Posted on September 24, 2019 in Uncategorized

Parents of young children often struggle to understand which child safety seat is correct and how the state laws apply to them. The Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act outlines the guidelines that parents must follow when they have younger children in a vehicle.

This act says that children under the age of 8 years old must be properly secured in an appropriate child safety restraint system. This includes the use of booster seats that must be used with a lap/should safety belt.

As of January 1, 2019, the Child Passenger Protection Act has been amended to include the requirement for children under two years of age to be properly secured in a rear-facing child restraint system (unless the child weighs more than 40 pounds or is over 40 inches tall).

Can a child ride in a two-seater car?

A child can ride in a two-seater car as long as they are properly restrained according to the Child Passenger Protection Act and the front airbag for the passenger side is turned off. Airbags in a vehicle are designed to protect adults and can cause significant damage and even death in children, even in instances of minor accidents that trigger the airbags to be deployed.

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 Posted on September 23, 2019 in Car Accidents

Concussions are considered mild traumatic brain injuries that occur when a person sustains a blow to the head or is violently shaken. Concussions must be taken seriously and should be treated properly. Those who sustain a concussion in a car accident should seek medical assistance immediately so the doctor can make a diagnosis and rule out a more serious injury. Each concussion is different, and you need to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of this injury.

If you or someone you know has suffered a concussion after a car accident, ensure him/her sees a doctor as soon as possible after the accident. Once the victim is cleared from the hospital, contact Kanoski Bresney to discuss the details of your case over a free consultation.

The statistics behind concussions

According to the latest year of data from the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were 311,679 total motor vehicle crashes across the state. Out of those, there were:

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 Posted on September 01, 2019 in Uncategorized

When most people hear about bicycle accidents, they think about a collision between a bike and a vehicle or a bicyclist losing control. However, there are times when the brakes of a bike fail to engage. When you are riding a bike, you need the brakes to work. There is no questioning that.

When the brakes of a bicycle fail to work, it can lead to disaster for the cyclist. Getting into a bicycle accident almost always means an injury for the cyclist. Even when wearing a helmet, the following injuries are common after a bike crash:

• Bone fractures
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Significant disfigurement
• Dismemberment or amputation
• Loss of or damage to a bodily organ
• Other injuries that inhibit a person’s daily activities

What kind of case are you looking at?

Bicycle accidents can be complicated enough when another driver is at fault for the crash. When the brakes fail to engage, you could also be looking at a defective bike. This means you are looking at three possibilities:

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 Posted on August 30, 2019 in Uncategorized

When you have been driving for a while, you learn to expect the unexpected. However, what happened recently in Springfield caught a few people off guard. Police say that a 92-year-old woman drove her car into a backyard and right into someone’s swimming pool.

Police say that the woman is okay and that nobody else was injured. They say that the woman was “backing out from a driveway on Weymouth Street when she drove across the road, into her neighbor’s yard, and through their fence, landing in their pool.”

The woman was still in the pool when the fire department arrived. She was standing on the seat of her vehicle with her head through the car’s sunroof. Neighbors say they are grateful that nobody was out walking, in the yard, or in the pool when the accident occurred.

What to do if this happens to you

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 Posted on August 29, 2019 in Bicycle Safety

One of the best ways for bike riders of all ages to stay safe is buying and wearing a helmet. However, choosing the right helmet is not always easy. There are certain standards bicycle helmets must meet, and there are plenty of deceptive companies selling faulty helmets.

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 Posted on August 29, 2019 in Bicycle Safety

You should always ensure that your children are safe when they ride a bike in Illinois. One of the best ways to keep a child safe in the event of a bicycle accident, no matter what the surrounding laws are in your county, when riding their bike is to ensure they always wear a helmet.

For the latest reporting year in this state, the Illinois Department of Transportation tells us that there were 2,696 people injured in bicycle accidents in the state. We also know that 26 people were killed in bicycle accidents. Breaking down these numbers, we can see that 883 of those injured were under the age of 19.

Does Illinois have helmet laws?

No, Illinois does not have helmet laws in place. Individual municipalities can require certain users to wear helmets. For example, Chicago requires all messenger and delivery bicyclists to wear helmets.

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 Posted on July 24, 2019 in Personal Injury

Personal injury claims can become incredibly complex and will reach a settlement before they go to court or be decided in the courtroom. Not all personal injury claims go to court, and it is not uncommon for a case to be settled out of court.

A “settlement” is the negotiated resolution of a personal injury claim between your attorney and the other side’s legal team. In these cases, the person making the claim is offered a lump sum of money by the defendant (or their insurance company). If you agree to the amount, the case is over. Taking a settlement generally means you can no longer pursue damages in your case through a personal injury lawsuit.

Why would a case go to court as opposed to being settled?

Your attorney will help you decide whether to take your case to court, which will likely be advisable if:

• The settlement offer was below what you think you deserve or could get in court.

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 Posted on July 16, 2019 in Uncategorized

HEADS-UP FOR CHILD SAFETY

Kids all over the country are soaking up every minute of their favorite outdoor activities now while school is out for summer. Biking, scooter rides, skating and rollerblading are just a few of the many activities kids have a blast doing while on wheels. With all the fun, however, comes the risk of an accident that - if not prepared- could lead to serious and sometimes life-altering injuries.

The risk of traumatic brain injuries in children can be drastically reduced by wearing a proper helmet- while on a bike, that is. According to a new study done by the Journal of Pediatrics, 70% of youth head trauma accidents are related to sport and/or recreation accidents. It is important to note, however, that helmet use only provides security when properly fitted, strapped and on a bicycle, skateboard, or other set of wheels. Helmets can actually pose a serious safety threat to children when used in areas not designated for helmet use, such as a playground or swimming pool. Helmet straps can easily get caught in playground equipment, which could lead to strangling and serious accidents.

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 Posted on July 11, 2019 in Uncategorized

Marijuana is a substance that has been at the heart of many political debates over the last decade or so. On a federal level marijuana is still illegal, but this has not stopped numerous states from slowly incorporating the plant into their own legislature. Medical marijuana boomed once it became common knowledge that even topical treatments of the substance could lessen the symptoms associated with epilepsy, ease the pain of cancer patients, and even dismiss migraines.

Medical marijuana introduced the concept of the plant being a viable and safe option to treat ailments outside of the prescription pill. This revolutionary idea, that marijuana could be helpful rather than harmful, opened the doors for more conversation about how to regulate it, and even decriminalize it.

Too many people have been incarcerated on marijuana possession charges. Numerous people are still in jail while others get to enjoy marijuana recreationally in several states now. Not only are people using the substance, but others are slowly beginning to tolerate and/or accept it as another form of medication or relaxation, even if if they don’t use it themselves. This begs the question: is it fair that so many people are still in jail for possessing marijuana?

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 Posted on July 09, 2019 in Uncategorized

Though accidents happen every day, some are more severe than others. In most cases, common mistakes are waived by providing a simple apology. However, some incidents are caused by individuals who might not even be aware of how they contributed to your accident. Instances of negligence, though not intentional in nature, can cause immense damage to those that fall victim to them.

When pursuing legal recourse against the entity that caused your damage, your case must fit the following criteria:

• The defendant owed you a duty of care by preventing unsafe environments and/or conditions while acting. This applies to all individuals, like product manufacturers, service providers, employers, dog walkers, and car drivers.
• The defendant did not fulfill their duty of care. This is typically the result of some form of negligence and/or recklessness.
• The defendant’s breach in duty directly caused the accident that injured the plaintiff. Injuries must be identifiable in some way, even in emotional trauma-based cases.

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