Posted on May 05,2022 in Personal Injury

In the legal realm, the word “negligence” refers to a party’s irresponsible, reckless, or careless action. Negligence may also refer to irresponsible inaction. For example, an apartment landlord who knows a stairwell is unsafe should take action to remedy the problems that make it unsafe for tenants and guests. Negligence may come in the form of unsafe driving, defective design or manufacture of consumer products, failure to maintain a safe property, and more.

If you or a loved one suffered a catastrophic injury such as a brain injury, spine injury, or amputation because another party acted negligently, you may be able to take legal action. You could be compensated not only for your medical bills and other financial losses, but also for your non-financial damages such as pain and suffering.

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 Posted on April 29,2022 in Personal Injury

Riding in a car is statistically one of the most dangerous things the average person does on a daily basis. Fatal crashes caused by distracted driving, intoxicated driving, or simply inattention, are shockingly common. These accidents leave a trail of devastation in their wake and change families’ lives forever.

If you lost a loved one in a fatal car accident, you may have questions about your legal options. Can you hold the at-fault driver accountable? Will insurance pay for medical and funeral bills? How will you make ends meet without your loved one’s financial support? Is taking legal action worth it? Read on to learn more.

What is a Wrongful Death Claim?

When someone dies in a preventable accident, the surviving family often wants answers. They want to know who was responsible for the crash and they want that person to be held accountable. A wrongful death claim is a civil claim used to pursue monetary damages. Illinois law defines wrongful death as a death caused by another party’s negligent or wrongful actions. Negligent driving may include anything from speeding or failure to yield to more egregious actions like drunk driving. The at-fault party could also be a non-individual such as a car parts manufacturer that created a defective auto part.

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 Posted on April 26,2022 in Personal Injury

If you are a parent, you probably can remember the very first time you took your child to daycare. It can be extremely hard to put your child in the care of another party. News stories about poor care or even intentional abuse in daycares, after-school programs, and other childcare facilities only worsen parents’ anxieties. While most childcare businesses are safe and run by caring staff, not every daycare lives up to parents’ expectations. Problems such as understaffing, inadequate staff training, and poor building maintenance can put children in danger. In some cases, children are severely injured or even killed by daycare negligence. If your child was hurt at daycare, read on to learn about your legal options.

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 Posted on April 15,2022 in Catastrophic Injuries

Car accidents, falling, and countless other forms of trauma can cause someone to suffer a traumatic brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can have long-lasting, significant consequences. Physical, mental, and psychological symptoms of TBI can exist for months or years after an injury.  Fortunately, new treatment options may provide brain injury victims the relief they desperately need.

Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries

If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury in a car crash or other incident, you know just how far-reaching the effects can be. Many people are left with painful headaches, dizziness, vomiting, and hearing and vision impairment. Others suffer from cognitive impairments that reduce their ability to concentrate, pay attention, or remember past events. Severe TBIs can cause seizures, slurred speech, constant fatigue, and problems sleeping. Psychological problems, including depression and anxiety, may also be caused or worsened by brain trauma.

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 Posted on April 13,2022 in Motorcycle Accidents

Finally, spring has arrived to the Chicago area. For many people, spring marks the beginning of motorcycle season. Anyone who has ridden on a motorcycle can understand the appeal of zipping through the streets on a bike. Unfortunately, riding a motorcycle is much more dangerous than traveling in a closed vehicle. Motorcyclists are harder to see, and riders are not protected by the vehicle in the event of a crash. Over 5,000 people lost their lives in motorcycle accidents in 2019. Individuals on a motorcycle are 29 times more likely than individuals in a passenger car to die in a collision.

If you were injured or a loved one was killed in a motorcycle crash, you may be able to take legal action and pursue damages. Read on to learn some of the top questions about motorcycle accident claims in Illinois.

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 Posted on March 31,2022 in Personal Injury

When parents of young children purchase toys for their child to play with, they put their trust in the toy manufacturer to provide safe, age-appropriate materials for their child’s use. Tragically, many children choke to death on small pieces of toys that have either broken off, are not properly secured, or did not come with adequate choking hazard warnings. Watching your child choke can be a horrible experience, and even when choking is not lethal, it can cause serious personal injuries. If your child has choked on a toy or other defective product, you may wonder if you can hold the toymaker liable.

Common Choking Injuries 

Every year, over 200,000 children are estimated to be treated at emergency rooms for injuries related to toys, and many of these cases are related to choking and suffocation. Children under age three are at a particularly high risk for choking on toys because they tend to put things in their mouths constantly. Very young children also have smaller mouths and airways, allowing objects to get stuck more easily. Common choking injuries from children’s toys include: 

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 Posted on March 28,2022 in Medical Malpractice

Using special medication, general anesthesia puts a patient into an unconscious state and allows them to avoid pain and physical movement. While Illinois anesthesiologists are carefully trained to administer anesthesia and monitor a patient’s heart rate and other vital signs during treatment, even relatively minor surgeries can be dangerous when they involve the use of general anesthesia. Most of the time, general anesthesia is used safely, even for high-risk populations; but when an anesthesiologist acts negligently or carelessly, patients can suffer serious injury and even wrongful death.

Are Certain Patients at Great Risk of Anesthesia Complications? 

Not every injury and death that occurs during the use of general anesthesia can be attributed to medical malpractice. Certain health conditions, habits, and medical histories can place patients at higher risk of adverse events during anesthesia, including: 

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 Posted on March 16,2022 in Personal Injury

While medical doctors like surgeons and anesthesiologists are most commonly associated with medical malpractice lawsuits, any professional engaging in the practice of the “healing arts” may treat patients in a way that is inconsistent with the standard of care. When this poor treatment rises to the level of negligence, it may be considered malpractice whether the medical professional is a midwife, acupuncturist, dietician, or chiropractor.

People generally see a chiropractor to help with neuromusculoskeletal issues, such as back pain, neck pain, or joint pain. Chiropractors often use a technique called “adjustment” or “realignment” in which they use their hands or a special instrument to apply a controlled movement to a patient’s spine. While many patients find chiropractic treatment beneficial, a careless practitioner can cause serious injuries when an adjustment is performed incorrectly. If you have been seriously injured by a chiropractor, you may want to consider a lawsuit with the help of an experienced Illinois personal injury attorney.

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 Posted on March 04,2022 in Medical Malpractice

Most people find the prospect of getting major surgery frightening enough even in the best of circumstances. Between the anesthesia, the complexity of the surgery, and the process of recovery, there is good reason to be apprehensive about the risks involved. One odd but particularly dangerous risk is that of an Illinois surgeon who leaves a foreign object inside of a body during surgery. While most surgeons adhere to the standard of care and this does not often happen, when it does, it can have severe and life-threatening implications for the patient. If you have gotten surgery in Illinois and a negligent surgeon has left a surgical tool, sponge, or other items in your body, you may want to take legal action through a medical malpractice lawsuit.

What is a Never Event? 

An item left inside a human body during surgery is often referred to as a “never event.” A never event is a mistake that is completely preventable by following proper care protocol and that, therefore, should never happen. Yet one study found that foreign objects are left inside bodies nearly 40 times a week in the U.S. When objects are left inside the body, they must first be detected - nearly always after a patient complains of severe pain and is subject to repeated testing - and the removal itself requires more surgery, along with its inherent risks. Common patient complaints include: 

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 Posted on February 28,2022 in Personal Injury

As Illinois weather begins to slowly warm, many motorcyclists are waiting for the day when the streets are safe and dry and the weather is conducive for taking the first ride of the season. While the research on the benefits of using a helmet during motorcycle use is clear, the feeling of the sun on your face and the wind in your hair can tempt even the most experienced riders to leave home without head protection.

Unfortunately, motorcycle accidents are common, perhaps more so in the spring when cars are not used to seeing motorcycles on the road and are not as watchful. Motorcycle riders can be seriously injured and killed in accidents and this is especially true if the rider is not wearing a helmet. If a helmetless rider got into an accident because of the actions of another driver, but was more seriously injured because of the failure to wear a helmet, he or she may wonder whether this will impact their ability to pursue fair compensation for their injuries. While an experienced Illinois personal injury lawyer is the best person to answer questions about your unique case, this blog provides a brief overview of how helmet use may or may not affect your case.

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