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Over the past decade, Amazon has skyrocketed from a small online forum for third-party vendors to the nation’s largest online retailer. Their cardboard boxes adorned with a smile-shaped arrow are delivered to billions of houses across the world on a daily basis. Consumers typically turn to Amazon as a one-stop-shop that offers cheaper products and quick shipping. With the high volume of packages that are delivered each day, some of the products are bound to be faulty—even Amazon can’t be perfect. But what happens when these quick-shipped, defective products lead to serious injuries? Will Amazon take the blame or leave you empty-handed?
One woman's battle with Amazon began back in 2016 when her recently purchased laptop battery exploded and left her with third-degree burns on her arms, legs, and feet as well as damaging her San Diego apartment. In the five years since the incident, the victim has had skin graft surgery to repair the scars that the $12.30 replacement battery left behind, and pursued a product liability case to hold Amazon accountable. The woman is not the first, and certainly not the last, person to be injured by products sold by the global enterprise. However, a California state appeals court ruled that Amazon can be held liable for defective products sold on their site this past August.
When employees suffer work-related injuries, they are eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits. Injuries can occur in workplace accidents, employees may experience repetitive stress injuries due to the activities they perform while working, or they may contract illnesses after being exposed to toxic substances or infectious diseases in the workplace. The costs of medical treatment for work-related injuries will be fully covered by workers’ comp, but employees should be sure to understand their rights and the procedures that should be followed to receive medical benefits.
An employer’s workers’ compensation insurer will be required to pay all costs related to medical treatment that is needed to address the effects of a work-related injury. This includes any immediate or emergency medical care, as well as treatment that will address the ongoing effects of an injury and restore a person to their condition before being injured, or as close to that condition as possible. Covered treatment may include:
Commercial trucks are large, heavy vehicles that contain multiple types of complicated equipment. Trucks should be properly maintained at all times, since the failure of any of these systems can cause a driver to lose control of their vehicle, leading to dangerous truck accidents that are likely to cause serious injuries to people in other vehicles. Following this type of accident, victims will want to determine whether a truck driver, trucking company or other parties were responsible for equipment failure due to inadequate maintenance.
Before and during a trip, a truck driver should inspect their vehicle and identify any issues that need to be addressed. Regular maintenance should also be performed to ensure that all systems are working properly. Some maintenance issues that can lead to truck accidents include:
There are a variety of situations in which a person may be injured while on someone else’s property. If a person’s injuries occurred because of the property owner’s negligence, the victim may be able to recover financial compensation through a premises liability claim. These cases will often involve accidents that occur because a property owner failed to correct hazardous conditions or warn visitors about the risks of injury. However, victims may also be able to pursue compensation for injuries that occurred because a property owner was negligent in providing the proper security to protect the safety of guests.
Property owners or tenants in control of property have a duty to protect the safety of those who are allowed to enter and use the premises. This duty includes taking steps to prevent foreseeable events, such as assault, robbery, or theft. Adequate security must be provided at all times when visitors or guests are present.
Anyone who undergoes a surgical procedure is likely to be concerned about their health and safety since complications can occur even when an operation is completed correctly. Unfortunately, complications and long-lasting injuries become much more likely when errors are made by doctors, nurses, or other medical staff members during a procedure. In many cases, surgical errors are considered medical malpractice. Those who have suffered these types of injuries will want to understand how they can receive financial compensation for the damages they have suffered as a result of the negligence of surgeons or other medical personnel.
Surgical errors can occur for a variety of reasons. Doctors or nurses may fail to follow the correct procedures when preparing for surgery or performing a procedure, or they may make mistakes during a procedure that cause harm to a patient. Some of the most common surgical errors include:
On-the-job injuries can occur in a wide variety of situations, and they are not always caused by workplace accidents. In many cases, an employee may suffer injuries that are caused by repetitive motions that put strain on different parts of their body. These types of injuries often develop over months or years, and they can cause a person to suffer pain and discomfort, affecting their ability to continue working.
Those who have been injured while working are typically eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits that will cover the costs of their medical treatment, as well as the loss of income due to a temporary or permanent disability. Workers’ comp will cover injuries that are fully or partially related to a person’s work, including repetitive stress injuries that develop over time.
Workers may experience multiple different forms of bodily harm related to the movements and tasks they perform while on the job. These repetitive stress injuries may include:
Driving is such a commonplace activity that many people do not realize how dangerous it can be. Motor vehicles weigh thousands of pounds, and even at relatively slow speeds, a collision can cause a great deal of damage. While modern cars and trucks have a variety of safety systems, drivers and passengers can still suffer serious injuries in car accidents. Because of this, drivers should take care to operate their vehicles safely at all times. Unfortunately, many drivers fail to do so, and distracted driving is one of the most common forms of driver negligence that can lead to dangerous accidents and injuries to other drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, or pedestrians.
Drivers should always pay close attention to the road and the act of driving, but there are a variety of issues that can cause them to become distracted. In some cases, a person’s attention may wander, especially if they are driving on familiar routes, such as traveling to and from work. Drivers may also try to divide their attention and complete other tasks while driving, or they may be distracted by other people in their vehicles.
Many elderly Americans and others who have disabilities or health concerns reside in nursing homes. They may do so because they cannot fully care for themselves or because their family members cannot take on the responsibility of providing for their needs. While many facilities provide quality care, there are far too many cases in which residents suffer from nursing home abuse or neglect. In many cases, injuries to nursing home patients occur because of understaffing. The family members of those who have been injured will want to work with a personal injury attorney to determine whether a nursing home can be held responsible for negligence related to staffing.
Staff members at nursing homes should have the proper training that will allow them to provide care to residents. However, many nursing homes struggle to maintain adequate staff levels due to a shortage of qualified workers, or they may be unable to retain staff members because of the long hours and demanding work that is required, as well as what is often inadequate pay. Because of this, a nursing home may only have a minimal number of licensed nurses on staff, and other staff members may not have received the training necessary to meet the needs of elderly residents.
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.
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.
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.
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2114 Deerpath Road, Aurora, IL 60506 630-907-0909
