Saturday, April 3, 2010

Bicyclist Killed by Motorist on West Side

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that 48-year old Jerry Simpson was killed by a motorist as he rode his bicycle on Lawler Avenue across Chicago Avenue in the City's Austin neighborhood. A 26-year old driver was ticketed for the incident. The driver was cited for negligent driving and failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision. The Chicago Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating.

The criminal charges here are somewhat routine and what are often seen in regular "fender bender" car collisions. The difference here is obviously that a bicyclist was killed. The Cook County State's Attorney could look into filing additional and enhanced charges if the facts warrant it.

As a civil matter the family of Jerry Simpson could consider filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver. A person who negligently causes the death of another may be liable to the deceased person's family for their loss.

If you have any questions regarding this post of the legal issues involved, please contact Mike Keating at MKeating@KeatingLegal.com or 312-208-7702.