To operate a motor vehicle safely, one must think clearly, reason responsibility, and maintain muscle coordination. Alcohol consumption weakens all of these functions. Any injury caused by a car accident can be devastating and the injuries caused by a drunk driving accident are often preventable. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that nearly half of the vehicle fatalities in Illinois involve alcohol. Unfortunately, drunk driving is even more prominent during the summer months.

Illinois Drunk Driving Accidents

Across the nation, summer accounts for the highest level of drunk driving-related fatalities. This increase in deadly accidents makes it imperative to understand the dangers of drunk driving. Because alcohol can weaken the driver’s attention and control of the vehicle, the resulting injuries tend to be much worse. Impaired drivers may swerve, speed or even drive the wrong way on a highway, potentially leading to a head-on collision.

As drunk driving accidents remain prevalent, law enforcement has taken steps to discourage this behavior. One combative strategy includes sobriety checkpoints, allowing officers to check drivers for impairment at highly visible locations. 

When medical errors are made, they can have serious, long-term effects on the victim. Unfortunately, sometimes these victims are fetuses or newborns. Medical errors may transpire during the pregnancy and labor or delivery phases of childbirth. Such mistakes can result in the severe suffering or disability of a child. In some of the more severe cases, medical malpractice during pregnancy or childbirth can even result in the death of the baby or the mother.

Common Medical Complications During Pregnancy

There are many issues during pregnancy that can result in serious consequences if undetected. The detection and treatment of these issues is the responsibility of the obstetrician. Such conditions that may prove serious if undetected during pregnancy include:

 ●  Gestational diabetes

When parents drop their children off at daycare, they trust that the staff will keep their child safe. Unfortunately, some daycare facilities do not meet these expectations. When a child is injured at daycare, nursery school, summer camp, after-school program, or another type of childcare facility, the facility may be liable for damages. The parents may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost income, and other costs.

When is a Child Care Facility Legally Responsible for a Child’s Injuries?

As any parent can tell you, children get hurt all the time. However, daycare facilities are legally obligated to prevent reasonably foreseeable injuries. The facility should be kept clean and free of hazardous objects. Children should be properly supervised. Staff should be vetted for any history of child abuse. When a daycare facility fails to uphold this duty and a child is harmed as a result, the daycare may be legally responsible for the child’s injuries.

There are almost countless ways that a daycare may be liable for injuries but, often, personal injury claims against daycare facilities involve:

While most companies conduct thorough testing before releasing their products to the public, certain defective products slip through the cracks. Roundup, for instance, is found to increase the risk of some cancers by 40 percent. If you have contracted cancer after using this popular weed killer, you may have the right to take legal action.

Why Is Roundup a Dangerous Product?

Roundup contains the ingredient glyphosate, which disrupts enzymic pathways in plants. The product may be effective at killing weeds, but it may harm humans in the process. 

Bicyclists understand that they are at risk of injury when riding near vehicles. However, drivers are responsible for sharing the road safely with bicycles and taking the proper measures to avoid bicycle accidents. Unfortunately, many drivers fail to live up to this responsibility. If drivers do not notice bicycles near their vehicle, or if they act unsafely when bicycles are on the road, they can cause serious injuries to bicyclists. One way people in vehicles can injure bicycles is through “dooring.”

What Is Dooring?

When drivers park on the side of a busy road, they will likely be aware of other vehicles, and they will be looking to protect their own safety when they open their doors and exit their vehicle. However, drivers and passengers often fail to look for bicycles in these situations, including those who are traveling in bike lanes or who are riding in a lane of traffic near parked vehicles. If a person in a vehicle opens their door without checking for bicycles, they may block a bicyclist’s path or strike a bicycle.

In many cases, dooring will cause a cyclist to fall from their bike. A bicyclist who cannot stop before colliding with a car door in their path may be sent flying over their handlebars. This can cause multiple types of injuries when a cyclist collides with a door and lands on the ground. These may include serious cuts and bruises, broken bones, dislocated joints such as shoulders or wrists, injuries to the spinal cord and the vertebrae in the neck or back, or traumatic brain injuries, which may occur even if a person is wearing a helmet.