Tag Archives: Des Plaines

Driver hospitalized after Park Ridge rollover crash

(PARK RIDGE) One person was hospitalized after a rollover crash early Tuesday in northwest suburban Park Ridge.

An SUV collided with a semi truck shortly after 4 a.m. at Touhy and Greenwood avenues, according to Park Ridge police. The SUV rolled over during the crash.

No serious injuries were reported, although the female driver of the SUV was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge to be checked out, police said.

The scene of the crash was cleared shortly after 7 a.m., police said. Additional details were not immediately available.

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Police: 4 dead, 1 critical after Des Plaines car wreck

Authorities investigate after a fatal car wreck in Des Plaines late Thursday. | Network Video Productions

(DES PLAINES) Four people were killed and a fifth was clinging to life after a three-vehicle crash in northwest suburban Des Plaines on Thursday night, police said.

Emergency crews responded at 8:53 p.m. to the wreck at 170 Northwest Highway, according to Des Plaines police.

A Mercedes had been speeding west on Northwest Highway when it slammed head-on into a Chevrolet Impala in oncoming traffic as the Impala turned into a parking lot, police said. The force of the collision sent the Impala back into the eastbound lanes, and it was hit by a Toyota Highlander.

Three family members in the Impala were taken to hospitals where they died, police said. Their names have not been released.

The driver of the Mercedes, who police said was at fault for the crash, also died at a hospital, police said. A passenger was in critical condition at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge early Friday. They weren’t related, according to police.

Two people in the Highlander were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Police did not specify who was in each vehicle, but among the victims were three men, ages 22, 26 and 52; and two women, ages 20 and 50.

Authorities investigate after a fatal car wreck in Des Plaines late Thursday. | Network Video Productions
Authorities investigate after a fatal car wreck in Des Plaines late Thursday. | Network Video Productions
Authorities investigate after a fatal car wreck in Des Plaines late Thursday. | Network Video Productions
Authorities investigate after a fatal car wreck in Des Plaines late Thursday. | Network Video Productions

Suburban Chicago man sues over McDonald’s ‘value meal’ price

(CHICAGO) A suburban Chicago man is suing McDonald’s restaurants in two Illinois counties, arguing cheeseburger “Extra Value Meals” are actually more expensive than when the items are purchased separately.

James Gertie of Des Plaines tells The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald that bundling two cheeseburgers, medium french fries and a drink at $5.90 is 41 cents more than when individual items are purchased.

Gertie, a bus driver, says his lawsuit filed this month is about principle, not 41 cents.

He seeks class-action status for a consumer fraud and deceptive practices lawsuit against McDonald’s operator Karis Management Co.

The complaint seeks an injunction to keep McDonald’s from pricing value meals higher than items purchased separately.

Des Plaines-based Karis operates McDonald’s restaurants in nine cities. Representatives from McDonald’s and Karis didn’t return messages.

Gertie joined John Howell and Ray Stevens on Wednesday morning.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Burbank construction company faces $80K in OSHA fines

(EVANSTON) A southwest suburban construction company is facing more than $80,000 in fines for failing to protect employees from falls and silica hazards while remodeling a home in August, according to the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

Inspectors observed the Evanston work site on Aug. 25 and found that JW Construction & Plastering, Inc. “exposed workers to fall hazards of up to 25 feet and allowed them to apply stucco without adequate personal protective equipment,” the agency said in a statement.

Scaffold platforms at the work site were not fully planked, safe access to scaffold platforms did not exist and the scaffold was not secured to prevent tipping, the statement said.

OSHA issued two willful, two repeated and three serious safety violations and JW Construction & Plastering, Inc. consequently faces $80,741 in proposed penalties. The company was cited for similar violations in 2014.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the statement said.

“Preventable falls account for nearly 40 percent of all deaths in the construction industry, and silica presents a health hazard that can cause irreversible lung damage that can lead to long-term health concerns,” Angeline Loftus, OSHA’s area director at its Chicago North office in Des Plaines, said in the statement. “OSHA is committed to protecting construction workers from unnecessary illness, injuries or worse.”

Work starts Tuesday on new bridge from Jane Addams to Cumberland

(CHICAGO) Construction will start Tuesday on a new flyover bridge connecting the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway to Cumberland Avenue on the Northwest Side.

The bridge will connect eastbound I-90 to Cumberland, spanning over eastbound I-190 and the CTA Blue Line tracks, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Transportation. Shoulder closures will begin Tuesday on I-190 east of the Des Plaines River and overnight lane closures will be implemented as needed.

The project is part of ongoing improvements to I-90 and I-190 between Cumberland and O’Hare International Airport, IDOT said. The new flyover bridge is expected to be finished by fall 2018.

Man killed in forklift accident at Des Plaines warehouse

(DES PLAINES) A Northwest Side man died after a workplace accident Friday evening at a shipping warehouse in northwest suburban Des Plaines.

Urbano A. Merlos, 37, was pinned between a truck and a forklift about 5:30 p.m. at the facility at 333 Howard Ave. in Des Plaines, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Merlos was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he died of multiple injuries at 7:36 p.m., authorities said. He lived in the 500 block of West Altgeld in Chicago.

An autopsy performed Saturday found his death to be an accident.

C.H. Robinson, an international shipping company based in Minnesota, opened the office and warehouse earlier this year, according to their website. Neither Des Plaines police nor C.H. Robinson representatives could immediately be reached for comment.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an inspection on Saturday, according to Scott Allen, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor. Merlos was employed at the warehouse by Andrews Staffing.

© Copyright 2016 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

Motorcyclist critically hurt in crash with van in Des Plaines

(DES PLAINES) A 21-year-old motorcyclist was critically hurt when he struck a minivan Wednesday night in northwest suburban Des Plaines.

The motorcyclist was traveling southbound on Mount Prospect Road when he struck a minivan that had partially turned left onto Mount Prospect from Golf Road at 6:53 p.m., according to a statement from Des Plaines police.

The man was thrown from his motorcycle and taken to Lutheran General in Park Ridge, where he is listed in critical condition, police said.

Additional details were not immediately available late Wednesday.

OEMC warns of traffic delays during Cardinal George funeral procession

(CHICAGO) Thursday’s funeral services for the late Cardinal Francis George are expected to delay traffic as the procession heads from the Near North Side to northwest suburban Des Plaines.

Street closures could be in effect between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. near Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State St., during and after the service, a statement from the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

Wabash will be closed from Chicago to Pearson, and Pearson will be closed from State to Wabash, OEMC said.

Following the funeral, there will be a procession from the city to All Saints Cemetery in northwest suburban Des Plaines. Closures will be in effect on streets and expressways along the route between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., OEMC said.

The procession will head southbound on State to Ontario, then to westbound I-90/94.

The procession will get off the expressway at Irving Park and take the following route to the cemetery:

  • Westbound Irving Park to Narragansett;
  • Northbound Narragansett to Nagle;
  • Northbound Nagle to Milwaukee;
  • Northwest-bound Milwaukee to Dempster;
  • Westbound Dempster to Rand
  • Northwest-bound Rand to River
  • Northbound River to All Saints Cemetery.