Posted on July 14, 2022 in Medical Malpractice

Approximately two-thirds of U.S. adults are on one or more prescription medications. Statins, ACE inhibitors, beta-agonists, and opioids are some of the most commonly prescribed medications. When people are prescribed a medication from a doctor, they assume the medication is safe and effective. They assume that the pharmacy that provides the medication has carefully checked the medication and provided the correct drug in the correct dosage.

Unfortunately, prescription medication mistakes are not uncommon. One issue that leads to a surprising number of medication errors is sound-alike or look-alike medications.

Sound Alike Medications Can Lead to Deadly Mistakes

When an individual receives the wrong medication, they may not realize when they initially take the medication. It is only after they begin suffering from worsened symptoms, side effects, drug interactions, or other adverse consequences that they realize something is wrong.

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 Posted on July 13, 2022 in Car Accidents

One of the worst-case scenarios in a car crash is losing full use of your body. Paraplegia refers to paralysis of the legs and lower half of the body. Individuals with paraplegia are often unable to walk, run, or live their lives as they could before the paralysis. To say that paraplegia is life-changing is to massively understand the devastation it can cause.

If you or someone you care about suffered a car accident injury that led to paraplegia, you may be able to take legal action against the at-fault party. You may be entitled to financial compensation for damages.

Auto Accidents Leading to Paralysis

The forces placed on a human body during a serious car wreck can lead to catastrophic injuries. Usually, paraplegia is caused by injury to the brain or spinal cord. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reports that just under 40 percent of spinal injuries are caused by auto accidents.

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 Posted on July 05, 2022 in Medical Malpractice

Anesthesia has revolutionized modern medicine and made it possible for millions of people to undergo surgery pain-free. Unfortunately, anesthesia is also not without risk. Negligent medical providers who make anesthesia mistakes can cause devastating and fatal injuries. If you or someone you care about was harmed by an anesthesia mistake, you may be able to take legal action against the responsible party.

Medical Negligence During Surgery

Any surgical procedure carries some risk. However, competent medical providers can mitigate this risk to almost zero. Unfortunately, understaffing, inadequate training and education, poor communication, and simple carelessness increase the chances of surgical complications tremendously.

Anesthesia malpractice can occur for nearly countless reasons, including:

• Insufficient review of the patient’s medical history, allergies, and medical problems

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 Posted on June 21, 2022 in Personal Injury

In 2021, a study was published by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission declaring that injuries and deaths related to fireworks increased dramatically during the previous year. Because many municipalities canceled local fireworks shows due to the Covid-19 pandemic, more people used fireworks on their own, increasing the danger of an accidental or errant discharge resulting in a serious injury or death. 

To anyone who has never been injured by a firework, the idea that these fun sources of flashy entertainment could cause serious harm may seem laughable. After all, the vast majority of fireworks displays occur without ever causing harm. But at least 18 people died in 2020 from firework-related accidents and more than 15,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for their injuries. Even firecrackers and sparklers, which seem harmless and are used by children all over Illinois every year, are actually responsible for the majority of fireworks injuries treated in the emergency room. If you or someone you love has been seriously injured or killed by a firework and require expensive medical treatment, you may want to seek compensation. 

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 Posted on June 13, 2022 in Premises Liability

As schools let out for the summer, children all across Illinois will spend much more time swimming in public and private pools. For the most part, time spent swimming is a great way to keep kids occupied and with proper supervision, training, and equipment, swimming can be a safe activity. 

However, swimming pools in Illinois must strictly adhere to legal construction standards. The expense and labor involved in maintaining swimming pools mean cracks, uneven or slippery surfaces, and other hazards may go unaddressed. In turn, this exposes people - especially children - to the risk of slip-and-fall injuries that can be serious and even lethal. 

Common Swimming Pool Accidents

By far, the most common swimming pool injuries occur when bathers slip or trip and fall on surfaces that do not have proper anti-slip resistance or are uneven because of poor construction or maintenance. The location and speed of the slip can vary, and children who fall while running can suffer serious injuries and even death.

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 Posted on June 07, 2022 in Personal Injury

It seems like nearly every day there is a news headline describing the recall of a widely-distributed food. Reports of nameless people in distant cities falling seriously ill and even dying are sad to read but easy to forget. But when a food poisoning incident happens to someone you love - especially to your child - the consequences can be life-altering. 

Just last year, a government report alleged that major baby food companies had dangerous levels of heavy metals in their products. These chemicals and elements can have serious neurotoxic effects, especially on developing brains. Even when heavy metals are not present, other toxic substances like salmonella can make a child very sick and potentially threaten their life. If your child developed a food illness after eating baby food, an Illinois personal injury attorney may be able to help you recover damages. 

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 Posted on May 30, 2022 in Personal Injury

Busy parents with hectic schedules must do extensive research to find the perfect Illinois daycare center for their child. Leaving your little one in the hands of a third party all day may be a harrowing experience for some parents, and it is one which takes a leap of faith in the skill and compassion of the daycare staff. 

Unfortunately, daycare staff do not always live up to the expectations parents have of them; worse, they sometimes abuse the children in their care. Any kind of daycare abuse is unacceptable. If your child has been abused in their childcare center and injured or even killed, know that you have options. 

Types of Daycare Abuse

It is often difficult for children to share or talk about daycare abuse, either because they are too young or are afraid of their teachers or caregivers. An estimated 60 percent of child sexual abuse victims never tell anyone. But where there is abuse, there are often subtle signs of abuse. These include, but are not limited to:

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 Posted on May 20, 2022 in Product Liability

For most women in Illinois, the invention and widespread availability of birth control have made it much easier to make safe, informed decisions about when to start a family. For other women, birth control has meant finally being able to control painful, unpredictable menstruation cycles.

While birth control is well understood and its risks are low, it is not without risks altogether. Many women who use birth control have suffered from serious and even life-threatening health conditions, including heart attacks and pulmonary embolisms. If you started taking birth control and experienced an adverse health condition, you may want to speak with an Illinois birth control injuries lawyer. 

How Does Birth Control Work? 

Different birth control works in different ways. Birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives contain a small amount of human estrogen and progestin hormones. These hormones prevent a woman’s body from ovulating and also change the consistency of the cervical mucus so sperm cannot reach an egg as easily. Non-hormonal methods, such as a copper IUD, change the way sperm cells move so they cannot reach an egg to fertilize it. 

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 Posted on May 15, 2022 in Product Liability

A couple of years ago, a prominent medical device company issued a massive recall of over 300,000 insulin pumps. The pumps had defective retainer rings which could break, causing the pump to dose insulin improperly and potentially send users into diabetic comas. The U.S. Food and Drug administration categorized this recall as a Class I recall, in which there is a reasonable probability that using the recalled defective medical product could result in serious injury or death. 

When situations like this occur, people can suffer catastrophic injuries and death through no fault of their own. The sudden loss or grievous injury of a spouse or a child can cause incalculable grief and suffering and survivors may rightfully wonder if there is anything they can do. If you or someone you love has been hurt because of a defective medical device, a personal injury attorney may be able to help you secure fair compensation. 

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 Posted on May 07, 2022 in Product Liability

A few years ago, a story made national news headlines when a family driving together in their car realized that the foot pedal was jammed in the floor mat. Tragically, the entire family died as the car accelerated unstoppably and crashed. Following an investigation, the manufacturer recalled nearly four million vehicles to replace the accelerator pedals. 

While the vast majority of car accidents are caused by human error, accidents involving manufacturer’s defects do happen and the results can be life-changing, if not deadly. Serious accidents can be caused by defective vehicle equipment and when these accidents result in catastrophic injury or death, it is important to hold the responsible party to account. If you have been injured in an Illinois car crash because of a defective automobile part, speak with a product injury attorney as soon as possible. 

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