Recent Blog Posts
How Often Are Truck Accidents Caused by Driver Fatigue?
Drowsy driving is a serious risk that affects the safety of everyone who uses the roads. While falling asleep at the wheel is likely to lead to collisions, driver fatigue can also affect those who manage to stay awake, and it can make it difficult for a driver to pay attention to the road and react to the conditions around them. Lack of sleep can be even more dangerous for those who operate semi-trailer trucks or other commercial vehicles. Truck drivers who drift off to sleep may collide with other vehicles or obstacles, and even a momentary lapse in concentration can lead to truck accidents that cause serious injuries to drivers and passengers in other vehicles.
Increasing Risks of Truck Driver Fatigue
Studies have found that around 13% of commercial vehicle drivers who were involved in collisions were found to be fatigued at the time of the crash. In recent years, there has been an average of more than 4,000 fatal accidents involving trucks and buses throughout the United States, and over 100,000 annual commercial vehicle accidents which resulted in injuries. This means that more than 500 people are killed and 13,000 people are injured in accidents involving fatigued truck drivers on an annual basis.
What Are My Options Following a Holiday Drunk Driving Accident?
The holiday season is meant to be a happy time that is full of family togetherness, gift-giving, and preparing for the year to come. Unfortunately, car accidents involving drunk driving often increase during this time. Hundreds of people are killed in these types of collisions every holiday season, with around 300 fatalities occurring during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
While it is unknown how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the rates of traffic fatalities in the 2020 holiday season, drunk driving continues to be a concern. Even though many bars and restaurants are currently closed, reducing the chances that a person will drink and drive after a night out on the town, many people will still be drinking alcohol while attending holiday parties or getting together with their families. In addition, the isolation that many people are experiencing during the pandemic may cause them to increase their use of alcohol or drugs, leading to risky behaviors that could lead to dangerous car accidents.
How Is Third-Party Liability Addressed in a Workers’ Comp Case?
If you are injured while working, you will typically be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits will fully cover the costs of medical treatment for a work-related injury, and you may also be able to receive compensation for loss of income due to a temporary or permanent disability. Workers’ compensation will be available whether you or your employer were at fault for your injury. In addition to workers’ comp, you may also be able to pursue a third-party personal injury lawsuit against other people or organizations who were liable for your damages.
Reasons to Pursue a Third-Party Claim
Multiple parties aside from you or your employer may have been responsible for your work-related injury. For example, if you were injured in a car accident while working, another driver may have been responsible for the collision due to speeding or distracted driving. You may also be able to pursue a third-party claim against a manufacturer of defective tools that caused an injury, or a premises liability lawsuit may be filed against a property owner who did not properly address hazards in an area where you were working.
Can I Receive Compensation for Injuries in a Slip and Fall Accident?
Falling down after losing one’s footing on a sidewalk, floor, or walkway may seem like a minor incident, but in reality, slip, trip, and fall accidents can lead to a variety of serious injuries. The impact with the ground may lead to broken bones, including fractured wrists, hips, or kneecaps. Victims can also suffer dislocations of joints such as wrists, shoulders, knees, or ankles, or they may experience painful sprains and bruises. In especially dangerous cases, such as a fall from a higher level to a lower level, a person may suffer traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, or even wrongful death.
Victims of slip and fall accidents may be able to pursue compensation for their injuries and damages through a premises liability lawsuit. In these cases, a property owner or the tenant in control of a property may be held responsible for injuries that occurred because of their negligence.
What Kinds of Disability Benefits Are Available Through Workers’ Comp?
Work-related injuries or illnesses can put a person and their family in a difficult position. Medical treatment can be very expensive and paying these and other bills may seem impossible if an injury has affected a person’s ability to continue working. Fortunately, workers’ compensation benefits are available to those who are injured while on the job. Employees will want to be sure to understand the types of benefits they can receive, including payments that address the income lost due to their injuries.
Temporary and Permanent Disability Benefits
Any injuries that occur while working or illnesses contracted because of a person’s job are covered by workers’ comp, whether an employer or employee was at fault. Disability benefits will address the income lost while a victim is recovering from their injuries, as well as any impairment to their income-earning capacity in the future. In Illinois, disability benefits are grouped into the following categories:
Comparative Negligence in Illinois Personal Injury Cases
When a person files a lawsuit in the wake of a car accident, slip-and-fall, or other personal injury matter, they hope to recover enough in the way of damages to address the losses they have suffered. These losses generally include expenses related to physical injuries, as well as lost wages, property damage, and more. What many victims do not realize, however, is that their compensation may be reduced, as it is fairly common for an injured party to share in the liability for the accident. The legal doctrine under which a personal injury can be reduced for this reason is called “comparative negligence.”
Contributory Negligence vs. Comparative Negligence
One of the first questions in any personal injury matter is “Who was at fault for the accident?” Under the principles of common law, historically, if the injured party played any part in causing the accident, he or she was barred from seeking compensation from anyone else. The thought process was that a person has the duty to reasonably protect themselves from injury, so failing in that duty was seen as grounds to bar recovery.
What You Need to Know About Playground Injuries
Most of us can remember the joy of being a child playing on a playground during summer break. Playground equipment like slides, monkey bars, jungle gyms, and swings can be a source of endless fun for children. However, this type of equipment must be accurately constructed and carefully maintained in order to be safe for children to enjoy. When a park or playground is not adequately maintained, unsafe conditions can lead to a child being seriously injured or even killed. If you have a child who has suffered an injury or wrongful death in a playground accident, an Illinois personal injury attorney may be able to help.
Most Common Playground Injuries
Children playing on a playground at a daycare, school, city park, church, health club, or other facility are probably not worried about whether or not the equipment they are climbing on is safe—nor should they have to be. Facilities with playground equipment have a duty to ensure that their equipment is not flawed or faulty in such a way that it presents a hazard to those lawfully using it.
Examining the Rise in Pedestrian Accidents
Throughout the United States, pedestrian fatalities have increased by an incredible 50%. According to statistics compiled by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), approximately 6,590 pedestrians were fatally injured in car accidents throughout 2019. The number of pedestrian fatalities in 2019 marked a 5% increase over 2018 numbers and a thirty-year high in the United States. In the state of Illinois, pedestrian fatalities rose by a staggering 19% throughout 2018. If you or a loved one have been struck by a motor vehicle, you deserve compensation.
Why Pedestrian Fatalities Are Rising
Throughout the early portion of the 2000s, pedestrian fatalities were on a consistent decline, but over the past decade have risen to disturbing and unprecedented levels. According to safety officials throughout the United States, the rise can be largely attributed to increased driver negligence. According to the GHSA, intoxication often plays a role in collisions involving pedestrians. Driving while intoxicated is proven to impact a driver’s vision, decision making, and reaction time. Studies also indicate that an increase in cell phone usage has contributed significantly to the number of pedestrian fatalities. Despite the implementation of Bluetooth and other hands-free technology, drivers continue to text and drive. Taking your hands off the wheel and eyes off the road is a dangerous and negligent action.
Medical Mistakes Are Third-Leading Cause of Death in U.S.
In 1999, the medical community was rocked by a report prepared by the Institute of Medicine which classified the problem of medical errors as an epidemic. That report concluded that approximately 95,000 people died each year from preventable medical mistakes. The annual cost to medical facilities was determined to be between $17 billion and $29 billion.
Although the Institute of Medicine’s report prompted much debate over the years regarding what could be done to protect patients, a more recent report prepared by researchers from John Hopkins University found that the medical community might not have had too much success in doing so. In fact, preventable medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in this country.
Disturbing Numbers
Unlike the 1999 report, which relied upon data from just one study, the Johns Hopkins report used data collected from four major studies. Two of these studies were from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, during the years 2000 to 2008.
Steps You Should Take After a Car Accident
After being involved in a car accident of any severity, a person’s life can be changed drastically. While only the most severe car accidents will likely lead to fatal or life-threatening injuries, even minor accidents can lead to some level of harm as well as vehicular damage. Regardless of the type of accident you have been involved in, there are a few steps that all people should take in the immediate aftermath of an accident. If you or a loved one have been injured in a motor vehicle collision, it is time to reach out to a knowledgeable personal injury attorney.
Contacting Emergency Personnel
When a person is involved in a car accident, it can be hard to regain a calm and collected mindset, but your ability to act in a prudent manner is critically important to the health of all passengers and the wellbeing of your family. First and foremost, if any person in your vehicle has suffered an injury, you need to contact medical personnel. Serious injuries such as traumatic brain injuries can showcase delayed symptoms and cause permanent damage if untreated. Visiting a medical professional will also give you an accurate understanding of all injuries suffered as it may pertain to an insurance claim or personal injury case.
