Chicago Personal Injury Blog

Illinois police officials report that an auto accident in Dekalb which resulted in one fatality may have been caused by drunk driving, according to The Chicago Tribune. The crash occurred on February 19 around 4 a.m. when the deceased victim drove his Hyundai sedan into the rear of a semi-trailer near the campus of Northern Illinois University. The 21-year-old driver was killed, while the two passengers in the vehicle were injured.

Both passengers were taken to area hospitals for treatment; one, who is the 29-year-old brother of the driver, is presently listed in critical condition. Authorities now report that open containers of alcohol were found in the vehicle, leading officials to believe alcohol may have played a part in this deadly crash.

According to 2009 data from The Century Council, a group committed to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking, there were a total of 319 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in Illinois. Seventy percent of these fatalities involved drivers with a high BAC (blood alcohol content), specifically, .15 or higher. In addition, there were a total of 4,250 arrests for driving under the influence in 2009. Though a recent report shows the number of IL drunk driving fatalities has decreased, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) ranks Illinois as the 29th highest state for DUI-related deaths, indicating the need for the state’s drivers to be more cautious and prevent drunk driving by designating a sober driver, taking a cab, or using public transportation.

When someone chooses to drink and get behind the wheel, he or she will not only endanger themselves, but anyone else on the road. If you have been injured or lost a loved in an alcohol-related crash, the Chicago drunk driving accident lawyers with the Bradley Law Firm will work to ensure you get justice and receive the compensation you deserve to move forward after a devastating accident. Call (312) 252-1488 to discuss your case with a member of our law team.

Governor Pat Quinn signed a new bill this month that will allow the city of Chicago to install high speed cameras to monitor drivers and prevent pedestrian accidents in Illinois, according to the Associated Press. The bill will allow Chicago to use automatic speed enforcement cameras to monitor driver speeds around schools and parks in the city, and motorists in violation of the speed limits may receive tickets up to $100. Beginning in July, the speed cameras can operate on school days from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. from Monday through Thursday, and from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays. In addition, the cameras can operate near parks from an hour before to an hour after closing. IL motorists who are driving over the speed limit by six to 10 mph may receive a $50 fine, and a $100 fine may be issued for 11 mph and over.

The Governor says the goal of the high speed cameras is to improve safety for children and prevent dangerous child injury accidents. According to district officials, an estimated one-third of the 405,000 students who are enrolled in Chicago area public schools walk, prompting the Chicago Mayor to also say the new cameras will “ensure the safety of our kids” and that drivers simply need to adhere to the posted speed limit. Critics of the bill, however, feel these cameras will not increase safety but merely generate large revenues for the state government. City officials report that the red-light cameras already in use at various Chicago intersections generated $66 million in revenue in 2010.

Though the use of new speed cameras is controversial, pedestrian safety, especially for children, is extremely important and all Illinois drivers should be extra cautious in areas where children are known to be, such as school zones. Safety measures taken by the city and state cannot, however, prevent negligent drivers from causing dangerous accidents. If you or your child has been injured in a pedestrian accident, the Chicago pedestrian accident attorneys with the Bradley Law Firm will work diligently to ensure you receive the compensation needed to recover from any injuries. To see how our legal team can help you, call (312) 252-1488.

Citing the recent rash of television tip-over accidents in the Chicago area, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is issuing a life-saving reminder to parents across the country: anchor both your televisions and furniture. The Chicago Tribune reports that falling TVs have injured or killed five young children in the greater Chicago area in less than four months, prompting experts and child safety advocates to call for public education and increased safety measures. The most recent tip-over case involved a two-year-old girl who was struck by both a TV and a dresser, but fortunately survived the incident. According to research conducted by the federal safety commission, 169 children died after TVs fell on them from 2000 to 2010.

Safety experts believe manufacturers should include straps or anchors with all new televisions, though they are currently not required to. An added recommendation is for stores that sell TVs to sell straps to consumers for use on older television models. Underwriters Laboratories Inc., an independent company that sets voluntary safety standards for the TV industry, can update the standards to specify that straps or anchors be sold with new TV sets, but presently have not taken any action on the issue and are focusing instead on increasing awareness. Overall, experts recommend any television in a home, whether an old or new model, such as a flatscreen, be anchored to prevent a dangerous child injury accident.

These recent TV tip-over accidents illustrate the need for families to be extra cautious with appliances and products when younger children are in the home. However, some products may pose a danger to a user regardless of the precautions he or she may take due to a manufacturing defect or flaw, which can result in serious injuries to an unsuspecting consumer. At the Bradley Law Firm, our skilled Chicago product liability attorneys are committed to helping IL residents obtain the compensation they deserve when they have been harmed by a dangerous or defective product. For a free consultation on your product liability claim, call (312) 252-1488.

A seatbelt is a safety restraint device required on all cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs (sport utility vehicles). Most seatbelts operate safely and effectively, and an estimated 226,627 lives between 1975 and 2006 have been saved due to these safety devices, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, safety belts are not foolproof, and when they malfunction, serious injuries or even death may occur as a result. A seat belt malfunctions when it fails to safely and effectively restrain a vehicle occupant.

In a recent year, Yourlegalguide.com reported that 4,159 vehicle occupants were killed by safety belts in motor vehicle accidents and 989,000 were injured. Statistics from the NHTSA do not indicate how many defective seatbelts were involved in these tragic incidents, but there have been more than a thousand seatbelt recalls for safety issues since 1996. Seatbelt defects can be caused by a number of factors, including: manufacturing or assembly errors, design flaws, lack of warning labels, and insufficient directions. The following are common types of injuries caused by defective seat belts:

• Head injuries;
• Chest injuries;
• Abdominal injuries;
• Spinal injuries;
• Upper or lower extremity fractures; and
• Death.

Injuries caused by a seatbelt tend to affect the upper body, and when a seatbelt breaks during a motor vehicle crash, the injuries resemble those of an unrestrained vehicle occupant.

If you have been injured by a defective seatbelt, it is important to know you have legal rights and can pursue compensation from the negligent parties responsible. The seatbelt injury attorneys in Chicago with the Bradley Law Firm are committed to helping injury victims get the compensation they need to recover from a devastating accident. To see how our legal team can assist you, call (312) 252-1488 for a consultation.

For any worker in Illinois, whether you are behind a desk or work at a construction site, there is always the unfortunate possibility of being injured on the job. The excellent news is workers’ compensation (or workers’ comp) is a system of benefits to help an employee who has suffered an occupation-related injury or illness pay for medical bills and replace lost wages while they are not at work.

Workers’ compensation laws and benefits, however, vary from state to state. Under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, an employee is entitled to three types of benefits, which are payments related to medical treatment expenses, missed time from work, and permanency. Though this sounds simple, calculating specific numbers can be slightly more complex.

An Illinois worker’s AWW, or Average Weekly Wage, is the most significant number which can help in determining what benefits one can receive under the Workers’ Compensation Act. The AWW is what a worker earns per week and is based on the 52 weeks prior to the work-related injury or illness. Essentially, the basic formula for calculating the AWW is adding up everything that was paid to you in the 52 weeks prior to the date of injury, and then dividing that number by 52. Keep in mind that certain factors may make calculating an AWW a bit tricky, such as the fact that overtime and bonuses are not considered part of the AWW. However, once the AWW is calculated, figuring out what benefits you should receive is fairly simple.

An Illinois worker may think that recovery will be the most difficult part of suffering from an on-the-job injury or illness, but receiving the workers’ comp he or she is entitled to may be a very challenging part of the ordeal as well. A knowledgeable Illinois workers’ compensation lawyer can help you with every step of the workers’ comp process, from filing to filling out paperwork and even an appeal, if necessary. At the Bradley Law Firm, we are committed to helping IL workers get the benefits they deserve. For a no-cost consultation on your claim, please call (312) 252-1488.

A report from ABC News states that Minnesota-based food company Michael Foods is recalling more than one million hard-cooked eggs that were distributed in 34 U.S. states. The product recall was issued after lab testing conducted by a third party revealed some of the eggs may be contaminated with listeria. The company determined that a repair project in a packaging room was the most likely source of the contamination, and has taken “a number of corrective steps to address the issue and prevent recurrence.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the eggs were produced at the company’s plant in Wakefield, NE and were purchased by food manufacturers and distributors, but not sold directly to retailers. Currently, no illnesses have been reported in connection to the recalled eggs. The product was sold under these six different brand names: Wholesome Farms, Silverbrook, Columbia Valley Farms, GFS, Glenview Farms, and Pappetti’s. The following states are included in this recall:

Alabama; Arkansas; Arizona; California; Colorado; Florida; Georgia; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Mississippi; Montana; North Carolina; North Dakota; Nebraska; New Jersey; Nevada; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Washington; Wisconsin; and West Virginia.

Listeria is a type of bacteria that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, with the elderly, young children, and those with weakened immune systems having the highest risk for infection. Healthier individuals will usually suffer shorter-term symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, stiffness, and headaches; however, a listeria infection may possibly cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Consumers expect that the products they buy, especially food, will be safe for consumption and use. However, when the maker of a product does not thoroughly test an item for safety, takes cost-effective shortcuts in manufacturing, or allows it to be exposed to dangerous toxins, unsuspecting consumers will be the one to pay the price. If you have been injured or become ill from a defective or dangerous product, the product liability lawyers in Chicago with the Bradley Law Firm can help you hold any responsible parties accountable. Please call (312) 252-1488 for a free review of your case.

Salem-news.com reports that a new campaign launched by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is aimed at preventing the dangerous drunk driving accidents that may occur at Super Bowl Sunday parties around the country. With the slogan “Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk,” the NHTSA and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), with support from the National Football League (NFL) and Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM), launched an anti-drunk driving campaign to urge football fans to not let drunk driving penalize their Super Bowl plans.

According to the NHTSA, Super Bowl Sunday has become one of the nation’s most dangerous days on the road due to impaired driving. Forty-eight percent of fatalities nationwide on Super Bowl Sunday involve a driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher. In 2010, 31 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the U.S. were alcohol impaired driving-related. To prevent a serious drunk driving accident from occurring, the NHTSA offers these tips for party hosts or pigskin fans watching at a sports bar or restaurant:

For Party Hosts

• Make sure any party-goers designate a driver before the big game begins, or help arrange ride sharing with sober drivers.
• Serve lots of food, and try to have non-alcoholic beverage options for guests.
• For anyone thinking of driving after they have been drinking, keep the numbers of cab companies handy for a safe ride home, or if possible, allow guests to spend the night if they are unable to drive.

For Fans Watching the Game at a Party or Public Place

• Designate a sober driver before the game begins and give that person your keys, or call a cab, a friend, or a family member to come pick you up if unable to drive when you are ready to go.
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself, and be sure to eat food and alternate with non-alcoholic beverages.

Following these safety tips can ensure that your guests, or you if you are a partygoer, get home safely on game day. However, another person may choose to get behind the wheel after drinking, which can result in a serious, life-threatening accident. If you have been involved in a drunk driving accident in Illinois, the drunk driving accident attorneys in Chicago with the Bradley Law Firm can help you obtain compensation for your injuries and hold any responsible parties accountable. Call (312) 252-1488 for a complimentary consultation.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) concluded an investigation into the death of two 14-year-old female farm workers in the village of Tampico in Whiteside County, according to the Rockford Register Star. The two young women tragically died in the summer of 2011 when they were electrocuted while removing tassels from corn in the rural northwestern Illinois city. An estimated 72 employees for the St. Louis-based company Monsanto Corp. were also de-tasseling corn when the fatal accident occurred, and eight of the workers were injured.

The father of one of the victims filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company claiming his daughter’s death could have been prevented, but the company denied these claims, saying workers would not have been allowed to work in the cornfield if they were aware of any electrical hazard. OSHA’s six month investigation into both companies associated with the accident, Monsanto Corp. and R & J Enterprises of Illinois Inc., found they were not at-fault. The organization determined that lightning may have struck the field’s irrigation system, causing the electrocution accident to occur.

OSHA will be issuing no citations in the case, stating the two companies could not have reasonably recognized the hazardous conditions based on the collected evidence. An OSHA spokesman asserts the tragic accident could not have been prevented as no one was aware of the hazards. In August of 2011, Monsanto announced that they had changed safety procedures for corn growers and farm landlords in all corn-growing regions as a result of the accident, including requiring landowners and growers to unplug irrigation systems at the panel.

When a loved one dies unexpectedly, it can lead family members and friends of the deceased to look for answers surrounding the death and ask whether or not it could have been prevented. If you have lost a loved one in any type of accident, an Illinois wrongful death attorney can help you get answers to your questions and hold any at-fault parties responsible. At the Bradley Law Firm, we are dedicated to helping families seek justice in the case of a wrongful death. Please call (312) 252-1488 for a complimentary review of your case.

According to Dailytech.com, a new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical Center reveals the danger of wearing headphones while walking. The lead author of the study, Richard Lichenstein, M.D., determined that injuries to pedestrians who were wearing headphones have tripled over the last six years.

The research team conducted the study by examining cases where headphones were involved in serious pedestrian injuries and fatalities from car or train crashes from 2004-2011 reports from various organizations and databases, including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPSC) and Google News Archives.

The study yielded some very interesting results. The following are a few highlights:

• Nearly three quarters of the headphone-related injuries were fatal.
• About 55 percent of the vehicles involved in the headphone-related accidents were trains.
• 29 percent of the vehicles involved used some type of audible warning system, such as a horn, to let pedestrians know they were there.

Lichenstein said the accidents examined in the research study were caused by pedestrians being distracted by their devices and blocking the sounds of warning systems with their headphones, which he calls sensory deprivation. Lichenstein feels that with more and more enticing devices, the risk of injury increases from both distraction and the blocking out of other sounds. He also asserts that the dangers of distracted driving have been well documented, but the dangers of teens walking while distracted with headphones and devices is an increasing problem that warrants attention.

This new study reveals the risks of wearing headphones while traveling on two feet, but pedestrians still face a variety of dangers on Illinois streets, such as distracted drivers. If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident in Illinois, the pedestrian accident attorneys in Chicago with the Bradley Law Firm can help you seek full compensation for your injuries. For a free consultation with our legal team, please call (312) 252-1488.

The Chicago Tribune reports that a recent intersection accident in north suburban Morton Grove injured three people and closed the intersection for close to 30 minutes. The multi-vehicle Illinois auto accident occurred around noon on January 16 at the intersection of Dempster Street and Waukegan Road. A total of four ambulances were called to the scene, but only three of the accident victims were transported to the hospital for treatment of their injuries. The Morton Grove Fire Battalion Chief is hopeful for a swift recovery for the three as they were all “conscious and talking” at the accident scene, but was unable to provide further details regarding their conditions. The Chief was unsure what direction the vehicles were traveling, so an official investigation will have to determine what happened and who may be at-fault for the crash.

Despite improvements in things like road design, safety laws and regulations, and traffic engineering, intersection safety is still a serious problem. According to information from the U.S. Institute of Traffic Safety Engineers, the number of fatal crashes at traffic signals is rising faster than any other type of fatal crash in the nation. In addition, in 2002 an estimated 3.2 million intersection-related crashes occurred, which represented 50 percent of all reported crashes. Fatal intersection accidents the same year represented 22 percent of total fatal crashes, and injuries resulting from intersection accidents represented 55.3 percent of all injury crashes.

Being a cautious and aware driver can certainly help prevent dangerous intersection accidents, but a negligent motorist may still cause an accident to occur. The intersection accident attorneys in Illinois with the Bradley Law Firm can help you obtain compensation for your injuries when the crash is caused by the negligence of another party. Call (312) 252-1488 for a complimentary consultation and to discuss your personal injury claim.