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When you go to a hospital for medical care, you expect to be in a safe place. You should be able to automatically trust that the doctors and other providers are being careful to provide you with safe treatment. Unfortunately, the labor shortage has hit hospitals just as much as it has hit restaurants and retail businesses. There is a significant nursing shortage. However, being short-staffed does not excuse medical malpractice. A hospitalized patient can do very little to take care of themself and must rely on doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals like Certified Nursing Assistants. When these providers fail to perform their jobs in a manner that is safe for patients, they may ultimately do more harm than good. If you were harmed while staying in a hospital, an attorney may be able to help you recover compensation.
In Illinois, just about anyone with a job is eligible to receive workers’ compensation if they are injured or made ill at work. Even office staff sometimes uses workers’ compensation after an accident like a slip-and-fall. However, if you are in a dangerous career with a high risk of injury, you may use workers’ compensation several times throughout your career. People in high-risk professions include electricians, construction site workers, and some healthcare professionals. When you are in a high-risk profession, it is best that you understand the workers’ compensation process and know how to respond to a workplace injury before anything happens.
If you are in a dangerous profession, there are a few rules of thumb you should keep in mind when it comes to workplace safety and handling a workplace injury. General do’s and do not’s for high-risk workers include:
No one should ever have to experience sexual abuse or sexual assault. Being harmed like that can leave long-lasting mental and emotional scars, and many victims are left with physical injuries as well. You may have heard some truly alarming statistics about low conviction rates for sex offenses in criminal court. However, filing a civil claim is completely different. To successfully prosecute someone for a sex crime, it must be proven that they are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. To win a civil claim, however, you would only need to show a jury that it is more likely than not that the abuse or assault happened as you are alleging. That said, following through with such a claim can be very challenging on many levels. At Kinnally Flaherty Krentz Loran Hodge & Masur P.C., we will make sure that you have all the information you need to decide whether you should file such a claim.
After you get hit by a negligent driver, you are likely to get a call from their insurance company fairly soon. The insurance company will make you a settlement offer. It will sound like a good offer, but it rarely is. Insurance companies do not count or consider every financial loss you will suffer as a result of your car accident. Their goal is to get you to accept a settlement that does not come close to fully compensating you. Before you think about accepting a settlement, it is important that you take the time to add up every expense and loss associated with the crash. You are likely to find that your claim is worth much more than you are being offered. Our experienced lawyers can help you determine the total amount that you deserve.
The types of damages you could recover after a car crash are much more numerous and varied than you might expect. A car accident injury can cause lasting damage for many. When calculating your total financial loss as a result of the crash, make sure to factor in not just your ER bill and the cost of your car, but also:
Rear-end collisions are not always harmless fender-benders. A hard rear-end collision can cause serious or even disabling injuries. Head, neck, and arm injuries are very common in rear-end crashes. The damage does not need to look bad from the outside to be bad for the individuals inside the car. In a rear-end accident, the driver in front is often completely stopped, causing them to absorb the full force of the impact. There is also little the driver in front can do to avoid being rear-ended even if they do see the accident coming. This type of car accident is very preventable, and often the result of careless driving. If you have been injured in a rear-end collision, we may be able to help you recover compensation for your injuries.
Every driver has a duty to use an appropriate level of caution to prevent accidents. Rear-end collisions are almost always caused by carelessness. Some common forms of negligence that cause rear-end accidents include:
Workers’ compensation is not just for those in traditionally high-risk blue-collar jobs. White-collar office workers can and do get hurt at work and are equally entitled to workers' compensation protection. While injuries suffered by those with desk jobs tend to be less severe on average, they can still keep an employee out of the workplace for weeks while they recover. If you were injured at your office job, you should take the situation seriously and consider having an attorney help you recover compensation. The costs associated with a workplace injury are compensable whether you operate a desktop computer or a forklift. Some office employees hesitate to file a workers’ compensation claim, but this is a mistake. If you do not file a claim after getting hurt at work, you could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table.
People with desk jobs tend to view their workplaces as very safe. This can cause people to let their guard down and become more vulnerable to hidden dangers around the office. Some of the most common categories of workplace injuries in office buildings include:
The most careful driver in the world would still be powerless to avoid a car crash caused by mechanical failure. These accidents can be terrifying for everyone involved. One moment everything is fine, and you are cruising down the road in control of your car. Then suddenly, you realize that you are no longer in control of your car, and a crash is inevitable.
Initially, it may even appear to others that the crash was your fault. You are left trying to figure out what went wrong. Fortunately, the maker or seller of a defective car part can be held liable for any accidents that happen because their part failed. Those responsible for putting a defective product on the market are responsible for the injuries the defect causes. Anyone from the manufacturer to the mechanic who incorrectly installed the part may be the liable party. An attorney can help you determine what happened and who you may have a claim against.
While the bathroom is typically the most dangerous room in a house, the kitchen is a close second. Anything from burn injuries caused by a hot stove to lacerations sustained while chopping vegetables can happen in a kitchen. Using reasonable care can help you avoid some types of kitchen injuries. However, when a kitchen appliance or other product is defective, there is probably nothing you can do to avoid getting hurt. Injuries caused by defective kitchen products can be severe. They often involve explosions, gases, or fires, all of which can be extremely harmful or even lethal. If you were injured due to a defective product, you will need to speak with an attorney as soon as possible. You may be entitled to financial compensation.
You might have heard a commonly cited statistic that you are more likely to be killed by a defective toaster than a shark. This is very true. But toasters are just one of many kitchen appliances that can become deadly when they have a defect. A few kitchen products that could become very dangerous if defective include:
Workplace accidents can be permanently life-altering. Some victims are able to recover enough to return to work in some capacity. Others must change career paths to accommodate their change in physical ability. There are some, however, who are never able to return to work. People who have suffered a severe and disabling injury in the workplace may be able to receive permanent total disability through Workers’ Compensation. Obtaining this level of compensation is not always easy from a practical standpoint. These claims can be worth quite a lot, and employers are rarely willing to pay out without a fight. It often takes the skill and experience of a trained attorney to help establish that a disabled worker is entitled to this type of compensation.
To receive permanent total disability, you will need to not only prove the cause of your injuries but also show that you are no longer able to work and support yourself as you could before. The following types of injuries could suggest permanent and complete disability:
Expecting a new baby is exciting and terrifying all at once. So many things can go wrong during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, so many expectant parents are understandably nervous. Doctors, nurses, and other medical staff are tasked with recognizing potential complications and taking the necessary action to mitigate any negative health consequences to the mother and baby. However, medical professionals involved in the birthing process do not always meet the high standards parents expect of them.
Failure to perform a Caesarean section or delayed c-section can cause serious and potentially deadly complications. If your baby was harmed during labor or delivery and you suspect that the doctor's failure to perform a timely c-section may have been the cause, read on to learn more.
Some c-sections are planned in advance. The mother may have had problems delivering her other children or suffers from health complications that make vaginal delivery impractical or unsafe. C-sections may also be a last resort when problems arise during labor, making it too dangerous for the mother to give birth traditionally.
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2114 Deerpath Road, Aurora, IL 60506 630-907-0909
