Posted on January 31, 2014 in Firm News

The large semi-trucks and tractor trailers one sees driving through Springfield pose a great enough of a threat in their own. Yet often it's not a collision with one of these massive vehicles that one has to worry about in a truck accident; it's the aftermath of such an event. Often, these vehicles transport hazardous materials, chemicals, or combustibles such as gasoline, each of which has lethal potential should any be lost in a spill. Yet even the trucks themselves pose a risk from the large fuel tanks needed to power these large vehicles. Should one of these tanks rupture during an accident, those in the immediate vicinity could be in grave danger.

A recent truck accident in Springfield may serve as a reminder of just how dangerous even a seemingly harmless accident can be. While no one was injured when a semi jack-knifed near a local interstate junction, first responders arriving on the scene found that the truck's fuel tanks were leaking. Thus, the local fire department was called to stop and contain the leak, after which the semi itself was removed from the ditch where it had settled.

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 Posted on January 21, 2014 in Firm News

Icy road conditions are not uncommon in Sangamon County at this of the year. Drivers are encouraged to slow down so as to avoid losing control of their vehicles. Unfortunately, there usually always someone who's either running late, who gets distracted, or who just thinks he or she can drive fast that ignores these warnings and ends up in a car accident. Sadly, these drivers aren't the only ones at risk when these accidents happen. They also place any passengers traveling in their vehicles with them in danger.

A recent accident in Peoria serves as a stark reminder of this fact. A pickup truck loaded with passengers lost control on icy roads and collided with another vehicle, throwing three of the truck's occupants from the vehicle. Two of those ejected were rushed to a local hospital, while the third, a Carlinville teen, was pronounced dead at the scene. No other life-threatening injuries to the other accident victims were reported. It's believed that none of the truck's occupants were wearing seatbelts.

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 Posted on January 16, 2014 in Farm Accidents

While most in Springfield would probably agree that farming can be a dangerous profession, they'd probably also assume that such dangers are presented by complex farming equipment or in encounters with large farm animals such as cows, horses, or bulls. Yet one of the sad realities of farming is that even accidents or freak occurrences that may seem quite simple in nature can end up producing deadly results.

Such was the case with Pennsylvania who was recently killed while working on her farm. She reportedly suffered chest trauma after a hay bale fell on top of her. She died close to an hour after the accident occurred.

One may wonder how something as simple as a falling hay bale could have caused this to happen. While police are said to be investigating the case of the fall, a number of other factors play into the fatal outcomes that are seen in so many of these farm accidents. Because of their rural locations, farms aren't the easiest places to be reached by first responders in time to administer care that could save one's life after an accident. And although it wasn't reported in this case if the woman was alone when her accident happened, oftentimes farmers do work alone and don't have someone nearby to help in the event of an emergency.

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 Posted on January 15, 2014 in Firm News

Very few in Sangamon County ever anticipate losing the ability to care for themselves. Yet such is the state many find themselves in later in life or after a serious illness or injury. Surrendering one's care to another, particularly in a care center or nursing home setting, can be extremely difficult to deal with, and thus he or she deserves respect and comfort from caregivers in such a situation. Yet sadly, there are times when those entrusted to care for residents in such a setting lose patience with them or, worse yet, cruelly abuse them. Such elder abuse often goes unchecked due to the fact that victims fear the abusers or are simply unable to communicate what's happening to others.

Often, it takes the intervention of concerned family to catch caregivers in the act of nursing home abuse. Such was the case at an Arizona care center, where the son of an elderly resident hid a camera in the woman's room after he suspected that members of the staff were abusing her. HIs fears proved well-founded, as his camera caught footage of two different employees striking the woman, tossing her out of her wheelchair onto her bed or chair, and pulling off her clothing and throwing it at her. Both employees were arrested and charged with vulnerable adult abuse.

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 Posted on January 02, 2014 in Firm News

Too many in Sangamon County believe that if they're injured on the job, resolving any workers' compensation issues will be a breeze. What they often fail to realize is that workers compensation funds are like any other insurance company; they don't stay in business by paying out claims. Yet even with disputes over payouts, many private workers compensation funds find difficulties in paying out claims to the employees of clients that carry coverage through them.

More and more companies have recently chosen to go with new self insurance trust for their workers compensation coverage. These trusts market themselves to multiple companies as a way to reduce premium costs by pooling the resources of all of the companies that participate in the trust and paying out claims to the employees of those companies from those funds. Yet many of these self insurance trusts have failed to meet payment obligations across the country in recent years, often to the point of needing to turn to the Workers Compensation Boards in their respective states for assistance.

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 Posted on December 31, 2013 in Articles

Elder abuse is an ever-increasing problem in nursing homes today. As the number of elderly Americans grows, the 2010 Census recorded 13 percent of the U.S. population to be over the age of 65, so does the possibility of abuse at the hands of a caregiver. The National Center on Elder Abuse found in 2009 that 3.2 million Americans lived in long-term care facilities. In a 2000 study, cited by the NCEA, 45 percent of patients in nursing homes reported having been abused and 95 percent reported being the victim of neglect, or seeing another patient suffer neglect.

Such abuse and neglect is unacceptable and unlawful. The Illinois Nursing Home Care Act provides certain rights to patients in long-term care facilities. Among these rights is the right not to be abused or neglected. The law defines abuse as "any physical or mental injury or sexual assault inflicted on a resident other than by accidental means."

Who is required to report abuse and why is it under reported?

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 Posted on December 26, 2013 in Firm News

No one appreciates just how big tractor-trailers are than those who drive them in Springfield. Drivers are familiar with the area needed to execute turns and maneuver in space. Yet when one is on the road with other vehicles on either side, such space is at a premium. It's takes a skilled hand to safely direct these massive vehicles in a way that poses no threat to the trucks and trailers themselves, the cargo that they are holding, and the other vehicles in the immediate vicinity. Those times when that skill is lacking or space is limited to maneuver can be dangerous to both the drivers of the trucks and of those vehicles traveling nearby.

A driver trying to initiate such a maneuver with a tractor-trailer was recently involved in a serious accident in Pennsylvania. The tractor-trailer driver had allegedly entered his truck into a residential yard while trying to make a U-turn, leaving part of the trailer in the southbound lane of the road. As the trailer was sticking out into the road, a car coming in the southbound lane struck it's back end and became wedged under its wheels. Witnesses reported that the car then caught fire and was extinguished by nearby residents. The driver of the car was airlifted to an area hospital to be treated for his injuries.

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 Posted on December 19, 2013 in Firm News

Most, if not all kids in Springfield look forward with great anticipation to that magical day when they earn their driver's license. Being able to drive represents a degree of freedom that they long for, and it serves notice to the world that they're ready to step into adulthood. Some so look forward to this privilege that they're unable to wait until 16. Yet sadly, a quick spin behind the wheel before one reaches the legal driving age can often result in trouble that can jeopardize his or her chances of enjoying driving or any other activity in the future.

A Chicago girl is learning this lesson the hard way as she recently was charged with reckless homicide in connection with the death of her 12-year-old friend. The girl had taken a car out for a joy ride with the boy and some of her other friends. Sadly, there fun ended when she drove the car into a tree. Details of how the boy was killed weren't released. Four other kids in the car were treated for injuries at local hospitals.

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 Posted on December 12, 2013 in Articles

For patients in Sangamon County, many don't expect that a routine procedure could potentially have life-threatening consequences. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, medical negligence is third in line after heart disease and cancer as one of the leading causes of death in the U.S.

Why hospitals aren't likely to stop medical malpractice

By definition, medical malpractice occurs when a medical professional provides a patient with substandard treatment, or the results of their care cause harm or even death. Types of medical malpractice are varied. A patient may be the victim of medical negligence if:

• Their doctor or nurse gives them the wrong dosage of a medication or they given the wrong medication altogether.
• A surgeon operates on the wrong part of their body.
• They are misdiagnosed with an incorrect illness.
• Things are left in their body after surgery.

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 Posted on December 05, 2013 in Firm News

Those who drive semi-trailers through Sangamon County are only qualified to do so after having passed numerous tests regarding road safety and awareness. Yet even such extensive training doesn’t make them immune from some of the regular problems that drivers face behind the wheel, such as fatigue and drowsiness. The trouble is that when these drivers experience such problems, their massive trucks are much more unforgiving than a compact sedan, as abrupt movements from overcorrection can send them and their cargos flying. Anyone in the path of such an accident could be in great danger.

Such was the tragic case of an Illinois State Trooper who was killed when a tractor-trailer struck his idling police car on the Tri-State Tollway. The driver was hauling over 9,000 lbs. of fuel en route to Kentucky when it’s believed that he became fatigued. Witnesses saw the truck drifting off the road when it struck the Trooper’s vehicle. Attempts to save him proved futile. While the driver was not found to have any drugs or alcohol in his system, he is still facing charges for violating trucking regulations prohibiting drivers from traveling over 14 hours without sufficient rest.

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