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Recent Blog Posts
Proving Liability in a Motorcycle Accident Case: How a Lawyer Can Help
Now that the weather in Plainfield has warmed up, many people are taking their motorcycles out of the garage and enjoying the Illinois roads. Unfortunately, motorcyclists are at a much higher risk of severe and fatal injuries in a crash than drivers of passenger vehicles.
For many injured motorcyclists, the process of recovering financial compensation for crash-related damages is also an uphill battle. At-fault drivers and their insurance companies are expected to compensate accident victims for their damages. However, successfully recovering compensation is often far easier said than done. One issue many motorcyclists run into is that of proving liability.
Pedestrian Accident Injuries Involving Children: Your Rights as a Parent
As the weather warms up, more and more children will ride their bicycles, walk to friends’ houses, and play outside. Unfortunately, this means that there is an increased chance of an accident involving a child.Motorists have an ethical responsibility and a legal obligation to follow traffic laws and be watchful for child pedestrians. This is especially important in school zones, parks, and other places where children play. Pedestrian and bicycle accidents involving children can be catastrophic, often leaving a child with life-long medical complications. Tragically, many pedestrian accidents involving children are fatal.
If your child was hurt in a pedestrian accident or bicycle accident, you may be able to pursue justice on behalf of your child through a personal injury claim. Read on to learn more.
Hours of Service Violations Can Lead to Catastrophic Truck Accidents
Few would argue that operating a commercial truck such as a semi-truck or flatbed is a challenging job. Drivers drive long hours and must cope with adverse weather, poor road conditions, and other hazards. However, truck drivers have a legal duty and an ethical responsibly to drive safely and follow all local, state, and federal laws – including Hours of Service rules.
Hours of Service rules are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The rules limit when and for how long a commercial driver may drive without taking a rest break. Sleepiness behind the wheel has been proven to increase the risk of severe and deadly truck accidents, so getting the proper rest is essential.
If you or a loved one were hurt in a commercial truck crash caused by a fatigued driver, you may be able to seek compensation and justice through a truck crash injury claim.
Can I Collect Compensation for a Car Accident if I Was Partly at Fault?
One major misunderstanding about personal injury lawsuits is that the issue of fault is usually cut and dry. In reality, determining who is to blame for an injury-causing incident is often the hardest and most time-consuming part of an injury suit. Sometimes, the person at fault for an accident is obvious. However, many personal injury suits involve situations in which several parties share fault for the injury-causing accident. Fortunately, you can still receive compensation for your damages even if you were partially at fault for them. Doing so, however, requires an understanding of Illinois’ “comparative negligence” laws.
Modified Comparative Negligence Basics
Illinois courts rely on a doctrine known as “modified comparative negligence.” This means that you may be able to recover compensation for your losses even if you are partially to blame for the situation in which your losses occurred. As long as you were not more than half at fault for the accident or incident that caused your injuries, you can still receive compensation.
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?
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:
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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