The Law Offices of James M. Freeman, P.C.

From CHICAGO BREAKING NEWS:

Governor Quinn has officially signed Illinois first specific Anti-Bicycle Harassment statute into law.  Effective January 1, 2011, the law increases penalties for attempting to harm or threaten bicyclists. Under the law, drivers who intimidate cyclists with threats, crowding or throwing items will be subject to a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.

An eighteen year old Chicagoan was recently sentenced to only 10 days in jail after intentionally striking a cyclist in Brookfield while driving drunk. 

At "6:30 a.m. on May 31, 2009, [Armando] Reza and a friend, Erik Fabian, 20, of Chicago, were in Brookfield driving a white Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Recently there has been an explosion in the number of hit-and-run cases coming through my office. I have always maintained that cyclists are especially vulnerable to hit-and-run drivers because as cyclists we are intrinsically susceptible to be injured by cars, and we often lack proper insurance coverage to pay for the aftermath. Flight is a cowardly and selfish act that cannot be tolerated, and I intend to use every instrument at my disposal to see that  drivers are punished and their victims compensated.