Auto accidents can take a massive toll on a person physically, emotionally, and financially. Fortunately, Illinois law allows car accident victims to pursue financial compensation for their damages. The at-fault driver, or more likely, the at-fault driver's insurance company, may be required to pay for vehicle damage, medical bills, and other damages. However, in a multi-car accident, determining the at-fault driver can be challenging. For example, if a motorist is rear-ended and the force of the collision causes him or her to strike another vehicle, who is at fault? Which driver is liable for injuries? 

Liability in a Rear-End Car Crash 

In most rear-end car crashes, the rear driver is liable. Drivers are expected to keep enough distance between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them to avoid a collision. However, there are circumstances in which the rear driver is not at fault.  If the lead driver cuts off the rear driver or slams on his or her brakes without warning, the rear driver may not be liable. 

Car accidents can be traumatic experiences for anyone to endure, especially if there is an injury involved. Even the most careful drivers can be involved in an accident at any given time. After a car accident takes place, it is accustomed for a law-abiding citizen to stop, survey the damage, contact the police, and exchange information with the other driver. They may also choose to contact an attorney. However, not everything happens as planned in the real world. What happens if the individual who hit your vehicle flees the scene? 

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a hit-and-run accident takes place every minute in the United States. Cook County, the most populous county in Illinois, is home to many hit-and-run accidents, particularly on busy freeways such as I-90 and I-294. Unfortunately, these active areas are often viewed as optimal areas to flee the scene of an accident. As a result, victims of hit-and-runs may be concerned that they may be ineligible for compensation since the liable party fled the scene. However, this is not necessarily true.

How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help Your Situation?

In a hit-and-run accident, it can be difficult for the victim to accurately identify the car that hit them. The at-fault party may escape culpability for the crash. Fortunately, victims may still be entitled to financial compensation through their uninsured motorist coverage. If you were hurt in a hit-and run, a knowledgeable lawyer may be able to help you file a claim with your own insurance company and seek financial compensation for vehicle damage, medical bills, and more.

Serious and fatal auto accidents happen nearly every day on I-294 and I-90 in Chicago. Drivers are often traveling at very high speeds, which only increases the severity of injuries suffered by accident victims. 

It can be very hard to think clearly in the immediate aftermath of getting hit by a careless driver. People react differently to frightening car accidents. Some people get angry at the at-fault driver. Others have panic attacks. Car accidents with injury are often very emotionally charged events. It can be tricky to remember exactly what you need to do. However, there are a few very important things that you must do immediately when you have been injured in a car accident. Taking the right steps quickly can protect you and preserve your claim. If you are severely injured and must be taken to the hospital by ambulance urgently, many of these steps can be carried out by a less injured passenger or a family member. The two most important things in this situation are that you get to the hospital and get in touch with a lawyer as soon as you are able to. 

Steps to Take as Soon as Possible Following a Crash

Generally, the most important steps you should take right after a car accident include: 

Bar fights can erupt out of nowhere, and for very silly reasons. You may have been injured by others involved in a bar fight without even knowing what the fight was about. It could be that someone took offense to an innocuous comment, or became irrationally angry about being bumped into in a crowded establishment. These chaotic altercations have a way of sucking in bystanders who want nothing to do with the violence. There are no rules in bar fights. Some drunken fighters may see anyone who happens to be in the bar as “fair game.” Combatants may pull out knives or use other weapons - especially broken beer bottles - exponentially increasing the odds of a serious injury. If you were injured in a bar fight that you did not start, you may be able to recover compensation from the person who hurt you, or from the bar itself under Illinois’ Dram Shop laws.

What You Must Prove to Recover Compensation for a Bar Fight

There are two different torts - legal reasons to sue - that often come into play in bar fight litigation. Battery means actually making physical contact with someone in a provoking, insulting, or harmful manner without their consent or legal justification. Assault means causing someone to believe that they are imminently going to be battered. If you have physical injuries, you are probably dealing with a battery, or both battery and assault.

You will also likely need to show that the person who injured you was the aggressor and that your part in the bar fight was simply self-defense. This generally means proving that the other guy started it. It can be difficult in a bar fight to sort out who started what, but there are ways a lawyer can investigate and look for proof.

When people choose to go live in a skilled nursing facility - or are placed there by a guardian - it is because they are no longer able to care for themselves at home. Nursing home residents are frequently completely dependent on staff for all their personal care and health care. When there are not enough caregivers there to give the care that residents need, harm can quickly come to people in this vulnerable population. The physical harm caused by understaffing can come on very quickly and lead to fatalities, like if someone’s call light is not answered while they are choking. Or, it can happen slowly. Bedsores can develop over time if there is not enough staff to turn immobilized patients at regular intervals. If your loved one was harmed due to understaffing in their skilled nursing facility, they may be entitled to compensation.

Skilled Nursing Facility Understaffing Can Injure Vulnerable Seniors in Many Ways

Understaffing is rampant in nursing homes right now. Like almost every other business, they are struggling to find the staff they need to stay on top of their responsibilities. Sadly, nursing homes that are operating with too many patients and not enough staff are putting our vulnerable elderly people in danger. Some ways that understaffing can lead to residents being harmed include:

• Delayed emergency response - Call lights cannot be answered promptly if there are not enough staff members around to respond. Quick response times are the key to protecting seniors who are experiencing an emergency, such as a fall or chest pains. This delayed response can be the difference between life and death, or between minor injuries and severe harm.
• Lack of routine care - Hygiene is very important, as many residents are immunocompromised. Seniors also have thinner skin, more prone to infection and issues like bedsores. If residents are not routinely helped with bathing and other hygiene care, they can quickly suffer skin breakdown or severe infections, particularly UTIs.
• Unaddressed issues - When a resident or one of their family members has a concern, it should be addressed thoroughly and promptly. A complaint that would be minor for a young and healthy person can be a serious threat to someone who is elderly and frail. When staff is constantly being rushed, they may not address potential problems promptly or at all. This can allow a health issue that should have been nipped in the bud to escalate.

Senior citizens in nursing homes deserve quality care. You may have recourse if your loved one is being neglected or abused in a nursing home. An attorney can help.