Personal Injury

Halloween treats are a big part of the holiday fun, whether they come from trick-or-treating door-to-door or are part of a Halloween party. Keep your loved ones safe by observing these safety tips for Halloween candy and treats, courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

• Inspect candy first before eating it. Since children often want to “snack” from their trick-or-treat bags while they’re collecting candy, give them a snack before they hit the sidewalks and remind them not to eat anything they’re given until you have inspected it first. Look for any signs of tampering, like discoloration, pinholes, or loosened or torn wrappers. If you suspect it isn’t safe, throw it away!
• Politely refuse any treats that aren’t commercially wrapped, unless they are made by someone you know personally and trust. Homemade caramel apples and popcorn balls are fun, but your health and safety come first.
• Prepare in-home treats by choosing pasteurized apple cider and juices. Most packages should state whether the contents is pasteurized. If your guests will be bobbing for apples, clean apples first by running them under cold water, or brushing them with a vegetable brush to take off any surface dirt. Serve hot foods above 140 degrees Fahrenheit and cold foods below 40 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent food-borne illness.

At The Bradley Law Firm, our experienced personal injury lawyers in Illinois are dedicating to helping those who have been injured by another’s negligence. To learn more about your legal rights and options after an injury, call us today at (800) 360-5072. The call is free, and any information you share with us will be kept confidential.

Young children are naturally curious, but they lack the understanding that certain objects or situations can be dangerous. This combination puts young children at a much greater risk for injury than older children or adults. When an accident causes death or serious injury, families often find themselves scrambling to figure out what happened and why.

Accidental injuries claim the lives of more children between ages one and four than all childhood diseases combined, according to Safe Kids USA. The rate of death from unintentional injuries is 13.74 per 100,000 children under age four – more than twice the rate for older children. Suffocation, injury from playing in or around a motor vehicle, burn injuries, falls, and poisoning are the major causes of injury or death to children in this age range.

For older children, the big risks of accidental injury include drowning, burn injuries, suffocation, and pedestrian or bicycle accidents. The death rates for children ages five to nine years from accidental injuries are 6.24 children per 100,000, though this number rises to 7.50 per 100,000 for children ages ten to fourteen years. For children of all ages, most accidental injuries happen in or near the home, and many are caused by defective products that either injure a child directly or cause a fire or other dangerous situation to occur that causes injuries.

If a child you love has been injured by another’s negligence, you are not alone. The experienced Chicago personal injury attorneys at The Bradley Law Firm can help you discover what happened and hold any negligent parties accountable for their actions. To discuss your case with us for free, please call us today at (800) 360-5072.

On August 3, after 79 reports of illness and one death, Arkansas-based Cargill Meat Solutions, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued the class I recall of approximately 36 million pounds of ground turkey products that may be contaminated by a multi-drug resistant strain of Salmonella Heidelberg.

The affected Cargill Meat Solutions ground turkey products can be identified with the establishment number “P-963” inside the USDA mark of inspection and were sold at various retailers across the nation. The recalled products include:

• Ground turkey chubs, use or freeze by Feb. 20 through Aug. 23;
• 85% ground turkey, use or freeze by Feb. 20 through Aug. 23;
• 93% ground turkey, use or freeze by Feb. 20 through Aug. 23;
• Ground patties; and
• Frozen ground turkey, production dates include Feb. 20 through Aug. 2.

These products were either unbranded or sold as the following brands:

• Honeysuckle White;
• Shady Brook Farms;
• Riverside;
• Aldis Fit & Active;
• HEB;
• Safeway;
• Giant Eagle; and
• Kroger.

Cargill Meat Solutions is instructing anyone who has purchased these ground turkey products to return them to the point-of-purchase. The FSIS has a PDF retail distribution list available on their website: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp.

When cooking or handling ground turkey and other raw meat products, it is important to practice proper safety so as to avoid contamination of the meat with foodborne illness-causing bacteria. Following the proper safety procedures is just as important for meat product manufacturers and distributors as consumers.

If you or someone you know has become ill as the result of a contaminated consumer product in Illinois, the experienced Chicago personal injury lawyers at The Bradley Law Firm can help you hold the at-fault party responsible for your losses. Contact us today for a free consultation and to learn more about your legal options at 312-252-1488.

The 4th of July holiday offers much to look forward to: family barbecues, pool parties, and, of course, fireworks. Burn injuries, lacerations, eye trauma, and other fireworks-related injuries have the potential for ruining your holiday fun, however. With this in mind, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) held their annual fireworks press conference recently, where they reminded everyone of the dangers of fireworks, especially illegal fireworks, and provided important safety guidelines in order to enjoy fireworks safely.

If you and your family will be celebrating the 4th of July holiday with fireworks this weekend, these steps will ensure a fun and safe event:

1. Familiarize yourself with the fireworks laws of your state.
2. Make sure the fireworks are legal before buying or using them.
3. Never let young children light or play with fireworks.
4. Stay away from brown paper packaged fireworks as that usually means that they were professional displays and not for consumer use.
5. Never stand directly above fireworks when igniting them.
6. Back away to a safe distance right after lighting any fireworks.
7. Never pick up or try to re-light fireworks that don’t work properly.
8. Never direct or throw fireworks towards another person or building.
9. Always have a garden hose and/or a bucket of water ready to douse or dispose of used fireworks.
10. Never ignite fireworks inside glass or metal containers.
11. Light fireworks one at a time.
12. Always douse fireworks with water or place them in a bucket of water after they have finished burning.

Unfortunately, not everyone will be practicing these safety steps when using fireworks in Illinois. If you or a loved one has been injured by fireworks as the result of another person’s negligence or recklessness, the skilled Chicago personal injury attorneys at The Bradley Law Firm can help you pursue compensation for the losses and damages resulting from your injury. To find out more about your legal options, call our office today for a free confidential consultation at 312-252-1488.

Recent water sample tests by the Environmental Working Group have found that Chicago’s tap water contains three times the recommended levels of hexavalent chromium, according to a recent article in The Chicago Tribune. Hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium-6, has been linked to high rates of stomach cancer and other diseases.

Hexavalent chromium occurs naturally in small amounts in the environment, but its appearance in drinking water is usually the result of industrial waste discharge or runoff. Officials have not yet pinpointed the source of the hexavalent chromium in Chicago’s contaminated water supplies. One possible source is the group of four steel mills in northern Indiana that discharge their waste products, including hexavalent chromium, into Lake Michigan. Tests of Lake Michigan water have also shown levels of hexavalent chromium that are three times higher than the “safe” limit for drinking.

Although ingesting hexavalent chromium has known health risks, the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not yet set limits on the amount of hexavalent chromium in drinking water. The few standards that exist have come from California, where the entire town of Hinkley was poisoned by groundwater containing hexavalent chromium. The legal battle that ensued was the topic of the blockbuster movie “Erin Brockovich.”

When manufacturers and other companies do not follow health and safety rules, the results can be devastating. An experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer can help you navigate your legal rights and options after an injury or illness that you believe was caused by another’s negligence or oversight. At The Bradley Law Firm, our attorneys have the legal resources and real-life experience to build a strong case on your behalf. To schedule a free and confidential consultation, call The Bradley Law Firm today at 1-800-360-5072.

Every year, hundreds of Americans are injured by improperly designed, stored, or used holiday decorations. To help people recognize and avoid unsafe decorations, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) offers holiday decorating safety tips for you and your loved ones to keep in mind:

• Check that the label of an artificial Christmas tree’s says that it is fire-resistant before purchasing it. If you choose a real tree, buy one with bendable needles and pine resin, which indicate it is not dried out, and make sure it is watered regularly.
• If you use artificial snow, use it in a well-ventilated area, and always follow the instructions on the can. Otherwise, artificial snow can irritate the lungs.
• Check lights carefully before putting them up. Your holiday lights should not have any worn, frayed, or bare spots. The lights also shouldn’t have any broken or cracked sockets, or any missing bulbs. If your lights have any of these, buy new ones.
• Turn off all your lights and other decorations before leaving the house. Never leave a burning candle, fireplace, or any other open flame unattended. Never allow children to play with fire.
• Check other holiday decorations to ensure they are flame-resistant, especially if they are made from traditionally flammable materials like paper.

Being careful with holiday decorations can help prevent serious personal injury. Unfortunately, you may not always realize the problems with a defective product. If you have been injured by a defective product or because of someone else’s negligence this holiday season, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Chicago personal injury attorneys at The Bradley Law Firm. Call us at 1-800-360-5072 for a free and confidential consultation.

Mold is a microscopic organism that exists naturally in the outdoors, where it plays a vital role in the cycle of wildlife by breaking down dead organic matter. However, when mold begins to grow in a house, apartment building, or other residential structure, it can cause serious illness to the people living there. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides guidelines to homeowners and landlords on how to properly deal with mold.

Mold needs moisture in order to grow, according to the EPA. To clean up a mold problem properly, your landlord should both clean the mold itself and take steps to prevent moisture from collecting where the mold is growing. This may include fixing plumbing or roof leaks, removing carpets and other porous surfaces where moisture collects, repairing gutters, or changing the slope of the land around the building so water flows away from it.

Mold can cause serious health problems for many people. Common symptoms of mold allergy or sensitivity include allergic reactions with symptoms like sneezing, congestion, runny nose, red eyes, and a skin rash. People with severe mold allergies may become unable to breathe and require immediate medical attention. Mold can also cause asthma attacks in people who have asthma. Even for people without asthma or allergies, mold can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, lungs, and skin, along with dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.

The health risks posed by mold growth can be serious, and mold problems should be addressed immediately and thoroughly. If you or a loved one is living with mold and your landlord refuses to handle the problem correctly, you have certain legal rights and options. The experienced Chicago personal injury attorneys at The Bradley Law Firm can help. Call The Bradley Law Firm today at 312-252-1488 for a free and confidential consultation.