Keating Law Offices is proud to co-host Bike Lane Uprising’s Day of Service. The Day of Service is an effort to document the conditions of bike lanes throughout the city and report the conditions to the City of Chicago. This effort will provide the City of Chicago legal notice as to any dangerous defects or conditions. The effect of the day of service will help the City of Chicago prioritize its efforts in maintaining bike lanes and lead to fewer dangerous conditions in Chicago’s bike lanes. The date for the Bike Lane Uprising Day of Service is May 19, 2019.…

IN THE NEWS: Keating Law Offices attorney Mike Keating was quoted in the Chicago Tribune about the dangers of distracted driving. Distracted driving is an increasingly dangerous habit among many drivers. The dangers posted by distracted driving are particularly dangerous to vulnerable users of the roadway such as pedestrians and bicyclists. Here’s the quote from the Chicago Tribune: “Mike Keating, a personal injury attorney who often represents injured bicyclists, said that if any police agency does not enforce the laws against distracted driving, it defeats the purpose.”  “These laws have to act as a deterrent to keep people from texting on…

The Chicago Department of Transportation is pushing the City of Chicago to implement changes that will allow for more e-bikes and e-scooters on the city’s streets and in our bike lanes. This is no doubt in large part due to the City of Chicago agreeing with Lyft for the ride share giant to take over the city’s successful Divvy bike share program.  At the March 2019 Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council meeting, CDOT officials and Lyft representatives discussed how Lyft will incorporate e-bikes into the Divvy fleet. Lyft has also played a role in pushing e-scooters onto Chicago’s streets. Theses proposed CDOT …

Keating Law Offices attorney Mike Keating was invited by the American Association for Justice to speak to the attendees of the 2019 AAJ Winter Convention in Miami. Mike’s subject was Bike Share and the emerging threats posed by E-Scooters. The speech was entitled “Looking Beyond Automobiles: Bicycles and Electric Scooters.” Chicago’s Divvy program is one of the nation’s largest bike share systems.  Mike’s presentation was a part of a program of Continuing Legal Education where other trial lawyers from throughout the country learn about different areas of the law. This was a part of the convention’s lecture series, “Specialized Track:…

Illinois Department of Transportation data shows dooring crashes on the rise across the state. In 2015 alone there were more than 300 doorings reported. This number, which only represents those doorings that made it onto a police report, nonetheless represented a 50% increase from 2014.  As part of an effort to fight the plague of doorings, the Illinois Secretary of State will now be required to include the “Dutch Reach” as a part of the Rules of the Road for Illinois motorists. The “Dutch Reach” is where a motorist opens the car door across their body with their right hand.…

Bicyclists are often referred to as “vulnerable users” of the roadways. Even the most experienced bicyclist on the most advanced bicycle is at a disadvantage if there is a crash with even the smallest motor vehicle driven by a non-attentive motorist. Sheer physics are blind and unfortunately do not take into account fairness when a collision occurs and what might be a fender bender on a car can lead to serious or even fatal injuries to the bicyclist. Bicyclists are even more vulnerable in Illinois due to the state’s sheer number of citizens and its densely populated urban centers including the metropolis…

Keating Law Offices attorney Mike Keating recently appeared on the “Road is Dead” podcast to discuss legal issues surrounding bicycling. The “Road is Dead” podcast is hosted by Rob Curtis and Anthony Mikos of the Psimet Custom Wheels company and is recorded at their bike and coffee shop in Dundee, Illinois right on the banks of the Fox River.  “The Law Episode” included fellow bicycle law attorneys Jessica Cutler from Washington state as well as Arley Kemmerer and Joe Piscitello of Piscitello Law in Philadelphia. Topics included what to do when you’ve been involved in a bike crash, the number…

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was held today at Federal Plaza in Chicago. The World Day of Remembrance is held every year to remember the millions injured and killed every year on the roadways. The World Day of Remembrance is a joint effort between Vision Zero Chicago, Chicago Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Transportation, AARP, the Active Transportation Alliance, Ride of Silence Chicago and Ghost Bikes Chicago.  This powerful display at the World Day of Remembrance consists of 132 pairs of empty shoes to represent the 132 victims of fatal traffic crashes in Chicago over…

Attorney Michael S. Keating of Keating Law Offices has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Chicago bicyclist who was tragically killed in a hit-and-run crash on September 23, 2018. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Estate of Jesse Rodriguez, the Chicago bicyclist who was riding near the intersection of Devon Avenue and the North Shore Channel trail when a juvenile driver turning from McCormick Boulevard to Devon Avenue jumped the curb and struck the bicyclist. The motorist then ironically struck a “Yield To Bikes” sign before fleeing the scene. The North Shore Channel trail runs alongside McCormick…

The Illinois Secretary of State will now be required to include the “Dutch Reach” as a part of the Rules of the Road for Illinois motorists. The “Dutch Reach” is where a motorist opens the car door with their right hand. This action naturally requires the driver to look over their left shoulder and towards oncoming traffic. The goal of the “Dutch Reach” is to teach motorists to always check for oncoming cyclists prior to opening their vehicle door into traffic and to prevent doorings. Section 11-1407 of the Illinois Vehicle Code and Section 9-80-035 of Municipal Code of Chicago make…

News outlets are reporting that the bicyclist who lost her life in a crash in the West Loop was 39-year old Angela Park of Chicago. The crash occurred at the intersection of Halsted Street and Madison Street. Angela was riding northbound on Halsted where the Halsted Street bike lake has existed for decades. The truck involved in the crash was a dump truck owned and operated by Lakeshore Recycling. The truck was turning right from northbound Halsted onto eastbound Madison when the crash occurred. The exact circumstances of the crash are yet to be determined as there is a major…

Chicago bicyclist Luster Jackson was killed in a scenario that is a constant fear of Chicago bicyclists. Luster was riding his bike northbound in the 7200 block of South Stony Island. According to the Sun-Times, as he was riding a driver opened their car door into Luster’s path. The bicyclist swerved to avoid the car door and Luster was fatally struck by an approaching vehicle. According to the report, the driver of the vehicle that fatally struck Jackson was issued a traffic citation. However, given the scenario described in the article, there may have been traffic violations on the part…

The life and legacy of fallen Illinois cyclist Dennis Jurs was honored Sunday during the Dennis Jurs Memorial Race in Elgin. Dennis Jurs lost his life in May of 2015 in a collision with a motor vehicle while on a training ride.  “Dennis’s Law” Helps Protect Illinois Bicyclists The Illinois law known as “Dennis’s Law” is named after Dennis Jurs and came about after a Kane County judge dismissed a traffic citation against the motorist involved in the crash for failing to yield the right-of-way to an oncoming bicyclist. The judge incorrectly ruled that the right-of-way laws in the Illinois…