Car Accidents in Geneva, Illinois

The personal injury law firm of John J. Malm & Associates helps individuals and families who have suffered an injury or loss due to an automobile accident. Our law firm is located at 1700 Lincoln Hwy. (Route 38), Suite G, St. Charles, Illinois 60174. Our team of dedicated lawyers live right here in Kane County. We regularly represent clients involved in motor vehicle accidents in Geneva.

Our Kane County personal injury law firm understands that irresponsible driving (speeding, failing to yield, crossing over the center line), reckless driving (tailgating or passing in a no-passing zone), distracted driving (cell phone use), or impaired driving (drugs or alcohol) often results in car accidents. Vehicle accidents produce serious injuries here in the community of Geneva, as well as all throughout Illinois. Unfortunately, while the number of car accidents in Geneva have slightly decreased in the last two years, reports of serious accidents, including fatal crashes, are on the rise.

Geneva is a suburb of Chicago, Illinois that is located about 43 miles west of downtown Chicago. The quaint Fox River community is the county seat of Kane County, and part of the tri-city area that is situated between St. Charles to the north and Batavia to the south. Some other nearby towns include West Chicago, North Aurora, Aurora, South Elgin, Elburn, and Kaneville. According to the 2010 census, the population of Geneva was 21,495, but it was estimated to have risen to about 21,809 in 2019. Geneva is a popular restaurant and shopping destination with many busy roads. Some of the busiest roads in Geneva include Illinois Route 38 (State Street/Lincoln Highway), Kirk Road, Randall Road, Fabyan Parkway, Illinois Route 31, and Illinois Route 25.

Recently, there have been safety concerns in Geneva, due to drivers speeding and endangering pedestrian safety. According to the Kane County Chronicle, it is extremely dangerous to cross State Street. Kirk Road has been called “Killer Kirk” by local residents due to the number of accidents that have taken place there. Additionally, there have been calls for a pedestrian bridge at Fargo Boulevard and Randall Road to decrease pedestrian accidents.

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), there were 366 automobile accidents in Geneva in 2018, which presents a slight decrease from the previous three years, which had averaged approximately 400 per year. Of these accidents, three involved bicyclists, and four involved pedestrians. Two out of 366 were fatal, and one of those fatal accidents involved a pedestrian.

The most common type of car accidents in Geneva are rear-end collisions, which is consistent with the other cities in Kane County. Most of these accidents occurred on days on which no adverse weather was present. However, about 17% occurred during times of rain or snow, which can make roads more dangerous if drivers do not slow down and increase following distance. Roads in Geneva tend to be the safest in the early morning and later at night. Most crashes occur during later afternoon and rush hour.

How are records of Geneva car accidents kept? When a car accident is reported to the police, an Illinois Traffic Crash Report is generated. IDOT categorizes the types of car accidents and the factors that go into them. Additionally, IDOT uses a system consisting of the letters K, A, B, C and O to classify the severity of injuries that have occurred at each car accident. “K” means that a fatality occurred, as a result of injuries occurring during the accident or within a 30 day period following the accident. “A” is for incapacitating (severe) injuries, and “B” is for non-incapacitating injuries that still need to be treated. “C” means that injuries are either very minimal or non-evident, and O means there is no indication of any injury from the automobile crash. A, B and C are combined by IDOT to determine the total injuries for a particular year.

While the overwhelming majority of car accidents in Geneva are classified as “O,” Geneva reported two fatal (“K”) car accidents in 2018. In 2018, the total number of reported injuries was 150, with 16 people suffering from incapacitating injuries. Incapacitating injuries can include severe lacerations, broken or distorted limbs, or skull injuries.

While no fatal car accidents have been reported in Geneva thus far in 2020, there have been several accidents in recent years that have resulted in serious injuries and fatalities. Fatal traffic accidents occur as a result of anything from negligent or distracted driving to failing to follow the posted speed limit or take extra precautions during adverse weather conditions.

In the very early hours of Sunday, January 7, 2018, a 28-year-old man from DeKalb was driving on the 1400 block of West State Street in Geneva. He failed to correctly maneuver a curve in the roadway, and his 2000 Honda Accord began to shift into the eastbound lane of State Street. The vehicle struck a 2013 VW Passat that was being driven by an 18-year-old Geneva man. Both men were transported to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva where the 28-year-old man was pronounced dead, and the 18-year-old was released later that day.

On November 29, 2018, an 86-year-old man was walking across the 400 block of West State Street in downtown Geneva at about 6:30 p.m., when he was struck by a 76-year-old woman driving a 2007 Nissan Xterra. He was transported to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, then later sent to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove for further medical treatment. He received medical care for about two weeks before he died on December 8, 2019 due to injuries he sustained in the crash. The driver of the Nissan Xterra was not injured.

Geneva police are still looking for the driver that struck a 73-year-old man on August 22, 2019 in a hit and run accident. The man was transported to the hospital to deal with serious incapacitating injuries after being struck by a ‘dark’ Cadillac Escalade SUV that was heading west on State Street. The pedestrian spent seven months in three different hospitals and two months in rehabilitation due to the injuries he suffered in the hit and run. If the driver is found, he/she may face very serious charges.

What is the most commonly reported cause of vehicle accidents in Geneva? In Geneva and throughout the rest of the country, distracted driving is overwhelmingly the most frequent cause of car accidents. Some of the forms of distracted driving that we see most often are:

• Texting and driving
• Talking on a cellphone while driving (improper cell phone use)
• Eating or drinking
• Operating GPS systems or toggling with the radio
• Looking in the mirror or the back seat while driving

Sometimes, the physical condition of the driver contributes to the cause of a car accident. Some of these physical conditions or impairments include: driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol, fatigue, or illness. About 90% of drivers were not affected by any physical or emotional impairments when they crashed a vehicle that year. 17 of 725 drivers were impaired by alcohol, and only three out of 725 were under the influence of drugs. Six were either ill or overly fatigued. Driving under the influence is a very serious and is among the top three causes of car accidents in the U.S., along with distracted driving and reckless driving.

Though it is something we rarely see, car accidents can sometimes be caused by vehicle defects, and the most common form of that is braking system malfunctions. However, only six vehicles out of 742 involved in 2018 Geneva car accidents were reported to have brake defects. An overwhelming 93% of vehicles were in normal condition, which means the drivers themselves were usually at fault.

Of all the roads and intersections in Geneva, are there certain areas that are more dangerous than others? Though car accidents can occur at any place and any time, some roadways in Geneva are associated with more frequent crashes, and are, therefore, more dangerous. Listed below are some of the intersections in Geneva where either fatal accidents have occurred or where accidents occur more frequently:

• Kaneville Road and Randall Road
• Fabyan Parkway and Kirk Road
• Fargo Boulevard and Randall Road
• Route 38 (State Street) and Kirk Road
• Randall Road and Williamsburg Avenue
• Fabyan Parkway and Route 25
• Route 38 and Kaneville Road
• Gleneagle Drive and Randall Road
• Anderson Boulevard and Route 38
• Route 31 and Route 38

Other dangerous individual roadways include Kirk Road, Illinois Route 38 (State Street), and Randall Road. Based on the recent fatal accidents in Geneva, State Street seems to be the most dangerous place to drive or walk in the City of Geneva.

John J. Malm & Associates is an experienced Kane County law firm representing individuals and families who have experienced an injury or loss as the result of a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, bicycle accident, pedestrian accident, or bus accident. We have helped our clients recover millions in compensation for these losses. You may be entitled to a significant settlement if you have been injured or have lost someone. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Geneva car accident, we encourage you to call John Malm and his team at (630) 524-2323 to receive a free case review and discuss your legal options.