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Recent Blog Posts
What Should I Do if a Pit Bull Has Attacked My Child?
Millions of people are bitten by dogs every year in the United States. Most of these bites are accidents and require little or no medical treatment, while other bites are much more serious. Serious dog attacks are rare, but when the victim is a child, the consequences can be disastrous. It is essential to know what to do after a dog attacks your child, just as it is essential to retain the help of a knowledgeable Illinois dog bite injury lawyer.
What to Do After a Dog Attack
If your child has been attacked by a dog, the most important thing to do first is secure the medical care your child needs. Take careful photographs of your child’s injuries, both before and after treatment (as long as it is safe to do so - do not delay calling 911 to take photographs). Make sure you keep detailed records of your memories of the incident, and, if your child is prepared to talk about what happened, write down what they remember, too. Follow your doctor’s treatment guidelines for your child’s injuries carefully and keep all medical records.
How Can I Prove a Vehicle’s Tire Defect Caused an Accident in Which I Was Injured?
Many different things can cause car accidents, but one of the most common reasons cars and trucks crash is tire damage. Semi-trucks, especially, have heavy loads that bear down with great pressure on many tires, potentially exposing the vehicles around them to the risk of tires blowing, shredding, or otherwise breaking and causing serious accidents.
Tire accidents can be especially difficult to prevent because the average person may not know when their tires are too worn to be used safely, leading them to inadvertently cause an accident through improper tire maintenance. Other times, serious injuries are caused when a tire manufacturer makes a defective tire, causing it to malfunction while in use. Still other crashes happen when truck drivers, inspectors, or cargo companies fail to appropriately inspect and maintain commercial trucks. If you were in a car accident because another driver’s tire blew out or shredded in the roadway, it is important to be able to prove this was the cause of the crash.
Distracted Driving Causes Serious Injuries and Fatalities on Illinois Roadways
Distracted driving, defined as any activity which diverts a driver’s attention from the road, is a major contributor to car crashes that cause severe injuries and death. In a national analysis on which states have the most serious problems with distracted driving fatalities, Illinois ranked number eight on the list - meaning it is one of the worst states for distracted driving deaths.
If you or someone you love has been injured or killed by a distracted driver, taking action by filing an injury claim may be the last thing you feel like doing. But you do not have to suffer alone. An Illinois distracted driving car crash attorney can do the hard work of investigating the accident, collecting evidence, and pursuing compensation on your behalf through a negotiated settlement or lawsuit.
What is Considered Distracted Driving?
As the CDC notes, if you are driving at 55 miles an hour, taking your eyes off the road long enough to send a text is the equivalent of driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.
Is a Trucking Company at Fault if Cargo Falls From a Truck and Kills Someone?
Some of the most gruesome road accidents occur when shifting loads fall off of commercial delivery trucks and crash into the roadway or hit other cars, pedestrians, or cyclists. Entire families can be killed and lives changed forever in a split second when truck accidents like this occur. Because the consequences of falling truck cargo can be so disastrous, there are strict federal regulations around loading trucks. Depending on the cause of the accident, the trucking company, the driver, or the company that loaded the truck may be held responsible.
Who is Responsible for Falling Cargo Truck Accidents?
In an effort to reduce shifting or falling cargo, federal regulations have been put into place that dictate how trucks may be loaded. Different loads require different ways of securing the material and trucking or shipping companies are responsible for making sure employees know how to secure cargo properly. Drivers are also responsible for making pre-trip inspections to make sure everything is loaded correctly and that the truck is fit to drive safely.
Do I Need an Attorney if My Employer Has Workers’ Compensation Insurance?
Even using the utmost caution, we spend at least eight hours a day at work, and eventually, most of us are bound to get hurt in one way or another. Although the number of fatal workplace injuries dipped somewhat in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, as the unemployment rate continues dropping, workplace injuries are expected to rise again.
Illinois requires nearly every worker to be covered by workers’ compensation insurance provided by their employer. However, just because an employer has workers’ compensation insurance does not mean that they will be willing to pay or willing to pay fairly. Sometimes employers even flout the law and do not get workers’ compensation at all. If you have been injured at work, you may want to seriously consider getting help from an Illinois workers' compensation attorney who can help.
What Does a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Do?
The responsibility of a great workers’ compensation attorney is to secure the best possible outcome in your case. They know the system and the kinds of mistakes that often trip people up. Attorneys with experience resolving workers’ compensation cases also have the knowledge to go toe-to-toe with insurance companies and non-compliant employers.
Failure to Monitor Illinois Nursing Home Residents Can Pose Fatal Choking Hazards
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:
I Got Hurt in an Illinois Bar Fight - Can I Take Action?
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.
Can I Sue a Defective Car Seat Manufacturer if My Child Was Injured in a Car Crash?
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:
When Can Car Accidents Be Caused by Improper Vehicle Maintenance?
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:
Types of Damages Family Members Can Receive in Wrongful Death Cases
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:
From our office in Plainfield, Illinois, we serve clients in Will County, DuPage County, Kendall County, Kane County, Joliet, Naperville, Romeoville, Bolingbrook, Aurora, Lemont, Crest Hill, Shorewood, Lockport, Woodridge, Wheaton, Oswego, Yorkville, Homer Glen, Lisle, and surrounding communities.
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