Posted on March 28, 2022 in Auto Accidents

Cell phones, GPS systems, kids in the backseat, and countless other factors can lead to distracted driving. Driving takes a great deal of concentration. Drivers must pay attention to traffic signs and signals, other motorists, and pedestrians simultaneously. Failure to pay close enough attention to the road and surroundings can lead to horrible accidents.

To bring attention to the ongoing problem of distracted driving, April has been designated as distracted driving awareness month. If you or a loved one were injured in a car crash caused by a distracted driver, you should know your rights. You may be able to hold the distracted driver accountable and seek financial compensation for your damages.

Dangers of Distracted Driving

Despite advances in automotive technology and safety, The National Highway Safety Administration reports that fatal auto accidents rose 17 percent from 2019 to 2021. Many experts believe that the increase in smartphone use behind the wheel and complacency while driving has contributed to the increase in fatal crashes.

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 Posted on March 09, 2022 in Personal Injury

The average person uses consumer goods on an everyday basis. From appliances and tools to children’s’ toys and motor vehicles, consumer products are a vital part of modern living. Consumers expect that the products they use are safe and will operate correctly. However, not every product meets these expectations. Defective products can represent serious and potentially fatal hazards. If you or a loved one were injured by a defective product, you may be able to take legal action against the at-fault party and recover financial compensation.

Liability for Dangerous Products in Illinois

The companies that design, create, and distribute products are legally responsible for ensuring that the products are not unreasonably hazardous. If a company fails to meet this expectation and a customer is harmed as a result, the injured person may be entitled to monetary damages.

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 Posted on February 23, 2022 in Auto Accidents

Unfortunately, many people struggle to express their feelings in an appropriate way. Fears about COVID-19, problems at home, work frustrations, and other issues can cause a person to lash out at others while driving. Studies show that incidences of road rage are on the rise. The AAA foundation states that aggressive driving is a contributing factor in over half of all fatal car crashes. It is estimated that road rage leads to 1,800 injuries and 30 deaths each year in the U.S.

If you or a loved one were injured in a collision caused by another driver’s road rage, you should know that you have options. In addition to any criminal charges the driver faces, you may be able to seek financial compensation for your damages through a personal injury claim.

What is Road Rage?

There is no one definition for road rage, but it is usually characterized by driving behaviors that are intentionally dangerous. Aggressive drivers may tailgate, weave in and out of lanes, slam on their brakes, or yell at other drivers. Sometimes, this behavior escalates to deliberately colliding with other vehicles or running another vehicle off the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that following too closely, driving under the influence, speeding, and erratic lane changes often coincide with road rage accidents.

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 Posted on February 06, 2022 in Personal Injury

Nursing homes help keep our loved ones safe when they can not care for themselves. Sadly, understaffing and other issues can lead to substandard care in nursing home facilities. Sometimes this substandard care escalates into neglect or abuse of residents. One significant issue that poses a great risk to residents’ health is bedsores. Bedsores, or decubitus ulcers, are wounds that develop on skin exposed to excessive periods of pressure. In addition to being painful, these sores can lead to serious and even fatal medical complications.

How Do Bedsores Develop?

Bedsores almost always develop on people with limited mobility. Individuals with full mobility can get up and move around, which relieves pressure on body parts and encourages blood flow. However, nursing home residents who cannot sit up, stand, or walk on their own may be in one position for long periods of time. This can cause bedsores to form on the body parts that are under pressure. Bedsores often form on the tailbone, back, backs of feed, and back of the head.

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 Posted on January 25, 2022 in Auto Accidents

In an study conducted by Allstate, nearly 90 percent of drivers surveyed admitted to driving faster than the posted speed limit. Approximately 40 percent admitted to driving more than 20 miles an hour over the speed limit. Even though it is dangerous, many drivers speed.

If you were hurt in a car accident while you were speeding, you may question whether you can still file an injury claim and seek monetary compensation for your damages. The answer, like many answers in personal injury law, depends on the unique circumstances of your case. Read on to learn how speeding may impact an accident victim’s ability to successfully recover compensation after an accident.

Who Is At Fault for the Collision?

Illinois is an at-fault state when it comes to car accident claims. This means that the at-fault’s insurer is typically responsible for paying for accident-related costs. However, determining who is at fault for an accident is not always as easy as it may initially seem. Often, the actions of multiple parties contribute to a serious wreck. In shared liability cases such as these, fault may lie with several drivers. Illinois uses a legal theory called “comparative negligence” when more than one party is liable for an injurious accident.

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 Posted on January 06, 2022 in Workers' Compensation

A work accident that happens in a split second can change someone’s life forever. Whether in an office, construction site, delivery truck, or another work environment, work injuries can be severe. If you or a loved one were the victim of a serious work injury, you may be interested in exploring your legal options. Most people know that workers’ compensation insurance exists, but they are unaware of exactly what workers’ comp covers or how they should go about pursuing compensation. Many injured workers are also unaware of their rights – a fact which is often exploited by employers and insurance companies.

Workers’ Compensation and Permanent Partial Disabilities

Equipment-related mishaps, slip and fall accidents, struck-by accidents, on-the-job car crashes, and other work accidents can lead to life-changing injuries. Spine injuries, traumatic brain injuries, amputation injuries, and severe burns are just some of the work injuries that can leave a worker permanently disabled. If you or a loved one are in this situation, it is important to understand your rights under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. Injured workers who can no longer work or must work a different job may be entitled to permanent partial disability benefits (PPD).

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 Posted on December 22, 2021 in Auto Accidents

There are nearly countless ways a serious car accident can occur. Head-on collisions in which both cars are traveling toward each other are often some of the most severe. Sadly, fatalities and catastrophic injuries are not uncommon in head-on crashes. If you were injured or your loved one was killed in a head-on crash, read on to learn about your legal options under Illinois law.

Personal Injury Claims and Head-On Accidents

When two vehicles are traveling in opposite directions, the force of a collision is magnified. Head-on crashes often cause head, neck, and spine injuries, broken bones, internal damage, and other severe injuries. An individual involved in a head-on crash or frontal crash may never be the same again. Money cannot make up for such a horrific experience, however, it may help the injured person cover accident-related costs and move past the experience.

Sometimes, liability in a head-on crash is straightforward. For example, one driver may have been traveling the wrong direction on the highway due to intoxication by drugs or alcohol while the other driver was an innocent victim. Other times, both drivers’ actions contribute to a head-on crash. In the case of a shared-fault accident, an injured person’s entitlement to monetary damages may be reduced according to his or her share of fault.

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 Posted on December 03, 2021 in Personal Injury

Children are naturally curious. Unfortunately, this curiosity can sometimes lead to severe or even fatal injuries. If your child was hurt after wandering into a neighbor’s property, you may have questions about your legal rights. You may wonder if the neighbor is legally responsible for your child’s injuries. As with many legal questions, the answers to these questions vary based on the circumstances of the injury-causing accident. In some cases, parents can hold property owners liable for child injuries through a specific type of personal injury claim called a premises liability claim.

Attractive Nuisances and Illinois Law

Generally, property owners are only legally responsible for injuries suffered by guests to the property. Trespassers are not usually protected by Illinois premises liability laws. However, the rules are different when children are involved. “Attractive nuisances” are dangerous areas or objects that may injure a child.

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 Posted on November 22, 2021 in Personal Injury

Commercial semi-trucks are massive vehicles capable of causing catastrophic damage in an accident. If you or a loved one were involved in a commercial truck crash, you know this firsthand. Victims of truck accidents and the surviving family of fatal truck accidents may be entitled to financial compensation for their damages. They may be compensated for medical expenses, lost wages, funeral and burial expenses, pain and suffering, and more. However, to bring a successful claim, they need evidence of the at-fault party’s actions and the relationship between those actions and the crash. Often, proof of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) violations is a crucial part of this evidence.  

Hours of Service Regulations

Driving takes skill and attention – especially when operating a massive commercial truck. When a truck driver is sleep deprived, he or she is more likely to make mistakes behind the wheel that cause an accident. To reduce the incidence of truck accidents caused by drowsy driving, the FMCSA has instituted “Hours of Service” regulations. These rules limit drive time and require the truck driver to stop for rest breaks. The truck driver’s electronic logbook or the truck’s event data recorder may contain evidence of Hours of Service violations you can use to build your case.  

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 Posted on November 08, 2021 in Auto Accidents

Being involved in a car wreck is not only frightening and traumatic, it can also lead to massive financial costs. An individual hurt in a car accident may require expensive medical care that lasts weeks, months, or years. They may also be unable to work during their recovery. Add the cost of repairing or replacing the vehicle involved in the crash, and a car accident can easily cost a family tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you or a loved one were involved in a serious auto collision, you may be entitled to compensation for financial and non-financial losses.   

Factors That Influence a Car Accident Claim Payout

The amount of money that you could recover in a car accident injury claim depends on many different factors, including:

• The severity of the injuries - The worse the injuries, the greater degree of medical care needed to address those injuries. Someone who suffered cuts and bruises will obviously not need as much medical treatment as someone who suffered catastrophic injuries. Therefore, car accident claim payouts are usually higher when the injured person suffers significant injuries or injuries resulting in long-term disability.

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