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Recent Blog Posts
Defective Airbags Continue To Trigger Vehicle Recalls
Despite years of efforts to identify and recall vehicles with dangerously malfunctioning airbags, another series of recalls and ‘do not drive’ advisories have recently been issued. As with many previous recalls for airbag safety concerns, current recalls are for cars equipped with Takata brand airbags. These airbags fail up to 50 percent of the time, potentially ejecting metal fragments towards drivers that can kill or maim them forever. If you or a family member were injured by a defective airbag, an Illinois personal injury attorney may be able to help you recover compensation for your suffering.
Which Vehicles Are Being Recalled?
The recent recall focuses on older Acura and Honda models. Until the airbags have been fixed, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is warning people not to drive the cars at all. Airbag recall repairs are free for owners, but, due to the older models of these cars and the likelihood that they have been sold to multiple owners, it may be difficult to find and warn the current drivers of the roughly 8,000 Honda and Acura vehicles under recall, including:
Filing a Lawsuit After an Injury or Death Caused by a Fire
Fires may seem like one of those disasters which is unlikely to ever happen to you, but the sad truth is that nearly 4,000 people die in house fires every year and several thousand more are severely injured. Fires in homes, restaurants, stores, apartments, and other buildings can start quietly, spread quickly, and rapidly engulf an entire structure before occupants have time to get out. Young and old people are at the greatest likelihood of being injured or killed in a fire, but fires claim the lives of people of all ages, as well as the brave men and women who try to put them out.
If you recently lost a loved one or were seriously injured in a fire, you may be wondering what caused the blaze and, if it was another person or company, whether you can take legal action against them to seek compensation for your losses. If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a fire this winter, speak to an Illinois personal injury lawyer. We may be able to help.
Can a Pedestrian Sue the Driver Who Hit Them?
Crossing the street and getting hit by a car - it is a situation nobody expects themselves to be in, yet one that kills and seriously injures people in the U.S. every day. If pedestrians involved in vehicle accidents survive, they often face an expensive healing process and, in some cases, have serious injuries that prevent them from going back to work and living life as they did before.
When accidents like this happen, a personal injury lawsuit cannot undo the accident. But it may provide the injured or deceased party with a way to get the funds they need to recover and continue functioning as normally as possible in the future. However, there are strict time limits on how much time a pedestrian or their family has to take legal action, and the longer a victim waits, the more difficult it becomes to gather evidence and make a strong case.
Is Your Loved One At Risk for Dangerous Nursing Home Neglect or Abuse?
Despite the fact that our elderly family members and loved ones are often vulnerable and need help with even the most basic tasks, they are also often at risk of terrible abuse and neglect at the hands of those we trust to take care of them. Illinois law guarantees nursing home residents a standard of care that is intended to protect them from abuse or neglect, but employees and managers at nursing homes and other residential care centers do not always respect or follow the law.
Because elderly people can have a hard time communicating clearly or remembering what happened, it can be difficult to identify potential signs of abuse or neglect and distinguish them from other behaviors that are typical to this age group, such as injuries caused by tripping and falling. However, there are warning signs that could indicate your loved one is in need of urgent assistance. Responding to these warning signs and taking action against the person or organization responsible could save a life.
Defective Workplace Equipment May Allow For Third-Party Lawsuits
As safety measures improve and worker safety awareness continues to increase, workplace injuries are on the decline across the nation. However, people are still commonly injured and even killed while on the job, making it difficult or impossible to work and depriving families of their loved ones and a desperately needed income.
When someone is injured on the job in Illinois, they are usually covered by workers’ compensation insurance. Employers are required to have this essential coverage in Illinois and it can be a lifeline for those who need it. Sometimes, however, more action is warranted - and this is especially true in injury cases that are caused by defective equipment manufactured or managed by a third party. If you were injured at work, make sure you speak with an Illinois personal injury attorney who can help you recover any damages to which you are entitled.
The Four Most Dangerous Construction Site Accidents
Construction work is absolutely essential for making our lives as comfortable and convenient as they are, but it is dangerous work and construction workers frequently face serious and even fatal hazards. While many of the injuries and fatalities that occur on construction sites in Illinois are covered by workers’ compensation insurance, others are caused by third-party negligence that leaves construction workers options for recovering compensation for the damages they have suffered.
If you are a construction worker who has been injured, or if you are the loved one of a construction worker who was killed on site, you deserve to know your options. Learn about the most common construction site accidents in this blog and then contact an Illinois personal injury with specific knowledge and experience in construction site injuries to see whether taking further action is right for you.
Improper Loading Can Cause Dangerous Trucking Accidents
The last ten years brought an explosion in online commerce, with companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Apple shipping hundreds of millions of dollars of goods around the country every year. With the increase in deliveries has come an increase in delivery trucks and big rigs on the road, and, unfortunately, an increase in serious and fatal trucking accidents. Every year, nearly 5,000 people die in large truck accidents, and well over 100,000 people are injured.
While accidents are not entirely preventable, many accidents could be prevented with simple adherence to regulations and guidelines. One of the most common causes of trucking accidents in Illinois is improperly loaded cargo; when the contents of a truck are not correctly secured or distributed, they can shift during sharp turns and high speeds, leading to jackknifing, rollovers, inability to stop or slow down, and other serious accidents. If you were injured in a truck accident caused by shifting cargo, you are already well aware of the dangers of these accidents, but you may not realize that you may be able to take legal action against the people or companies responsible for your injuries.
What Happens if Preeclampsia Goes Undiagnosed?
Even with all the remarkable advances in maternal healthcare, pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery still pose serious risks to pregnant mothers in Illinois. One of the riskiest conditions that a pregnant mother can be diagnosed with is preeclampsia. Maternal healthcare providers should be carefully trained to recognize early symptoms of preeclampsia because this condition can escalate quickly into serious complications and may even be fatal for both mother and child.
Failure to diagnose preeclampsia is among the most serious and consequential types of medical malpractice, and doctors, nurses, and hospitals who fail to provide pregnant patients with the highest standard of care should be held accountable for their actions. If you or a loved one had preeclampsia and your team of healthcare providers did not diagnose you in a timely fashion, you may want to take legal action to recover compensation for any damages you suffered.
Have You Used a CPAP Machine That Causes Cancer?
The constant advances in the medical industry often mislead the average consumer into feeling like products recommended by doctors are always safe. Unfortunately, lack of research, poor design, and greed and corruption on the part of medical device designers and manufacturers can expose patients to dangerous conditions that can pose serious, life-long risks.
One type of defective medical product that has become notorious in recent years for causing cancer is CPAP and BiPAP machines made by Philips. These machines exposed users to toxic chemicals that caused specific types of cancers and respiratory illnesses, often with fatal consequences. If you used a Philips CPAP machine or any other dangerous or defective medical device, you deserve to know your options.
Why Were These CPAP Machines Dangerous?
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted an investigation into Philips to determine whether Philips had an idea that their machines posed risks to users. The investigation showed that Philips knew about the dangers of the CPAP machines, but did not take immediate action to issue a recall.
Can I Sue the Bar That Allowed the Driver Who Hit Me to Become Drunk?
People go to bars to drink - that is no secret. But how much can a bartender allow a single person to drink before sharing some responsibility for what that person does when he or she leaves the bar? If a bartender allows or encourages someone to get so drunk he or she cannot drive safely, and the drunk person gets in their car and hurts or kills someone else, can the bartender be held responsible?
According to Illinois law, it may be possible to hold the bar or bartender responsible if a drunk driver gets in their car after being allowed to become intoxicated on the bar’s premises. An Illinois personal injury attorney can talk to you about your case and determine which parties are responsible for the injuries or losses you have suffered as the result of someone else’s poor decision to drink and drive.
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