Posted on December 00,0000 in Car Accidents

A car accident can happen in the blink of an eye, and it can result in life-altering consequences. From vehicle damage to serious injuries, a collision may result in significant expenses. In some cases, a driver may not be the only person in the automobile at the time. He or she may have passengers, some of whom may be other adults or minors under the age of 18. Children who are involved in a car crash can sustain major damage, with some injuries even proving fatal in certain situations. Although Illinois has strict laws on seat belt use and car seat safety, younger occupants may be more likely to get hurt in an auto accident.

Child Occupant Safety

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death for children in the United States. Sadly, many of these deaths can be prevented. A large percentage of the fatalities occur when a child is not properly restrained in a car seat or with a seat belt. However, injuries can still occur even when passengers are buckled. Airbags can cause bruising and fractures depending on the force of impact when they are deployed. Because children have a smaller body mass than adults, colliding with any object in the vehicle can cause significant injuries. In some situations, children can suffer broken bones or spinal cord damage. Shattered windows can send glass flying, resulting in lacerations and severe blood loss.

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 Posted on December 00,0000 in Medical Malpractice

Physicians prescribe medication to patients all the time for various reasons. Certain medicines can help alleviate pain and symptoms for injured and sick patients when correctly prescribed and used. They can also heal and cure injuries and illnesses if used properly. However, they also have the potential to cause permanent damage or even death if they are used incorrectly. If you or your loved one has suffered as a result of a prescription drug mistake, you may be entitled to compensation. An experienced personal injury attorney can help determine liability for your damages. Responsible parties may include a doctor, pharmacist, or anesthesiologist.

Common Forms of Medication Mistakes

Unlike over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, prescription medication must be prescribed by a doctor and are usually dispensed by a pharmacist at a hospital or a pharmacy. This is because these types of drugs could be potentially addictive or lethal if not taken properly. Names of some medications may at first glance look or sound similar, which means they can be easily confused with each other. In other cases, ingesting too much or too little of a drug can affect a patient’s health and well-being.

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 Posted on December 00,0000 in Car Accidents

The holiday season is here, which also signals the end of a year that has been trying for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an economic and health crisis throughout the world. Although many states, Illinois included, have closed non-essential businesses, some restaurants and bars are allowed to stay open but with reduced capacity, outdoor dining, or for takeout orders only. This Thanksgiving may look a little different, as many extended families are choosing not to get together and instead have a small gathering with their immediate household members. However, some individuals may opt to still go out and celebrate at friends’ houses or the local pub. Even if they decide to eat and drink at home, they may want to get out of the house and go for a drive after consuming one too many alcoholic beverages. Drunk driving can lead to devastating consequences, including vehicle crashes with serious injuries.

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 Posted on December 00,0000 in Workers Comp

There are many different kinds of injuries that an employee can experience while on the job. The severity of an injury often depends on the type of industry. In some cases, injuries are apparent and require immediate medical attention. With these types of injuries, it may be easy to prove that the workplace was the direct cause of the accident. However, certain work-related injuries can take weeks or months to present symptoms or fully manifest, making it more difficult for an individual to seek benefits. An example of this type of injury carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a common repetitive motion injury that affects a person’s hands and wrists. Most Illinois companies are required to carry workers’ compensation benefits for their employees in the event of a workplace accident. A skilled attorney can explain your options for seeking benefits by filing a workers’ compensation claim for this type of injury, whether you work in an office, a warehouse, or at a construction site.

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 Posted on December 00,0000 in Personal Injury

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted people all over the world, including the United States. Over the course of the last year, we have adjusted to a new normal. In Illinois, many schools, offices, stores, restaurants, and bars temporarily closed to stop the spread of the virus. As a result, many people purchased gifts online this holiday season. Almost anything can be bought through online shopping, such as clothing, makeup, books, appliances, furniture, or electronics. Most manufacturers have quality control processes intended to identify manufacturing defects before their products are released to the public. However, mistakes made during this process can lead to defective goods being distributed to retailers and sold to unsuspecting consumers. In these situations, a user could be at risk of suffering a serious injury due to a flaw in design or production.

How a Faulty Product Can Harm Users

Since you can buy practically anything on the Internet these days, it can be difficult to determine the quality of these products if you cannot see them or try them in person. Although clothes cannot really cause you harm, other types of products can be dangerous if they do not work properly. For example, improper wiring may lead to an electronic or motorized toy or device to malfunction and catch fire, causing the individual who is using it to suffer first-, second-, or third-degree skin burns. Similarly, a faulty device could electrocute a person in some cases if it does not include adequate directions or warning labels. In other cases, missing or broken parts make them dangerous for users.

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 Posted on December 00,0000 in Car Accidents

One of the most popular modes of transportation for youth sports groups, church groups, and other organizations is the 15-passenger van. Many families or groups of friends will also rent these large vehicles when traveling together, rather than using separate vehicles. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns that these vehicles can be dangerous.

According to the NHTSA, overloaded 15-passenger vans have a greater risk of being involved in a rollover accident, and many of these accidents can be fatal. Overloading the van also makes it unstable when driving, which also increases the risk of other types of traffic accidents.

Past testing conducted by the NHTSA revealed that the more occupants in the van, the greater the risk of a roll-over, even in a single-vehicle crash. In fact, a van carrying 10 occupants has a three times higher risk of rolling over than a van carrying five occupants.

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 Posted on December 00,0000 in Car Accidents

The number of motor vehicle accidents that occur each year has reached the millions. According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2009, over 13 million passenger accidents have occurred in the past decade, half a million which involved large trucks.

All motor vehicle accidents share a few similarities, but a collision involving a commercial truck differs from that involving an automobile based on a variety of factors. Both can be traumatic to all parties involved and result in:

• Personal injuries;
• Damage to the vehicle or vehicles;
• Medical costs; and
• Post-accident stress and follow-up care.

However, financial liability and driver responsibility when comparing trucking and car accidents are not the same. A motorist involved in a car accident with one or more cars exchanges insurance information between drivers to file a claim. When a trucking accident occurs, both the commercial driver and the trucking company may be held liable for damages. In either case, pertinent data must be collected including:

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 Posted on December 00,0000 in Motorcycle Accident

For the past three years, there has been a consistent increase in the number of motorcycle accident fatalities in the state of Illinois. The number of deaths has caused officials to seriously consider adding a third class of motorcycle license to the two classes of licenses that Illinois now offers.

Currently, when a person applies for a motorcycle license, they have two options to test for.  The first is for cycles which have an engine less than 150 cubic centimeters. Engines these sizes are typically found in scooters and off-road bikes. The second class is for cycles with engines larger than 150 cubic centimeters.

The problem, proponents of a third license class say, is that motorcycle manufactures keep designing bikes with larger and larger engines, with enough power to hit speeds of up to 140 miles per hour. A novice rider, who passed their licensing test riding a smaller engine motorcycle, goes and purchases one of these more powerful bikes and ends up not being able to handle them. This often leads to accidents–and too often those accidents are deadly.

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 Posted on December 00,0000 in Medical Malpractice

When we do to the doctor or hospital because we are sick or injured, we put our trust into the physicians and other medical personnel that the treatment and care they give us will make us well, or at the very least, comfortable. What we do not anticipate is that the care we receive will actually cause more medical issues or be dangerous. But for many elderly patients, that is exactly what happens.

A study that was recently conducted by researchers at the Gerontology Program at Towson University in Maryland revealed that one in five elderly Medicare patients sustain injuries that frequently have nothing to do with the medical problems they are being treated for. Some of the more common injuries include being prescribed medication that causes allergic reactions, being given the wrong medication or having treatments for an illness which causes other medical problems other than the original diagnosis.

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 Posted on December 00,0000 in Car Accidents

Driving a car is very dangerous activity.  For example, in Illinois during the first six months of 2012 there was a 17 percent increase in car-related fatalities compared to the previous year. Most accidents can be linked to certain dangerous driving behaviors which may not be illegal.  Being aware of the how your habits can cause accidents may help you avoid injury or death.

Speeding

Though drunk driving is the leading cause of traffic deaths, the second leading cause is speeding.  This is because it creates less time to react to other drivers on the road.  It can also require more erratic driving like lane changes or other dangerous decisions to avoid traffic.

Driving Tired

Operating a motor vehicle while being tired is a common occurrence for young men, shift workers, and people with sleep disorders.  The tendency is to push the envelope to sleep at the destination but sometimes that doesn't occur.  Falling asleep while driving is very dangerous because it doesn't allow the operator to react to an impending accident.

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