Posted on July 15, 2019 in Workers' Compensation

Workers’ compensation coverage is required by law in Illinois. That means that all employers must have workers’ compensation insurance that covers any employee who is injured while on the job. The amount of insurance premiums paid in the United States has seen close to a $10 million increase since 2011, changing from $35,664,230 in 2011 to $45,047,380 in 2017. This makes one wonder, are jobs getting more dangerous, or are more people being encouraged to seek compensation? According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nonfatal occupational injuries and illness incidence rates have been decreasing each year since 2003. Since the number of accidents have not increased, there must be another reason for the surge of net premium payments. Whether or not the increase can be attributed to educational efforts or improved knowledge of employees, it is important to know the different types of benefits offered in case of a workplace accident.

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 Posted on July 03, 2019 in Personal Injury

Drunk driving is illegal in all 50 states. In Illinois, a driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) cannot exceed 0.08 percent. According to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 47 percent of Illinois motor vehicle fatalities involve alcohol. Due to the risks that come with drunk driving, people who commit the offense of driving while under the influence (DUI) may face criminal penalties, and they may be held responsible for injuries caused to other drivers, passengers, or pedestrians. In some situations, other parties may also be liable for injuries in drunk driving accidents.

Dangers of Drinking and Driving

Everyone has heard that drinking and driving is a dangerous combination; however, many people would not be able to give accurate information on how alcohol consumption can affect driving abilities. Response time and coordination are both affected as alcohol is added into the mix. A driver's reaction time becomes slower, making it difficult to engage the brakes quickly to avoid hitting another vehicle or pedestrian. With a lack of coordination, drivers can put everyone at risk. A motorist needs sharp motor skills, such as eye, hand, and foot coordination to properly react to unexpected instances. Excessive drinking can greatly impair an individual's vision. Whether the road ahead is slightly blurry or appears to be spinning, a person cannot adequately drive without clear vision. 

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 Posted on June 27, 2019 in Personal Injury

Everyone has seen the medicine commercials that read off the laundry list of negative side effects that prescription drugs can have on those who take them. While it is unlikely for a drug to have zero side effects, these potentially dangerous effects should be recognized and mitigated before the drugs are released to the public. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires the completion of clinical trials on new drugs to keep individuals from falling victim to dangerous side effects. However, some pharmaceutical companies have failed to provide the public with the truth about the drugs they manufacture. Defective drugs can cause emotional, physical, and/or psychological injury.

Common Types of Drugs Found to Be Defective

If a drug’s side effects are not properly conveyed to the public, the drug is considered defective. The following are common medications whose negative side effects have deemed them defective on many occasions, resulting in court proceedings for the injured parties:

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 Posted on June 24, 2019 in Personal Injury Attorney

Many people suffer from foodborne illnesses, also referred to as food poisoning, each year. Whether it is caused by food purchased at the grocery store or meals prepared at a restaurant, foodborne illnesses can have health consequences that are more serious than just an upset stomach. Common symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and chills. These symptoms can be easily managed by those with strong immune systems, but children, pregnant women, elderly individuals, and those with other diseases can have difficulty fighting these types of illnesses. According to the CDC, 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 individuals die from foodborne illnesses each year.

Three Common Causes of Foodborne Illnesses

1. Viruses: Foodborne illnesses caused by viruses can be directly attributed to those who are already infected. If proper hygiene is not used by those preparing food, viruses can be spread through the food. “Employees must wash hands” signs in restaurant bathrooms are present to remind employees that waste residue can give customers foodborne illnesses. Contaminated water used during the preparation process is another common cause of such illnesses.

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 Posted on June 17, 2019 in Car Accident

It is no surprise that many teens will be involved in a car accident at one point or another; however, these accidents are often more than just a fender bender. According to the CDC, 2,433 U.S. teens (aged 16-19) were killed in 2016 and 292,742 were treated in ERs across the nation for injuries caused by car crashes. Driver education classes are required by schools in an effort to reduce such injuries and fatalities. Despite this curriculum, young adults remain six times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than adults. In many cases, these accidents occur because of lapses in judgment that can be attributed to decisions made without much driving experience. A young driver’s inexperience can often lead to serious car accidents, resulting in significant injuries or even death. 

Common Risk Areas

There are a few safety measures that young drivers tend to ignore:

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 Posted on June 11, 2019 in Personal Injury Attorney

Riding a bicycle is often seen as a nice way to spend the day, especially in the summer. Some see it as their daily workout, while others ride leisurely to enjoy the scenery. Although riding bicycles can be a fun family activity, it can also be extremely dangerous. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a total of 777 bicyclists were killed in accidents with motor vehicles in 2017 throughout the United States. Illinois has taken action to try to make riding a bike safer, with separate lanes reserved for cyclists and trails set apart from the cars and trucks on the roadway. Unfortunately, bicyclists continue to get hurt.

Types of Accidents and Safety Tips

Bicyclists can encounter numerous dangerous situations, especially when riding on busy roadways in Chicago. The following are common scenarios that bike riders may run into:

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 Posted on June 10, 2019 in Medical Malpractice

Cerebral palsy is a disorder of muscle tone, movement, or posture that can be caused by damage to a child's immature, developing brain. This can occur before birth or during labor. Symptoms are often not recognized at the time of birth, and the severity of the disorder varies from person to person. Some children cannot walk, have intellectual disabilities, or experience epilepsy. Blindness and deafness are also fairly common with those who have cerebral palsy.

Causes of Cerebral Palsy

There are various reasons a child may suffer from cerebral palsy, all of which affect the child's brain development. Some causes are circumstantial and cannot be avoided, while others are a result of medical professionals’ errors. Below are some of the causes of cerebral palsy:

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 Posted on June 05, 2019 in Personal Injury

Now that the snow has melted and summer is in full bloom, potholes riddle the Illinois roadways. Whether you are driving down country roads or navigating Chicago’s narrow streets, it can be almost impossible to avoid hitting a pothole. This was also the case in Baltimore, MD. Mitchelle Conway filed a lawsuit in March 2018 after being severely injured on account of a deep divot in the street. She sustained multiple injuries, including a broken leg, after stepping into “an obscured pothole” along the side of the curb. Throughout the legal proceedings, the city admitted that they knew about the unfixed pothole but took no action to fix it. Google images of the pothole from 2009 helped secure her case against the city. In the end, Ms. Conway received $80,000 to compensate for her injuries.

How Are Potholes Formed?

While we would like to think that any city would take action to improve our roads to ensure driver and pedestrian safety, this was not the case for Ms. Conway and is often not the case in Illinois. Potholes are such a common occurrence, but many do not know how they are formed.

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 Posted on May 07, 2019 in Medical Malpractice

A jury in Vermilion County awarded over $4.8 million to the family of a Danville woman who filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against a local physician and Danville Polyclinic. The lawsuit claimed that Dr. Muthiah Thangavelu's conduct was negligent and resulted in injuries to Linda Shelly that would otherwise have been avoidable

Shelly underwent a procedure to remove a cyst in her abdomen, but during the procedure Thangavelu cut and removed a portion of Shelly's right ureter. This eventually led to permanent and severe injuries, and ultimately, the loss of Shelly's right kidney.

Shelly passed away after struggling with the resulting injury for six and a half years. The lawsuit was filed in November 2010 and was finally brought to jury trial on March 18. After three hours of deliberating, the jurors awarded Shelly's estate $4,844,391 for pain and suffering, medical expenses, loss of normal life expectancy, and emotional distress for her family.

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 Posted on April 27, 2019 in Slip and Fall

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over 800,000 people end up in the hospital each year due to slip and fall accidents. If you are one of those people who has been injured in a slip and fall accident, it is important to understand what your rights are for getting compensated for your injuries. Not only could you receive compensation for the costs of your treatment, but your attorney may be able to help you obtain other indirect costs.

Determining Slip and Fall Compensation

If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, it is only logical to file a lawsuit if the compensation amount is high enough. So, how do you know how much the settlement needs to be in order to be beneficial for you? Although your attorney can help you determine whether it is worth it to file a lawsuit, here are a few factors that your attorney will use to make such a determination:

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