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Recent Blog Posts
Rear-End Collisions: Who Is at Fault?
One of the most common types of car crashes in the United States is rear-end collisions. Rear-end collisions may not seem very dangerous, but they can cause extensive damage to your vehicle and injuries ranging from whiplash to broken bones and even death in some situations. In most cases, it is fairly easy to determine who is at fault in a rear-end collision. In other cases, assigning responsibility for the accident is not so easy. If you are in any type of car accident, it is important to seek legal advice as soon as possible.
Determining Fault
Securing legal representation is crucial after a rear-end collision. It can get very expensive very quickly for needed repairs on your vehicle and medical bills and/or lost wages from your injuries. You and your attorney will discuss what happened during the accident and determine if the other person is liable for the damages you have sustained. Basically, there are three different options when it comes to assigning fault in a rear-end collision:
Watch Out for These Delayed Symptoms After an Illinois Car
Each year, thousands of people die in fatal car accidents in the United States. According to data gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 37,000 people were killed in traffic accidents and nearly 3 million more people were injured in 2017. Being in a car accident is a frightening and traumatizing experience. Those who are lucky enough to walk away from a car accident can suffer serious, life-altering injuries that can affect their quality of life. These injuries do not always show up right away; it can day takes, weeks or even months for a car accident injury to fully manifest itself. If you have been in a car accident, you should keep an eye out for these common delayed symptoms:
- Headaches: It is not uncommon for a person to develop persistent headaches days after the crash took place. While it is common for headaches to be a delayed symptom of a concussion or whiplash, it can also be a sign of a more serious problem, such as a blood clot in the brain or a critical injury to the neck or brain.
Avoid Making These Mistakes During Your Illinois Personal Injury Case
Filing and winning a personal injury case is no easy feat. There are many legal steps you must go through, paperwork that must be filled out, meetings with your attorney, doctor’s visits, court appearances; the list goes on. After all the time and effort you put into succeeding in a personal injury lawsuit, the last thing you would want to do is to ruin it by somehow decreasing your credibility or having your case thrown out completely, yet it is not uncommon for this to happen. Even just a simple slip of the tongue can affect the outcome of your personal injury case. If you are pursuing compensation for an injury, make sure you do not make these common mistakes.
Not Following Doctor’s Orders or Attending Appointments
Right after you are injured, you should get emergency medical attention if necessary, but you should at least visit a doctor to begin a record of medical treatment. Your doctor will give you a plan of action for your recovery and it is important that you follow his or her instructions. Your medical records will be used in your case and ignoring the doctor’s orders or skipping appointments can make it seem like you may not be as injured as you say you are.
How Is Fault Determined in Illinois Car Accidents?
One of the great dangers that plague today’s world for a majority of Americans is car crashes. The latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that the leading cause of death in 2016 for children who were 10 and 11 years old and young adults ages 16 to 22 was motor vehicle crashes. Nearly 7.3 million police-reported traffic accidents occurred in 2016, injuring more than 3 million people and killing nearly 37,500 people. Getting into any car accident is a serious matter, even if nobody was hurt. Apportioning fault is a big part of ensuring you get the compensation you deserve from any damages to your vehicle or injuries you sustain from a car accident. But how is fault determined in these cases?
Violation of a Traffic Law
One of the easiest ways to determine who is at fault for a car accident is whether or not either party violated a traffic law. Every person on the road has a duty to follow all traffic laws and to refrain from actions that endanger others on the road. If it can be proven that one party violated a traffic law and that violation led to the collision, that party may be held liable for the damages from the accident.
Speeding and the Role it Plays in Illinois Car Accidents
One of the most dangerous driving behaviors is speeding. Most states, including Illinois, have strict laws about speeding that are regularly enforced. If you excessively speed, you could face felony charges, but that does not stop some people. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding killed more than 9,700 people in 2017 alone, with speeding-related deaths accounting for around 26 percent of all traffic fatalities. Even when speed-related accidents do not cause death, they can cause serious and life-altering injuries.
Reasons for Speeding
There are a variety of reasons why a person would speed while they are driving. Often, drivers do not even realize that they are engaging in this dangerous behavior, while some do and speed nonetheless. Reasons why a person may speed include:
- They are running late for something
- They are distracted by their cell phone or other type of distraction
Filing a Case for Playground Injuries to Children
Now that the weather is warmer and days are sunnier, more children and their caretakers are flocking to playgrounds. What should be a fun day outside, can turn into a disaster pretty quickly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 200,000 children who are treated for playground-related injuries at emergency departments each year. Of those 200,000 children, nearly half (46 percent) are treated for severe injuries, such as fractures, internal injuries, dislocations, and amputations. The CDC also states that around 75 percent of nonfatal playground injuries occur on public playgrounds, with most occurring at schools and daycare centers.
When your child is injured while in your care or the care of others, it can be an emotionally and financially stressful experience. Fortunately, there are things you can do to help recover some of the costs and damages associated with the injuries your child sustained.
Swimming Pool Accidents and Premises Liability in Illinois
Summer is on its way, temperatures are heating up and many people are taking to swimming pools to cool down. While swimming pools are a fun way to beat the heat, they can be dangerous. According to the National Safety Council, there are more than 7,000 deaths from drowning that occur throughout the country each year. Most of these deaths occur to children who are under the age of 5. In fact, drowning is the leading cause of death and injury to children who are under the age of 5. Almost all swimming pool accidents are preventable, so it is important to understand what you can do if you or your child has been injured or has died in a swimming pool accident.
Causes of Swimming Pool Accidents
Swimming pool accidents are almost always preventable, which is why it can be so devastating when an accident happens. Some of the most common causes of swimming pool accidents include:
- Inadequate lifeguard supervision
Trespassing Children Pose an Interesting Situation to Illinois Property Owners
When it comes to premises liability in Illinois, the duty of care that property owners owe those who are on their property changes in certain situations. The level of liability you have to an occupant on your property depends on whether or not the person was a trespasser on your property. If the person was lawfully on your property, you have the responsibility of exercising ordinary care to ensure the property is reasonably safe. If the person is a trespasser, you are only responsible for refraining from willful or wanton conduct. When it comes to a child trespasser, the rules are slightly different.
What is the “Attractive Nuisance” Doctrine?
When it comes to children trespassers, the laws pertaining to the property owner’s duty of care are slightly different. Rather than having strict liability, a property owner can be accused of negligence if they knew or should have reasonably known that there was a condition present on their property that posed a risk of injury to children. The reason why there is a difference in how adult and child trespassers are treated is that children often do not have the ability to recognize certain hazards or understand the consequences of their actions.
Proving Premises Liability in Illinois
Accidents are called accidents for a reason -- they happen unexpectedly. When it comes to accidents that occur on private property in Illinois, accidents can range from slipping on ice and snow in the winter to drowning in a swimming pool. Premises liability is the idea that property owners are responsible for accidents that occur on their property. The Illinois Premises Liability Act contains information about responsibility and negligence when it comes to maintaining property and allows those who are injured on another’s property to pursue compensation.
Owner Responsibilities
The Premises Liability Act states that property owners have a duty to those who are on their property to take “reasonable care under the circumstances regarding the state of the premises or acts done or omitted on them.” This means that property owners are required to ensure their property is physically safe for others to be on. It also means that property owners are responsible for overseeing the acts of others while they are on their property.
Signs You May Have a Concussion After Your Illinois Car Accident
Car accidents can be deadly events. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 37,000 Americans killed in traffic crashes in 2017. Even in traffic crashes that did not involve a fatality, there were more than 2.7 million people injured in traffic crashes in 2017. Depending on the factors surrounding the accident, injuries range from bruises and superficial cuts to internal bleeding and traumatic brain injuries. One of the most common traumatic brain injuries resulting from car accidents are concussions.
What Is a Concussion?
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that occurs when the brain is jostled and the fragile tissue of the brain hits the walls of the skull. This commonly occurs when a person sustains a blow to the head, but violent shaking of the head and/or upper body can also result in a concussion. Symptoms can appear right away or they can take time to develop. Symptoms typically dissipate, but it can take days, weeks or even longer for that to happen.
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847-232-7180
350 S. Northwest Highway, Suite 300, Park Ridge, IL 60068
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