Posted on June 07, 2022 in Personal Injury

Food poisoning affects about 48 million people each year in the U.S. If you have suffered from food poisoning, you know just how miserable it can be. Cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea are sometimes just the start. Food poisoning can also cause extremely high fever and dangerous dehydration.

If you or a loved one suffered from food poisoning or foodborne illness after eating at a restaurant, you may be able to sue the restaurant and recover compensation for your medical bills. However, bringing a successful claim is not easy. You will need to prove that the restaurant’s negligent actions caused your illness and that you sustained damages or financial losses due to the illness. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you gather evidence and bring a compelling claim against the business that caused the food poisoning.

Liability for Food Poisoning

There are hundreds of different types of food poisoning. Bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause food poisoning include:

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 Posted on May 31, 2022 in Workers' Compensation

Workers in the manufacturing industry often face a unique set of on-the-job risks. Countless different chemicals and substances are used in the manufacturing process, and the health dangers of these substances are not always fully understood. Sometimes, the health risks associated with certain substances are only known when workers start experiencing medical problems. This was the case with "popcorn lung," a chronic lung disease that was first discovered in the lungs of popcorn plant workers.

Popcorn lung, which is technically called "bronchiolitis obliterans," does not only affect those in the food manufacturing industry. Anyone who is consistently exposed to harmful airborne chemicals can develop the disease. Workers who develop bronchiolitis obliterans may be able to file a workers' compensation claim and recover financial compensation.

Toxic Materials Associated with Bronchiolitis Obliterans

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 Posted on May 20, 2022 in Car Accidents

Almost everyone who has driven a motor vehicle has experienced frustration behind the wheel at some point. Responsible drivers understand that they cannot let feelings of anger or annoyance affect their driving. Unfortunately, not every driver has this level of self-control. Aggressive driving or road rage can be extremely dangerous. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association reports that fatal traffic accidents caused by road rage have increased by 500 percent.

If you were injured or a loved one was killed in an accident caused by an aggressive driver, contact a car accident injury lawyer to take legal action.

Erratic, Dangerous Driving on the Rise

Between inflation, soaring gas prices, COVID-19, and everyday stressors, many people are experiencing high levels of anxiety and tension. This can lead some people to overact to traffic-related frustrations. They may speed, change lanes without signaling, run stop signals, tailgate, or even try and cut off other motorists in retribution for perceived wrongs. This type of aggressive driving is very dangerous, putting other drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists at risk. Frighteningly, experts say road rage is on the rise.

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 Posted on May 13, 2022 in Personal Injury

Personal injury law deals with injuries and deaths caused by negligence or wrongdoing. There are nearly countless ways that a party’s negligent behavior or wrongful actions can lead to an injury. Many personal injury claims involve car accidents and commercial truck accidents. Others involve injuries caused by defective products. Negligent design or maintenance of a property may also lead to injury claims.

The at-fault party in most personal injury claims is an individual or private company. However, there are also instances in which the government is ultimately at fault for an injury or death. In this situation, is it possible to sue the government for negligence?

Injury Claims Involving the Government

It is possible to sue the government and recover damages for an injury, but doing so is an especially challenging feat. Claims against the government are subject to special rules and procedures. An injured person can bring a claim against the state of Illinois if his or her injury was caused by a state employee or agency. For example, if a state-owned government property contained a dangerous condition and someone was hurt while visiting the property, that person may be able to sue the state for damages. Similarly, if someone was hurt in a car crash caused by a state employee who was on the clock, the state may be responsible for the damages caused in the crash.

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 Posted on May 06, 2022 in Car Accidents

Six people were rushed to the emergency room after a limousine collided with an SUV on the South Side of Chicago on April 29, 2022. Fortunately, all of the crash victims survived. The accident serves as a reminder that car accidents can happen when we least expect it. Limousines are thought of as luxurious and safe, but car accidents involving limos can and do happen. In 2018, a tragic limousine crash caused by brake failure left 20 people dead. The owner of the Prestige Limousine was charged with negligent homicide after it was discovered that he knew about the brake problems and had received multiple warnings from the state to get the limo repaired before the deadly crash.

If you or a loved one were involved in a limousine collision, you may be able to hold the at-fault party accountable and recover monetary damages through a personal injury claim.

Crashes Involving Limos May Be Caused by Multiple Factors

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 Posted on April 26, 2022 in Car Accidents

Illinois has legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults. However, this does not change the fact that marijuana is an intoxicating compound. Whether it is inhaled, eaten in the form of a marijuana edible, or consumed in another state, cannabis products have serious psychological effects.

The drug impairs concentration and memory, increases reaction time, and harms cognition. Consequently, it is very dangerous to drive while high on marijuana. If you or a loved one were hurt in a car crash caused by a driver under the influence of marijuana, you may be able to take legal action and recover damages.

Car Crashes Caused by Drugged Driving

Driving under the influence of cannabis is illegal for a reason. Intoxicated drivers are more likely to make mistakes that can lead to injury-causing and fatal accidents. They are also more likely to react slowly to a dangerous situation on the road such as a stalled vehicle or dropped truck cargo. If you or a loved one were hurt in an accident and you suspect that the driver was intoxicated by marijuana, do not hesitate to take legal action. Contact a personal injury lawyer experienced in car crash injuries who can help. You may be able to hold the driver accountable for the harm caused to you or your loved one. You may also be entitled to financial compensation for your damages. Past and future medical bills, vehicle repair or replacement costs, and lost wages from missed work during your recovery may all be compensable. You may also be entitled to compensation for the crash's non-financial consequences on you and your family, such as pain and suffering and lost quality of life.

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 Posted on April 21, 2022 in Personal Injury

Personal injury claims deal with legal responsibility for injuries caused by negligence or wrongdoing. Injured people may be harmed by the careless actions of a property owner, trucking company, distracted driver, manufacturing company, or numerous other parties.

Through a personal injury claim, an injured person may be entitled to financial reimbursement for economic and non-economic damages. However, many injured people assume that they cannot recover compensation through an injury claim because their actions may have contributed to their own injury. Fortunately, in Illinois, injured people may still be able to recover compensation even if they were partly at fault for the injurious accident.

Shared Fault Accidents and Personal Injury Claims

Consider the following scenario: A working mother only has a few minutes to quickly shop on her lunch break. She jogs from her vehicle to the store’s entrance, tripping on a broken slab of pavement in the parking lot. The woman falls and suffers a serious back injury that requires expensive medical care.

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 Posted on April 14, 2022 in Workers' Compensation

Regardless of the industry or profession, there is always a chance of getting hurt at work. Construction workers may fall from scaffolding and suffer a back injury. An office worker may develop carpal tunnel from typing all day. A server at a restaurant may slip and fall on spilled oil and suffer a head injury.

Workers who are injured during the course of employment are usually entitled to compensation through their employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. However, there are some instances in which a worker is not entitled to workers’ comp.

Reasons Someone May Not Be Able to Get Workers’ Comp

If you or a loved one were injured at work, you may have questions and concerns about workers’ compensation. You may wonder if workers are always entitled to financial compensation or if there are circumstances in which a worker cannot recover reimbursement through workers’ comp.

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 Posted on April 08, 2022 in Personal Injury

Illinois law gives injured people the right to seek financial compensation for their injury-related costs when an accident is caused by another party’s actions. In many cases, injured individuals are also entitled to compensation for the non-financial losses they suffered as a result of their injury. These losses are often referred to as “pain and suffering” damages. If you or a loved one were hurt in a car crash, fall, work accident, or another incident, read on to learn about how non-financial damages are calculated in Illinois personal injury cases.

Understanding Economic and Non-Economic Damages in a Personal Injury Case

Economic damages are financial losses that a person experiences because of a personal injury. For example, a truck accident victim may be faced with a massive hospital bill and ongoing medical expenses for physical therapy and medication. He may be unable to work during his recovery and forced to deplete his paid time off days. His vehicle may be totaled or in need of significant repairs. Calculating the total cost of these financial losses is usually straightforward.

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 Posted on March 28, 2022 in Personal Injury

Our lungs give us life. Exposure to smoke, airborne chemicals, particulates, toxic fumes can severely damage the lungs and reduce a person’s ability to work. Respiratory illnesses and lung disease may be caused by work environments. Unfortunately, many people with respiratory illnesses caused by their jobs struggle to be taken seriously. Their symptoms are often blamed on allergies, pre-existing conditions, or other issues. If you or a loved one have developed lung problems because of your job, work with a skilled workers’ compensation lawyer.

How Work Conditions Can Lead to Lung Disease

Acute or repetitive exposure to mineral dust, gases, vapors, or airborne pathogens can eventually lead to lung diseases or breathing problems. Lung cancer, bronchiectasis, silicosis, pulmonary disease, pneumonia, and asthma are just some of the issues a worker may suffer from due to his or her work conditions. Anyone can suffer from these illnesses, but workers in certain industries are more likely to suffer from occupational diseases affecting breathing. People who work in farming or manufacturing industries are often especially vulnerable to lung illnesses due to the chemicals and materials used in those industries. Laboratory workers, miners, firefighters, and individuals who work with animals may also be exposed to materials that can cause lung disease.

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