Recent Blog Posts
Illinois Laws that Might Affect Your Slip and Fall Claim
Slipping and falling has the potential to cause serious injuries. While these accidents can be humorous if the person gets up completely unharmed, a slip and fall can also be extremely serious. Older adults, in particular, are vulnerable to suffering broken bones or internal damage when they fall hard on their back. Head injuries are a common risk, as the back of the head is less able to withstand impacts than the front. If you have suffered harm as a result of a slip and fall accident, you may be able to recover damages from the responsible party, whether that is a retail store, a restaurant, or even an individual whose home you fell in. An attorney can offer you further guidance about who could be liable for your injuries and what you claim might be worth.
What Illinois Rules About Slip and Falls Should I Be Aware of?
If you were injured after you slipped and fell, there are a few legal rules that can affect your claim. These rules include:
The Harm Caused by Understaffing in Nursing Homes
Residents in nursing homes typically require constant, around-the-clock care. They frequently have significant medical needs, they may be confused or disoriented, and they can do very little to care for themselves. There are state laws in place that require a certain number of caregivers to be present in a nursing home depending on how many elders reside there and the level of care they need. When these legal standards are violated, residents may not receive the care they need to stay safe and in the best health possible. This can be a form of medical malpractice.
If you believe that your vulnerable loved one is being neglected in an understaffed nursing home, you may want to reach out to an attorney who can investigate further. Your loved one - or in severe cases, their survivors - may be entitled to compensation.
What Are the Risks of Understaffing in Nursing Homes?
When nursing homes do not have adequate staffing, there may not be enough caregivers to safely monitor and care for the vulnerable residents. Some types of injuries and harms are very likely to occur when there are not enough caregivers present. Predictable harms include:
What to Do After a Rideshare Accident in Cook County
Rideshare drivers are normally not professional drivers. On most rideshare platforms, drivers are independent contractors with few or no qualifications but a valid driver’s license. While those with poor driving records should be rejected by companies like Uber and Lyft, this is by no means a guarantee that your rideshare driver practices safe driving habits. From the back seat, you may not have a clear view of what your driver is doing. Often, the passengers are not able to spot a rideshare driver’s unsafe driving habits until it is too late and an accident has already happened. If you are injured in a rideshare accident, there are a few steps you can take to help preserve your personal injury claim.
What Should I Do After a Rideshare Accident?
You may know what to do if you get into an accident while you are driving, but your course of action should look a little different if you get into a crash while in a rideshare. You can start by taking these steps:
5 Signs of a Dangerous Daycare Illinois Parents Should Not Ignore
It can be very difficult for parents to choose a good daycare center for their children. Every parent wants their child to be safe and happy when they are not there to care for the child personally. Some signs of a dangerous daycare can be difficult to spot, and very young children may not have the skills to describe what goes on after you leave. It is important for parents to continuously monitor their children for any signs of abuse or neglect, including suspicious injuries. It can be equally important to keep a close eye on the facility itself. If you notice certain signs, you may want to at minimum, find a new daycare. Other signs may indicate that it is time to seek help and call a lawyer.
What Are Some Signs That a Daycare Is Not Safe?
Distinguishing between a sign of danger and the expected results of children playing in a group setting can be tricky. It may be a good idea to keep a written log of any questionable signs so that you will more easily notice patterns over time. Clues that a daycare center may not be the safest place for your children include:
Did the Pandemic Make Driving More Dangerous for Illinois Residents?
It seems counterintuitive, to say the least. One would think that with more people working from home and avoiding large gatherings, there would be less traffic, equating to fewer opportunities for drivers to hit each other. You may be surprised to learn that the opposite is true. 2021 was the most dangerous year to be out on our roads in over a decade. Motor vehicle crash fatalities have only increased, despite there being generally less traffic. There are a number of theories floating around to explain this shift, most of which directly relate to how the pandemic has changed the mindsets of many drivers. Reckless driving behaviors, experts suggest, are on the rise.
Getting hurt in a car accident during a public health crisis can make your entire situation more difficult to deal with. If your crash was caused by a careless or reckless driver, an attorney may be able to recover financial compensation on your behalf.
4 Steps to Take if Your Child Gets Hurt in an Illinois Daycare
No parent ever hopes to receive a phone call from their child’s daycare saying that their child has been injured. This scenario would be a nightmare for most. Parents trust daycare centers to keep their kids safe, but accidents and injuries do happen in these facilities. While children are notoriously accident-prone, many daycare injuries could have been prevented or at least lessened in severity with appropriate care. Children are too often harmed due to the negligence of daycare staff. If your child was hurt at daycare, you may want to consult an attorney about your options for pursuing compensation. Further investigation may be needed to determine the cause of your child’s injury.
What Should I Do if My Child Gets Injured in Daycare?
You may be experiencing a range of emotions after learning that your child was injured at daycare. Parents are often shocked, fearful, and angry during the aftermath of a daycare accident. It can be difficult to remember the steps you need to take. Generally, steps you should take after a daycare injury include:
5 Issues that Can Complicate Your Illinois Car Crash Claim
When it comes to recovering compensation after a car accident, things may seem like they should be simple. Another driver was being careless. They crashed into you. They pay for your injuries and other expenses related to the accident. Rarely, however, is the actual process of filing a claim and receiving what you are rightfully owed as uncomplicated as it should be.
There are a number of sometimes complex legal issues surrounding car accident claims that may require the attention of a skilled lawyer to resolve. From proving the cause of a wreck to dealing with an uninsured driver, a number of issues can further complicate your case. It is best to have complex car accident claims handled by a qualified attorney.
Reasons Your Car Accident Case Could Become Complicated
Motor vehicle crashes are inherently chaotic events. Unfortunately, the aftermath can be quite chaotic as well depending on all the facts and surrounding circumstances. If any of these issues are present in your car accident case, you will probably need an attorney’s help to resolve them:
What Are the Most Common Injuries in Daycare Centers?
Parents expect daycare centers to be safe places for young children. Toddlers and babies in particular require extensive supervision. Anyone who has spent time around a little one that age can tell you that they are prone to hurting themselves when not watched carefully in a safe environment. This is why child care professionals are required to follow strict safety standards to minimize the risk of a child getting hurt. If your child was put in an unsafe situation and got injured at daycare, you will want to speak to a qualified personal injury attorney as soon as possible to put you on the path to recovering compensation.
What Injuries Are Children Most at Risk for in Day Care?
While all children will occasionally come home with minor scrapes or bruises from falling down on the playground, most more serious injuries in daycare centers are preventable. You may have a case for pursuing compensation if your child sustained one of these injuries in a child care facility:
How Does Chicago's Ice Clearing Law Affect Winter Slip and Falls?
Chicago winters are serious business. Extreme temperatures, high winds, and heavy snowfalls bring yearly dangers to our city’s residents. Thousands of Illinois residents slip and fall on the ice every year. Most get up laughing, but an unlucky few suffer serious injuries. A Chicago city ordinance requires anyone who owns or has charge of a property to clear ice and snow from the sidewalk in front of their home or business. Property owners and renters could face municipal fines for failing to shovel. However, this does not necessarily mean that anyone who fails to comply with this law is automatically liable to anyone who slips and falls in the snow on their sidewalk.
If you got hurt when you slipped and fell, it is best to talk over your options with a qualified attorney. Slip and fall cases are rarely as cut-and-dry as they may seem, and an attorney investigation may be needed to prove the cause of your accident.
What Rights Do Nursing Home Residents Have?
The Illinois Nursing Home Care Act spells out certain rights that all residents of skilled nursing facilities have. Many of these rights exist to protect a nursing home resident’s safety, dignity, and property. It is very serious if a nursing home violates the rights of a resident as outlined in the Act. Nursing home abuse or neglect is a form of medical malpractice. If you suspect that your rights or the rights of your loved one are being violated by nursing home staff, you should consider contacting an attorney. You or your loved one may be entitled to financial compensation.
What Rights Are Included in the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act?
When you trust a nursing home to care for you or your aging family member only to have the facility ignore these legal rights, it can be an extremely upsetting or even dangerous situation. Every nursing home resident - and everyone who loves a nursing home resident - should familiarize themselves with what rights they have. Here are a few of the rights the State of Illinois sets out: