Recent Blog Posts
Three Symptoms That May Not Show Up Immediately After a Car Accident
In comparison to the world around us, humans are rather frail and breakable creatures. There are countless ways you can become injured, but one of the most common ways is by being in a car accident. Millions of car accidents occur every year and produce an array of injuries, from mild injuries to more severe injuries that need immediate attention. Even if a car accident does not look severe, it has the potential to produce serious injuries. In some cases, injuries may not manifest right away. It can take a few days or weeks for some symptoms and injuries to show up, but you still have a right to hold the other person responsible for those injuries. If you have recently been in a car accident, here are a couple of common symptoms and injuries that can appear a short time after the accident:
- Headaches: One of the most common symptoms that can appear after a car accident is headaches. Headaches can be minor inconveniences or it can be a sign that something more serious is wrong. In some cases, persistent or severe headaches could mean a brain injury or neck injury.
How Can Pre-Existing Conditions Affect Workers’ Compensation Cases?
People who are injured on the job or because of work they have performed will usually be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ comp will cover the costs of medical treatment for an injury, and a person may also be able to receive disability benefits if their injury has caused them to be temporarily unable to work or has permanently affected their ability to earn an income. While workers’ compensation covers all injuries that occur during or arise out of a person’s employment, there are some cases where employers or insurance companies attempt to deny a workers’ comp claim based on a person’s pre-existing condition. In these cases, injured workers will want to understand their rights and determine how they can receive the benefits they deserve.
Workers’ Comp Coverage for Aggravation of Pre-Existing Conditions
What Types of Damages Are Available in a Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
For most people, the death of a loved one is among the worst things that could happen to them. While all deaths are tragic, a situation can be especially difficult if a person was killed because someone else acted negligently, recklessly, irresponsibly, or with the intent to cause harm. In these types of cases, family members will not only struggle with the grief that comes from having a loved one taken away too soon, but they may also experience financial difficulties that affect their ability to provide for themselves. Fortunately, by working with an attorney, a person’s family members can pursue compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit.
Wrongful Death Damages
A deceased person’s surviving family members or the personal representative of their estate can pursue a wrongful death lawsuit. The damages recovered through this type of lawsuit are for the exclusive benefit of the deceased person’s surviving spouse and next of kin. These damages may include:
When Can Rear-End Accidents Cause Serious Injuries?
Of all the different types of car accidents, rear-end collisions often seem like the least serious, especially when compared to high-speed head-on collisions or T-bone accidents. In many cases, being rear-ended will result in damage to a vehicle while leaving a driver or their passengers unscathed. However, these collisions are rarely harmless, and in some cases, they can lead to serious injuries that can affect a person’s long-term health. Victims of rear-end collisions will want to get legal help from an attorney to determine how they can receive financial compensation to address their damages.
Potential Injuries in Rear-End Collisions
When a car or truck is struck from the rear, people inside the vehicle can suffer a strong jolt, and this can result in injuries such as:
- Whiplash - A person’s head may snap back and forth suddenly due to the impact of another vehicle. This can cause damage to the vertebrae in the neck, and the neck’s muscles, ligaments, and tendons may also be injured. In more minor cases, this may cause a person to experience stiffness in the neck and loss of range of motion, but more serious whiplash injuries can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, headaches, or tingling or numbness in the arms, hands, or other extremities. These symptoms can persist for months or years after the initial injury occurred.
How Can Improperly Loaded Cargo Lead to Truck Accidents?
There are a variety of ways that negligence by truck drivers or trucking companies can lead to dangerous truck accidents. While some collisions are caused by a driver’s negligent operation of a truck, such as by speeding or driving while drowsy, others may occur because of the way cargo was loaded or secured. In these cases, multiple parties may be liable for injuries suffered by the drivers or passengers of other vehicles, and these parties may include a driver who did not ensure that cargo was properly secured on their truck, the trucking company that employed the driver, a company that was responsible for loading cargo on a truck, or the manufacturer of defective cargo securement devices.
Cargo-Related Safety Issues That Can Cause Truck Accidents
There are multiple ways that improper loading of cargo can lead to accidents and injuries, including:
Understanding Permanent Partial Disability Benefits Under Workers’ Comp
Serious injuries can have a long-lasting or permanent impact on a person’s life, and in some cases, they can affect a person’s ability to work. Fortunately, those who suffer these types of injuries while on the job have the right to receive workers’ compensation that will cover the costs of their immediate and ongoing medical care and provide disability benefits to address their loss of income. For those who have suffered injuries that will permanently affect their health and well-being and their ability to work, different types of permanent disability benefits are available. Permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits will cover situations where a person is able to return to work, but their injuries have limited the income they are able to earn or have permanently damaged parts of their body.
Types of Permanent Partial Disability Benefits
How Can Traumatic Brain Injuries Affect a Person’s Long-Term Health?
Serious injuries can occur in multiple different types of situations, ranging from car accidents to construction accidents or slip-and-fall accidents, and much more. While many injuries are evident at the time that an accident took place, others may not always be immediately obvious. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) often fall into the latter category, and the symptoms of these injuries may not become evident until days, weeks, or even months after the original incident. However, brain injuries can affect a person’s health and well-being for years, and in some cases, they can even lead to permanent impairment. Victims of these types of injuries should be sure to understand how they have been affected and how they can pursue compensation that will address the harm they have suffered.
Updated: Rising Number of Defective Medical Devices Putting Patients at Risk for Wrongful Death
UPDATE: Defective medical devices continue to affect many patients in the United States, and hundreds of products are recalled each year because they present safety issues. Some types of medical products that have caused injuries to patients in recent years include:
- Artificial joints - Some hip replacements or other joint replacements have used metal-on-metal components. The regular friction that occurs when a person moves these joints may cause these components to break down. When this happens, metal fragments may enter a person's bloodstream and perforate blood vessels or internal organs. Metal components may also corrode, leading to dangerous infections or the release of toxic substances into a person's body.
- Blood clot filters - These small metal devices have been used to stop blood clots from causing damage to the lungs or brain. However, they have been found to break down, causing sharp metal fragments to travel through the bloodstream, which may lead to organ injuries or dangerous internal bleeding.
How Can I Pursue Compensation for a Drug-Related DUI Accident?
Alcohol and driving do not mix well, and every driver learns about the dangers of drunk driving and the consequences they can face if they are arrested for driving under the influence (DUI). However, in addition to alcohol, there are many other substances that can affect a person’s ability to drive safely. When drivers cause car accidents due to intoxication by legal or illegal drugs, victims may be able to hold them liable for their negligence.
Dangers of Drugged Driving
In Illinois, as in most other states, a driver may be charged with DUI if they have a blood alcohol content (BAC) above the legal limit of .08%. While marijuana has been legalized in the state for adults over the age of 21, DUI charges may also apply if a test finds that a driver had at least five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood or 10 nanograms of THC per milliliter of a substance such as saliva or urine.
What Are My Options if My Workers’ Compensation Claim Was Denied?
For those who are injured while on the job, workers’ compensation benefits can be crucial. Medical benefits will cover the costs of all treatment related to an employee’s injury, and wage benefits will provide compensation for the loss of income due to a temporary or permanent disability. However, even though employees are eligible to receive these benefits following any work-related injuries, whether they or their employer were at fault, some employers or their insurance companies deny workers’ comp claims. This can cause a great deal of financial difficulty for a person, since they may be unable to pay their medical expenses, especially if they are unable to work while recovering from their injury. Fortunately, employees who have been denied benefits can file a claim through the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) and take steps to receive the benefits they deserve.
