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Recent Blog Posts
When Can I Qualify for Disability Benefits Through Workers’ Comp?
A work-related injury can cause a great deal of difficulty in a person’s life. After being injured, a person may require emergency medical treatment and ongoing care, and their ability to return to work may be affected. Fortunately, workers’ compensation is available for anyone who has been injured on the job. In addition to fully covering the costs of medical treatment related to an injury, workers’ comp will also provide benefits that address a person’s loss of income due to an inability to work. Injured workers should be sure to understand when they will qualify for different types of workers’ compensation disability benefits.
Temporary or Permanent Disability Benefits
When an injury temporarily affects a person’s ability to work, they will qualify for disability benefits while recovering. These benefits will last until they reach the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI). If a person misses at least four days of work, they can receive temporary total disability (TTD) benefits. These benefits will not cover the first three days of missed work unless the person misses a total of at least 14 days of work. These benefits will be paid during a period where a doctor states that the person is unable to work or when they are able to do light work but their employer cannot meet these accommodations. TTD benefits pay 66 ⅔ percent of the average weekly wage (AWW) that a person earned in the 52 weeks before the date of their injury.
How Improperly Secured Cargo Can Lead to Truck Accidents
Tractor-trailer trucks and other commercial vehicles are much larger and heavier than passenger cars and trucks. This means that when truck accidents occur, people in other vehicles are much more likely to be seriously injured. There are many potential causes of semi-truck accidents, and one issue that is often overlooked is the danger of cargo that is not properly secured on a truck. Following a cargo-related truck accident, multiple parties may be liable for the injuries suffered by the victims.
Liability for Cargo-Related Truck Accidents
When cargo is loaded on a truck, it should be properly distributed in the truck’s bed or trailer, and it should be tied down or secured to ensure that it does not shift during transit. There are multiple ways in which cargo that was not loaded properly can lead to truck accidents, including:
How Nursing Home Neglect Can Lead to Bedsores and Fall Injuries
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities provide essential services for many people who are elderly or disabled. Those who are unable to care for themselves can benefit by living in a facility where staff members can make sure they are receiving the proper medical treatment and nutrition while also socializing with others and participating in activities they enjoy. Unfortunately, some nursing homes do not provide the proper care for their residents. This may occur because a facility is understaffed or because staff members do not have the proper training to address patients’ needs. In these cases, residents may suffer serious harm due to nursing home neglect, including injuries such as bedsores or falls.
Neglect Leading to Injuries for Nursing Home Residents
A nursing home’s staff should provide the necessary assistance to address a resident’s daily needs. If a facility does not have enough staff members to fully provide for everyone’s needs, or if staff fail to regularly check on patients and address any issues they are experiencing, a person can suffer serious harm. Bedsores and falls can affect patients in these cases, and they can not only cause a great deal of pain and discomfort, but they can have a negative impact on a person’s overall health.
Car Accidents Involving Teen Drivers Increase During the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer”
The summer months offer many opportunities for people to travel and enjoy the outdoors. However, this increased amount of travel also brings the risk of car accidents. This is especially true for teen drivers, who will be spending more time on the road while they are on vacation from school. Safety advocates have deemed the months between Memorial Day and Labor Day as the “100 deadliest days of summer” for teens. During this time, the number of teens killed in car accidents is 26% higher than during the rest of the year. Those who are injured in car accidents involving teen drivers will need to work with a skilled attorney to determine their options for receiving financial compensation.
Safety Issues Involving Teen Drivers
Inexperience is one of the primary reasons why teenagers become involved in car accidents. While teens are usually required to take driver’s education courses and receive training from their parents on how to drive safely, they simply do not have the amount of time behind the wheel that provides older drivers with an understanding of how to avoid dangerous accidents. In addition, teens are prone to risk-taking, and they may not fully consider the consequences of their actions. As a result, the decisions made by teen drivers can lead to collisions that cause injuries to themselves, passengers in their vehicle, people in other vehicles, or pedestrians and bicyclists.
Types of Driver Negligence That Can Lead to Bicycle Accidents
As the weather continues to warm up this spring, many Illinois residents are looking to enjoy the outdoors, and bicycling provides a great way to do so. In addition to getting fresh air, bicyclists can improve their health through exercise and save on transportation costs. However, these benefits also come with certain risks, since bicyclists can be seriously injured if they are involved in a collision with a motor vehicle. In many cases, bicycle accidents are caused by the negligence of drivers. Injured bicyclists can work with an attorney to establish liability for their accident and pursue compensation for their injuries.
Negligence That Can Cause Dangerous Bike Accidents
Drivers are required to share the road with bicycles, but many people fail to take the proper measures to protect the safety of bicyclists, either because they do not notice bicycles or because they do not respect bicyclists’ rights. Drivers may strike bicycles and cause serious injuries for a number of reasons, including:
Texting While Driving and Other Distractions Can Lead to Deadly Crashes
Even though driving is a daily activity for most people, it can still be dangerous. A small mistake by a driver can lead to a serious car accident involving injuries to drivers or passengers and extensive property damage. Because of these risks, drivers should always be sure they are following traffic laws and avoiding behaviors that could put themselves or others at risk. Unfortunately, many drivers fail to drive safely, and one of the most common ways that they act negligently is by driving while distracted.
Dangerous Types of Distracted Driving
Because driving is something people do every day, it can be easy for a person to fail to pay complete attention to the road around them. This is especially true for people who are driving on familiar routes, such as the roads they take to and from work. A person’s mind may wander, and instead of focusing on driving, they may look at signs and billboards, people in other vehicles, or buildings and objects on the side of the road.
Were You Recently Hit and Injured by a Drowsy Truck Driver?
Commercial truckers have become a key component of the U.S. economy. While online shopping has been a popular phenomenon for the past decade, the pandemic made the e-commerce industry skyrocket from a convenience to a necessity for many Americans. In order for companies to meet their shipping promises to consumers, truckers work day and night, not to mention the thousands of truckers who transport cargo from one business to another. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recognizes the pressure that these constant demands can have on commercial trucking companies and their employees and have put strict regulations in place when it comes to how many hours truckers can spend on the wheel. Despite these additional measures, some truckers continue to drive past the point of exhaustion, placing themselves and other drivers at risk.
Collecting Workers’ Compensation for an Injury While Working from Home
Last spring, many offices and other workplaces around the country were forced to close as a result of the shutdowns enacted to slow the spread of COVID-19. Some employees, such as those who work in non-essential businesses (restaurants, bars, casinos, salons) were temporarily laid off from their jobs as a result of federal and state-issued orders. Employees in other industries were able to shift to a remote working arrangement—also known as “telecommuting,” or simply working from home. According to various estimates, up to 42 percent of the American labor force is currently working from home, at least in some capacity, and many employers are finding that the transition has had benefits for their companies.
Working from home does have its challenges, however. Managing time and distractions can be difficult for some people, as can putting household responsibilities aside to focus on work. However, there is one concern in particular that many telecommuters have, especially if they were injured while working from home. Does workers’ compensation cover injuries that occur at an employee’s residence?
Have You Suffered Injuries Caused by an Animal Attack?
An animal attack or bite can cause severe injuries and possibly wrongful death for the victim. Thankfully, the state of Illinois maintains a level of control over animals. The law regulating animal attacks in Illinois is known as the Animal Control Act. According to the Animal Control Act, if a dog or other animal, without being provoked, attacks, or injures a peaceable person who is legally allowed to be where he or she is at the time of the attack, the owner of the animal is liable for civil damages to the victim caused by the attack.
What Is Included in the Animal Control Act?
The Animal Control Act applies to all animals, however, dogs are typically the most likely culprit in an attack. If a person’s pet were to attack another person, the Animal Control Act could hold the pet owner liable for the related injuries and damages. Damages include medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of normal life, disability, disfigurement, lost wages, and other damages. However, this does require proof if the victim wishes to pursue a claim against the animal owner.
What Measures Can I Take to Drive Safely in Illinois This Winter?
With winter weather already in motion, it is important to be prepared before getting behind the wheel. The holidays can increase the number of people on the roads, including those who have had a few drinks before operating their vehicles. You may not be able to control the weather, but taking additional safety measures is one way to increase your level of safety on the roads and reduce the risk of serious injury caused by a car accident. This is especially important in Illinois as winter conditions can fluctuate frequently. You may be unprepared for the snow until you find yourself navigating icy roads on your way home from work or visiting family and friends.
Driving in Snow and Ice
A seasoned driver knows that all weather conditions require slight adjustments for the person behind the wheel, and snow and ice are no exception. The following tips can help you arrive at your destination safely this winter:
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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