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Recent Blog Posts
What Are Common Injuries Suffered in a Mass Transit Accident?
Many people use public transportation on a daily basis to get to and from school, work, church, and even the grocery store. Mass transit is prevalent in big cities or urban areas. This form of transportation can include buses, elevated trains, ferries, and subways. They provide a convenient and easy way to get around, especially if someone does not feel like driving. However, since these vehicles and trains are typically operating in traffic, they are often more likely to be involved in a collision with other automobiles or pedestrians. A mass transit accident can cause serious to fatal injuries due to the sheer size of the vehicles and the number of passengers in them. If you are the unfortunate victim of a mass transit crash, you may be able to seek compensation for your pain and suffering depending on the circumstances that caused it.
Causes of Crashes
There can be many reasons why a car, bus, or train accident occurs. In some cases, it can be due to the negligent actions or inactions of a motorist. For example, an inexperienced or a fatigued driver can lose control of his or her vehicle, causing it to collide with another automobile, a person, or even a building. In other situations, the manufacturer or repair technician may fail to adequately inspect a mass transit part or engine.
What Causes Accidents and Injuries at a Retail Store?
Making a quick trip to the grocery store or a favorite clothing retailer is something many people do on a weekly or even daily basis. Most shoppers do not expect to sustain an injury, but it happens more than one might think. There are various ways a customer can get hurt at a store, such as slipping and falling or having products fall on top of them. According to the Illinois Premises Liability Act, all property owners have a duty to provide a safe environment for their clients or customers. Premises liability is a legal term that involves personal injury cases that are caused by unsafe or defective conditions on another party’s property. If retail owners fail to take reasonable care, they may be held accountable for damages that occur in their establishment.
Unsafe Conditions
Under Illinois law, customers are considered “invitees” and therefore are entitled to a reasonable amount of care while on store property so they are not harmed. The areas where shoppers should be safe from undue harm include parking lots, restrooms, dressing rooms, and aisles/walkways. Retailers are responsible for routine maintenance and cleaning of their stores to make sure everything is in proper working order and free from debris or hazards.
Can I Seek Compensation if I Am Injured at an Illinois Restaurant?
Many people dine out every day in the United States. According to statistics, on average, Americans eat out between four and five times a week. In many cases, it can be out of convenience to save time while juggling work and child-rearing commitments. In addition, families often gather together at their favorite eatery to celebrate a birthday or a holiday. However, a nice evening out can sometimes turn into a nightmare. Restaurant accidents may cause a patron to suffer minor to severe injuries, depending on the circumstances. For example, if a person slips and falls, he or she can sustain serious damage to a body part. There are other mishaps that can cause injury to restaurant-goers, and they are often caused by the negligence of the property owner. That is why it is imperative that an injured party consults with an experienced personal attorney regarding a premises liability claim.
Should I Call the Police After an Illinois Car Accident?
Nobody expects to get into a car accident -- that is why they are called accidents. They happen at random times and can be unsettling for those who are involved in them. Some people may go into shock after a car accident, while others jump into action to accomplish what needs to be done. Most people would agree that the first thing you should do after a car accident is to try to assess the situation and determine if anyone has been hurt. Even if nobody seems to need immediate medical attention, you should still call 911. The dispatchers can send police out to the scene of your accident and if needed, an ambulance as well. Even if the accident does not seem that serious, here are a few reasons why you should call the police:
- You do not know the extent of the damage to your vehicle. Sometimes in life, there is more than meets the eye. This can be true when it comes to your vehicle after an accident. These days, cars have fair more sophisticated sensors and electronic components that can become damaged easily. Car repairs can become very expensive very quickly and it can be a headache trying to get your insurance company to cover the cost of these repairs if you cannot establish that the damage occurred because of the accident.
Behaviors Teen Drivers Engage in That Increase the Risk of Car Accidents
In the United States, finally getting your driver’s license is a rite of passage that many teenagers enjoy when they turn 16. Though the feeling of driving without parental supervision is exciting to most teenagers, with great freedom comes great responsibility. Teen drivers can pose a risk to themselves and others because of their inexperience on the road and increased likeliness to participate in dangerous behaviors while they are driving.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 3,200 teen drivers were involved in fatal crashes in 2017. Further, car crashes are still the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. Teens are not the only ones who can be injured in a car accident, however. Often times, the risky behaviors that they engage in also put others on the road at risk. Here are a few dangerous behaviors that could result in a car accident:
Understanding Pedestrian Accident Risk Factors in Illinois
Pedestrian accidents can be some of the most dangerous traffic accidents that can occur. Pedestrians are at more of a risk than other motorists for serious injuries because of the lack of protection that is given to those in motor vehicles. Because of this, pedestrian accidents can turn out deadly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 6,200 people killed in pedestrian accidents in 2018, an increase of nearly 4 percent from 2017. The NHTSA has focused efforts on reducing pedestrian accidents and have identified certain factors that are commonly present during pedestrian accidents in the U.S. Here are a few things that have been discovered about the risk factors for pedestrian accidents.
Gender Matters
When it comes to pedestrian accidents, males were more likely to be killed in crashes than females. The NHTSA found that more than two-thirds or around 70 percent of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents were men. In fact, the overall male fatality rate for pedestrian accidents for every 100,000 people was 2.60, which is more than double the rate for females, which is around 1.07.
Dealing with a Truck Accident Involving a Drowsy Driver
Accidents involving large trucks, such as semi-trucks or other large vehicles, tend to be extremely serious. Think about it -- when a huge, 40,000-pound truck collides with an average-sized, 4,000-pound vehicle, there is bound to be much more damage to the smaller vehicle. Truck accidents also tend to be deadly for passengers in smaller vehicles. According to the latest data available from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were over 4,700 people killed in truck accidents in 2017. Of those people, nearly 75 percent were occupants of the other motor vehicle involved in the accidents. One of the most commonly cited reasons for truck accidents is driver fatigue, which is highly regulated by the FMCSA.
Hours of Service Regulations
Driving for long periods of time can make anyone tired. When all you do is drive for a living, you can become fatigued quickly, which is why rules were put into place by the FMCSA to prevent drowsy driving by truck drivers. Hours of service regulations are laws that all truck drivers must follow in order to limit the amount of time they spend on the road. If a truck is carrying cargo, a driver:
What Can I Do if a Family Member Was Killed in an Illinois Car Accident?
One of the hardest things we will all have to do at some point in this life is to grieve the death of a loved one. When their death is untimely and preventable, it can be even more heartbreaking for family members. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 37,000 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2017. Losing a loved one in a car accident can be hard to deal with, especially if the other party was at fault and they were able to walk away from the accident. Fortunately, the state of Illinois allows family members to claim compensation in their loved ones’ name in what is known as a wrongful death claim.
What Is Wrongful Death?
Wrongful death lawsuits are wide-reaching; they can cover a variety of intentional or unintentional actions taken by individuals, a group of people or even companies as a whole. Specifically, the Wrongful Death Act states that wrongful death can be caused by “wrongful act, neglect or default.” Wrongful death acts are also typically acts that would have entitled the deceased to file a personal injury claim if death had not ensued.
Common Injuries After a Motorcycle Accident
If you own a motorcycle, you know how fun and exhilarating riding one can be. Unfortunately, riding a motorcycle can also be very dangerous. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcyclists are 28 times more likely to be fatally injured in a traffic crash than the occupants of a passenger vehicle. This is due to the inherent vulnerability of motorcycles. Passenger vehicles are made of metal which surrounds the driver and occupants on all sides; motorcyclists are simply just on top of a smaller and much lighter vehicle. Even when motorcycle accidents are not fatal, motorcycles often suffer harsh injuries that can affect you for the rest of your life in some cases.
Motorcycle Accident Injuries
The type of injuries that result from a motorcycle accident depends on a few different factors. Obviously, the nature and type of accident will play a role in determining the severity of the injuries. Also, what the motorcyclist was wearing at the time of the accident can also affect the severity of the injuries. Typically, a person who is wearing proper motorcycling gear such as a helmet, long pants, and a jacket usually suffer less than those who do not wear protective gear. Here are a few of the most common motorcycle accident injuries:
Holding the Trucking Company Liable for an Illinois Truck Accident
If you have ever traveled along any of the thousands of miles of highway in the United States, you have almost certainly shared the road with a semi-truck or big rig at some point. According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were more than 1.5 million for-hire and private trucking companies in the country with more than 36 million trucks being used for business purposes. Truck accidents are unfortunately not uncommon; the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported nearly 5,000 fatal truck crashes and around 116,000 crashes causing injury in 2017. While truck drivers are almost always responsible for a portion of the blame in accidents, trucking companies can also be held responsible in some cases. Here are a few ways trucking companies might be responsible for truck accidents:
Not Maintaining or Servicing the Truck
Quinn Law Group, LLC
847-232-7180
350 S. Northwest Highway, Suite 300, Park Ridge, IL 60068
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