As our bodies age, natural changes occur that can make everyday activities more difficult. Eating and drinking, activities most of us take for granted throughout our lives, become much more challenging for many elderly adults. For those who live in nursing homes or assisted living centers, choking hazards are particularly dangerous because staff usually have to manage the needs of several residents at once. When a nursing home is understaffed or employees are poorly trained, residents can choke and suffer serious injuries and even death. If you have a loved one who has suffered from Illinois nursing home negligence in a choking incident, read on. 

How Common are Choking Accidents in Nursing Homes? 

Choking incidents are alarmingly common in the elderly population. Over half of people who die from choking every year in the United States are older than 74, making nursing home residents especially vulnerable to this dangerous risk. There are many reasons for this, including: 

• Reduced saliva - Saliva thins and production is reduced in elderly people, making it harder to break down food in the mouth and lubricate it as it moves down the throat. 

  ...

Bars in Illinois are mostly places for harmless nights of fun with friends. People like to gather in bars to watch their favorite Chicago sports teams or just to sit back and relax after a long workweek. Unfortunately, not every trip to the bar ends on good terms. While most patrons mind their own business, some people struggle to control themselves under the influence of alcohol. Lowered inhibitions make disputes over even minor disagreements more likely; an audience of eager onlookers will often egg on an otherwise unlikely fight. 

Unlike in movies, where bar fights result in the good guy leaving triumphant and the bad guys laying still on the floor, bar fights in real life can cause serious injuries that require time-consuming and expensive treatment. If you have been assaulted in a bar fight, you may want to hold the party who injured you responsible in a personal injury lawsuit. 

Common Injuries Caused By Illinois Bar Fights

Because bars are full of glass and lightweight furniture, injuries from items that are thrown or smashed can be serious and even life-threatening. Other injuries resulting from physical contact with another person can be just as serious; facial injuries are among the most common and often require extensive reconstructive surgery to minimize long-term scarring and disfigurement. Other injuries include, but are not limited to: 

Decades of research have given parents the knowledge and products they need to make driving a much safer experience for children than it was in the past. When a parent puts their child in a car seat or booster seat, they assume the manufacturer has taken all necessary precautions to test a car seat’s safety and produced it using the strongest, safest materials. Unfortunately, even when a parent uses the utmost precaution and follows all instructions, a defective car seat can endanger a child’s life in a car accident. A child’s injury or sudden death in a car accident is a tragedy; if your little one was hurt because of a defective car seat, you may want to know if you can take legal action. 

How Common are Car Seat Recalls? 

Even after extensive testing and research, child car seat and booster seat manufacturers issue recalls frequently. Over the past five years, tens of thousands of car seats have been recalled after manufacturers learned they posed a risk to children. Car seats and booster seats may be recalled for many reasons, including: 

• Choking hazards from loose plastic parts or leaking foam 

  ...

Since driving is a common, everyday activity for many people, it can be easy to forget the dangers that motor vehicles can pose. Cars and trucks weigh several thousand pounds, and if drivers are not in complete control of a vehicle, they may collide with others, causing serious injuries and extensive property damage. While there are a variety of reasons why car accidents occur, vehicle maintenance is one issue that may receive less attention. Failure to perform regular maintenance and repairs can significantly impact a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle safely, and a driver may be held liable for accidents that took place because they did not keep their vehicle properly maintained.

Maintenance Issues That May Lead to Motor Vehicle Accidents

Vehicle maintenance can be an especially important issue during the winter. Even if a person took care to make sure a car was prepared for cold weather at the beginning of the winter, a vehicle may experience wear and tear during the winter months due to regular temperature changes, strong storms, and exposure to snow and ice. Some maintenance issues that can affect a person’s ability to drive safely include:

• Worn or underinflated tires - Proper traction is crucial to ensure that a driver will be able to maintain control of a vehicle. If tire treads are worn down, a driver may be unable to slow down or stop when necessary, and they may not be able to avoid a collision. Tires that are not properly inflated can also affect a driver’s control, and cold weather can often lead to underinflated tires. Tire-related issues can be especially significant during the winter, since snow and ice on the roads can decrease traction. However, wet roads at any time of year may lead to increased stopping times. Failure to replace tires when necessary can cause a vehicle to be dangerous, and a vehicle owner may be liable for accidents that occur as a result.

  ...

For many people, the worst thing they can imagine is the death of a loved one. Even if a person dies of natural causes at the end of a long life, family members may struggle with grief and sorrow as they deal with this loss. However, an untimely death can be much worse, and in addition to dealing with the emotional fallout, family members may also experience significant financial difficulties. In cases where a person was killed because of someone else’s actions, their loved ones may pursue a wrongful death lawsuit, and they will need to understand the types of compensation that they may be able to receive.

Damages Available in Wrongful Death Claims

Under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act, a person’s spouse and next of kin (which may include their children or other dependents who relied on the person for financial support) may pursue compensation from the person or party who was responsible for their loved one’s death. A wrongful death lawsuit may seek multiple types of damages, including:

• Lost income and benefits - If the deceased person was one of the primary income earners for a family, the loss of this income may cause significant difficulties for their spouse and children. The survivors may seek compensation for the income that the person would have been expected to earn throughout their natural lifetime, as well as any related benefits, such as health insurance or retirement savings.

  ...