For years, expecting parents have been celebrating one of the most joyous occasions in life, the birth of a child, by taking pictures and video before, after, and often during the delivery. But recently many patients and their families have been surprised to learn that the hospital where the delivery is taking place has denied […]
Personal Injury
AAJ Dispels Tort Reform Myths
The American Association for Justice has released a new primer separating the myths about the need for tort reform from the facts. Among the myths dispelled are “the number of lawsuits filed is skyrocketing.” In reality, AAJ cites statistics from the United States Department of Justice revealing a massive decrease in tort lawsuits. The statistics show that […]
NHTSA Announces Recall of Ford Windstar Vans Over Safety Concerns
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has announced a recall of Ford Windstar vans due to concerns over a potential equipment defect posing an increased risk of crashing. The recall is intended to fix brackets and mounts in the front subframe that may separate and cause reduced steering control. More than 400,000 vehicles are potentially affected, including […]
Family of girls killed in accident with trooper receives $8M
The Illinois Court of Claims has awarded $8 million to the parents of two Collinsville sisters who were killed in an auto accident caused by an Illinois state trooper. Judge Peter J. Birnbaum’s opinion in the wrongful death case stated that when the trooper drove his vehicle “at a speed of 126 mph he operated his vehicle […]
Consumer Wins Major Legal Battle Against Prosthetic Hip Manufacturer
In recent years medical device manufacturers have increasingly been using what is known in the industry as “federal preemption” defenses to defeat personal injury lawsuits soon after they are filed. In many of these cases dismissal comes so fast the manufacturer is not even required to produce a single document addressing whether the medical device […]
Jury awards $2M to injured factory worker
On December 6, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, an eight member jury returned a verdict of $2,003,002.58 in favor of Rita Thakore, a 54 year old woman from Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Ms. Thakore was represented by Michael L. Teich and Joshua L. Weisberg of Rapoport […]
Recent Highway Construction Worker Fatalities Underscore The Importance Of Increasing Driver Awareness And Safety In Illinois
A 33-year-old construction worker who was killed September 17th when he was struck by a semi-truck in an Interstate 55 construction zone became the 22nd person – and third construction worker – to die in a work zone crash this year, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). The post-crash investigation resulted in the driver being […]
NTSB Issues Recommendations To U.S. Coast Guard In Effort To Crack Down On Distractions Caused By Wireless Devices
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued two recommendations yesterday to the U.S. Coast Guard regarding the use of wireless devices during the operation of Coast Guard watercraft. The recommendations decry a need for regulations governing such use amongst both the Coast Guard and the maritime industry in an effort to prevent the consequences of […]
One Of Chicago’s Most Dangerous Railroad Crossings Gets A Safety Facelift In Effort To Prevent Accidents
In the past five years, the railroad crossing between Nagle Avenue, Avondale Avenue and the Northwest Highway has seen six accidents involving trains and automobiles, and in the wake of several such collisions in Chicago this year, steps are being taken to make the crossing safer – a trend that will hopefully extend to the city’s […]
New Data Reveals That Chicagoland Is Becoming A Safer Place To Drive
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) issued a report this month detailing the analysis of highway safety and crash data for the years 2002, 2005 and 2008, and the results show a promising decrease in the number of vehicle-related injuries and deaths. The Highway Traffic Safety Data Overview for Metropolitan Chicago is CMAP’s report […]
Unintentional Injuries: The Economic Effect Is Felt By More Than Just The Person Injured
According to estimates made by the National Safety Council (NSC), fatal and non-fatal unintended injuries have a surprisingly large economic impact on a national scale, an impact that the NSC says underscores the importance prevention work. The most recent estimate, based on data from 2008, sets forth the approximated cost incurred by society for these deaths […]
A Little Known Cause Of Many Automobile Crashes: Sleep Apnea
According to the American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA), undiagnosed or untreated sleep apnea can significantly increase a driver’s potential to be involved in serious automobile crashes. The National Institute on Health’s Heart, Lung and Blood Institute describes sleep apnea as a condition that causes a person to experience periodic pauses between breaths or very shallow breathing during […]
Nine Chicago-Area Hospitals Shown To Have Significantly Higher Than Average Infection Rates Amongst Patients, Including One With The Highest Infection Rate In Illinois
The Chicago Tribune published an investigative report yesterday on the unusually high infection rates reported by nine Chicagoland hospitals for the year 2009, and the results, released in the newest issue of the Illinois Hospital Report Card and Consumer Guide to Health Care, are alarming. The infections at issue are bloodstream infections associated with the insertion of central […]
Illinois Driver Polishing Her Nails In Traffic Found Guilty Of Hitting, Killing Woman; Just One Day Before, The 25th State Passed Ban Cracking Down On Distracted Driving
On May 5, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood announced that Wisconsin had become the 25th state in the U.S. to ban texting while driving, calling distracted driving “an epidemic” responsible for killing and injuring thousands of people every year. That statistic is a very unfortunate reality for the family of Anita Zaffke, the […]
OSHA: 14 Workers Are Killed Every Day On The Job; President Obama Declares April 28 “Worker’s Memorial Day”
President Barack Obama, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), proclaimed April 28, 2010 to be Worker’s Memorial Day to celebrate and preserve the memory “of those who have been killed due to unsafe working conditions.” This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, as […]
U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Fines Three Wisconsin Companies Over $231,000 For Workplace Safety and Health Violations
Three different companies in Wisconsin were hit with proposed fines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) during the months of March and April for alleged violations of federal workplace health and safety regulations. On March 29, 2010, Val-O-Mo Farm, Inc. in Elmwood was cited and fined after an October 2009 investigation into the […]
The U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Fines Three Illinois Companies Over $185,000 For Workplace Safety Violations
Three different Illinois companies were slapped with fines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) during the month of April for alleged violations of federal workplace standards. On April 14, 2010, OSHA announced a $61,500 penalty against Fleetpride, Inc., a nationwide distributor of trucking parts located in Willowbrook, for alleged violations discovered during a February 2010 inspection. The […]
Personal Injury Law: Questions and Answers
How do I know if I have a personal injury claim, and what must be proven to win a personal injury lawsuit? A: Personal injury is an area of civil law that seeks to compensate a person with money damages for physical and/or emotional harm suffered as a result of a someone else’s negligent or wrongful conduct. […]
When You Have Been Through The Worst And You Want To Find The Best: How To Select The Best Personal Injury Attorney To Represent You
Lawyers are everywhere. One look in the phonebook or a simple click of the mouse will confirm that statement. But as the old saying goes: it is all about quality, not quantity. That saying rings especially true when the time comes for you, as someone who has experienced serious personal injuries caused by someone else’s negligence, to determine […]
NTSB Says Poor Maintenance, Including Extremely Under-Inflated Tires, Caused 2008 Plane Crash That Killed Four And Critically Injured 2 In South Carolina
On April 6, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its findings in the investigation into the fatal, September 19, 2008 plane crash of a chartered, Bombardier Learjet at South Carolina’s Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The jet, carrying 6 people on board, was operated by Global Exec Aviation and was destined for Van Nuys, California, when […]