for the hospital stated that over 60 percent of all in-patient care at the hospital is funded by Medicare.

If you or someone you love was injured in a fire on someone’s else property, you need representation on your side that may be able to help you receive the representation that you deserve. Contact the Kankakee fire injury lawyers of Spiros Law, P.C., by calling 815-929-9292 today.

One driver’s medical condition lead to a rollover accident by a tractor trailer on Interstate 80 on Wednesday morning.

Craig Horner was driving in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 near Ottawa, Illinois on July 25^th when he went into diabetic shock. At 5:53 a.m., Horner’s car went into the same lane as a tractor trailer truck driven by Abraham Montanez. Swerving to avoid Horner, Montanez’s truck went into the center median and flipped over.

La Salle County Sheriff’s Office reported that Horner was taken to OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa. He was treated and released. Montanez was offered medical attention at the scene of the accident but declined it. No tickets were issued in regards to the accident.

Accidents can happen in a moment, causing damage to people and vehicles. If you or a loved one knows someone who has been injured in a car/semi-truck accident, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 to explore your legal rights. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

A fire in an apartment building in Gary, Indiana has left two people dead and injured five others.

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 25^th, a fire broke out in a two-story brick apartment building. Firefighters responding to the blaze saw heavy smoke coming from the building as they arrived at the scene.

Four people were trapped on the second floor and rescued by firefighters through a front apartment. Once out of the building, the four were taken to Methodist Hospital. The bodies of two other people, a 14-year-old girl and a 33-year-old woman, were found in a rear apartment. They were pronounced dead at the scene. A firefighter fell through a floor in the building. He was taken to a local hospital for a knee injury.

Fire department officials are investigating the cause of the fire. According to witnesses, there were no working smoke alarms and the sprinklers did not spray water as tenants were trying to escape.

Fire move swiftly, doing damage to property and people. If you or a loved on know someone who has been injured in a fire, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 for professional legal representation. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

On Friday, July 20, 2012, the Illinois community of Sauk Village was told that municipal water was safe for using to prepare food after disclosures that the water has high levels of vinyl chloride.

On the day before, business and restaurant owners were told that they should find other sources of water for cooking and washing dishes. Residents were offered bottled water for home use. At the Thursday morning meeting it was stated that levels of vinyl chloride were found to be extremely high.

Vinyl chloride is used in the manufacturing of vinyl materials including pipes, wiring coatings and packaging material. Vinyl Chloride poisoning can cause dizziness and headaches on a short term basis. Continued exposure can lead to a variety of health problems including liver damage, reproductive issues and cancer risks.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has stated they are not shutting down any of the municipal wells. But the IEPA intends to test the water on a weekly basis.

When the water from our faucets are not safe to drink, it puts the entire family in danger. If you or a loved-one knows someone dealing with a faulty product, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 to explore your legal rights visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

A 51-year-old driver has been charged with fleeing from an accident that injured a man who was walking his bike across a street on July 21, 2012.

A 53-year-old bicyclist was on the 3000 block of South Pulaski, walking his bike around 12:40 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. At the same time,  Chicago resident Sergio Nava was driving down the street when he swerved to get around another vehicle. That is when Nava, 53, hit the bicyclist and sent him flying though the air.

Witnesses stated that Nava turned around and passed the scene again. They waved and yelled at him to stop. The bicyclist was taken to Stroger Hospital with a brain hemmorage, fractured ribs and bruised lungs. Neva has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident that caused an injury and driving without a license. He is being held on a $150,000 bond.

The effects of an accident from a hit-and-run driver can be long lasting. If you or a loved one know a pedestrian who has been injured by a hit-and-run driver, call Spiros Law 815-929-9292 to explore your legal rights. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

The Ford Motor Company stated it is recalling its most popular SUV due to problems that lead to fires in the engine.

On July 19^th, it was announced the 2013 Ford Escape SUV with 1.6-liter engines can have problems with a fuel line that can split, leaking fuel on the engine and possibly setting it on fire. Three incidents of an engine catching fire have been reported. Two of those occurred at the factory as cars were being shuttled to different areas before shipment. The third occurred with a consumer in Toronto.

There are 11,500 2013 Escapes that have been sold in North America; about 9,500 in the United States and the rest in Canada. Vehicles targeted for recall were manufactured through July 11. Ford recommends owners call their dealership to arrange pick up of the SUV and the use of a loaner car.  It is unusual for a manufacturer to recommend discontinuation of usage of a vehicle.

A defective product can make a day frustrating or life-ending. If you or a loved one knows someone whose life has been negatively altered because of a recalled product, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 for professional legal expertise. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

A correctional officer died after being hit by a hit-and-run driver while on her way to work on Wednesday, July 18^th.

Nickkii Bostic-Jones, 38, was walking from her car to the Cook County Jail for her 11 p.m. – 7 a.m. shift as a corrections officer. As Bostic-Jones was crossing the street a navy-blue van was heading north on  California Avenue near 29th Street and hit the guard. Bostic-Jones was thrown into a sheriff’s squad car was coming from the other direction and was pinned under that car as the van drove off.

Bostic-Jones was taken to Mt. Sinai hospital where she passed away. The driver of the squad car is emotionally shaken by the accident but was physically uninjured. The police are looking for a grey Chevy van with blue and whit strips that is reported to have some damage on the front end.

Union officials are calling for the city of Chicago to place a crosswalk or a traffic light on the street to better protect employees at the county jail. The section of California Avenue where Bostic-Jones was hit is known for being ‘extremely dangerous.’

A hit-and-run accident that kills a pedestrian leaves many unanswered questions for the family members left behind. If you or a loved one knows someone who has lost a family member in a hit-and-run accident, call Spiros Law at 815-929-9292 to explore your legal rights. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.

A family is awaiting court approval for a settlement agreement in regards to a wrongful death lawsuit against a Chicago nursing home.

Jennifer Seafield filed the suit against Warren Park Health and Living Center after the death of her mother, Jean Engstrom, on July 4, 2010. Engstrom, 51, was living at the West Rogers Park neighborhood facility at the time. The woman was found in a bathtub with the water running by staff members.  Police were called to the facility and paramedics took Engstrom to St. Francis Hospital where she later pronounced dead. The autopsy states that Engstrom died from drowning.

Seafield’s suit stated that the staff should have monitored her mother more closely as Engstrom had expressed suicidal thoughts to staff members. Otherwise, the woman would not have been able to drown herself in the facility’s tub room. If the settlement is approved by the court, the total amount of $102,500 will be paid to Seafield and her lawyers.

Nursing home negligiance can lead to bedsores, poor health conditions and death in some instances. If you or a loved one knows someone who has a family member that suffered negligence in nursing home care, call Spiros Law for professional legal representation. Visit the website at www.spiroslaw.com.