Posted on February 04, 2022 in Nursing Home Neglect

When you have a loved one in a nursing home, you may understandably worry about his or her wellbeing. While many nursing homes are staffed with compassionate, knowledgeable workers, some nursing homes fail to meet the high expectations residents and loved ones expect.

When a nursing home fails to maintain a safe facility, property monitor residents, and provide for the residents’ needs, avoidable injuries and deaths can occur. If your loved one died after falling at a nursing home facility, you may be able to seek justice through a nursing home negligence claim.

Preventing Fall Accidents Should Be a Top Priority in Nursing Homes

Falling down can lead to injuries regardless of the person’s age. However, elderly individuals are much more likely to suffer severe and fatal injuries in a fall than young people. In fact, falling is the leading cause of injury-related death for people over 65 years old. Unfortunately, statistics show that the rate of deaths caused by fall accidents is rising.

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 Posted on January 24, 2022 in Personal Injury

From a young age, we are taught to “stop, drop, and roll” in the event of a fire. Unfortunately, fire safety education other safety measures do not prevent every fire from occurring.

Fires can cause horrible burns, lung damage from smoke inhalation, and other injuries. Individuals who survive a serious fire are often left with disfiguring scars and long-term health problems. If you or a loved one were hurt in a fire, you may be able to take legal action against the at-fault party. You may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.

Determining Who Is Liable for Fire

Fires can start for almost countless reasons. Sometimes the culprit is faulty wiring or incorrectly installed appliances. Commercial kitchens that are not properly cleaned can accumulate flammable grease that quickly ignites. Missing smoke detectors, broken fire escapes, or buildings that are not up to code can also cause or exacerbate fire-related injuries.

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 Posted on January 17, 2022 in Personal Injury

Whether you were hurt in a car crash, slip and fall accident, or you suffered due to negligent medical care, you have rights as an injured person. Illinois law makes it possible for you to seek financial compensation for the harm you have suffered. Personal injury claims seek to make an injured person “whole.” This is usually accomplished through monetary damages. The amount of compensation that victims can receive for damages varies based on the type of injury, the circumstances of the injury, and other factors.

Compensation for Medical Bills After an Accident

Car accidents and other types of accidents often leave victims with painful injuries that require medical treatment. Even with insurance, medical expenses can be exorbitant. Fortunately, injured people may recover compensation for their past and future medical costs resulting from an accident. If you were hurt in an incident caused by someone else’s carelessness or intentional actions, you could recover compensation for:

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 Posted on January 10, 2022 in Nursing Home Neglect

Individuals in nursing homes are often elderly and in poor health. They may have cognitive issues including Alzheimer’s disease, physical disabilities, and chronic health concerns. Nursing home staff have a legal duty to provide adequate supervision, assistance, and care to nursing home residents. When nursing home staff fail to provide the care residents need, residents can suffer potentially deadly medical conditions as a result.

Infections are especially dangerous in nursing homes. An undiagnosed infection may spread throughout the resident’s body and even develop into sepsis. If your loved one suffered medical problems or passed away from an infection due to substandard care at a nursing home, you may be able to seek justice through a nursing home injury claim.

Infections Can Cause Severe and Deadly Health Consequences

Healthy bodies can usually fight off an infection. However, nursing home residents’ bodies are already frail. Infections that are not properly addressed can escalate quickly. Some of the most common infections in nursing homes including urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, and infections of the skin.

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 Posted on January 06, 2022 in Personal Injury

Whether we like it or not, winter has officially arrived in the Springfield area. As any Illinois resident can tell you, avoiding snow and ice-related falls is a major part of life during the winter months. Slip and fall accidents can lead to severe injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, back injuries, and broken bones. If you or a loved one were injured after slipping on ice, you may be curious about your legal options. You may wonder if the property owner’s failure to salt or clear ice from the area makes the owner liable for damages. Illinois law regarding injuries caused by snow and ice is complicated and the answer to this important question depends on several factors.

Are Property Owners Required to Clear Snow and Ice?

Plowing snow, spreading salt, and clearing your property of ice are all ways to mitigate the risk of slipping and falling during the winter season. However, property owners are not legally required to do so. The Illinois Snow and Ice Removal Act states that snow and ice removal is not mandatory and provides immunity to landowners who do remove snow and ice. In many cases, landowners are shielded from legal responsibility for ice-related slip and fall accidents. However, there are some situations in which property owners are liable for slip and fall accidents on ice or snow.

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 Posted on December 28, 2021 in Medical Malpractice

Originally published: March 10, 2020 -- Updated: December 28, 2021

UPDATE: While the errors described below may be considered medical malpractice, victims who have suffered injuries in these situations will need to understand the steps they will need to follow to ensure that they can receive compensation for their injuries. To successfully pursue a medical malpractice claim, a person will need to prove all of the following elements:

The doctor owed the patient a duty of care - Once a doctor-patient relationship has been established, a doctor will be required to meet certain standards when providing medical treatment. This duty of care applies in any situations where an OBGYN or other provider performs medical services at a doctor’s office or hospital.

The doctor failed to provide adequate medical care - An OBGYN may deviate from the proper standards of care if they fail to follow the correct procedures or take the actions that a reasonably competent medical provider would take in the same situation. The errors described below are some examples of deviations from the standard of care, but there are a variety of other ways that an OBGYN may fail to provide proper care and treatment.

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 Posted on December 20, 2021 in Truck Accidents

An unfortunate reality of driving is that every time you are on the road, you are putting yourself at risk of getting into a car crash. Thankfully, the risk is small, and in most cases, you will not be the victim of a motor vehicle accident. 

However, you can only control your own driving habits. If other people choose to distract themselves while driving, they are subsequently increasing your chances of getting into an accident as a result of their decisions. 

Have you been the victim of a distracted driver truck accident in Springfield? If so, we are here to help you learn more about distracted driving cases and how to open a personal injury claim in Springfield. 

What is Distracted Driving? 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define distracted driving as any situation in which the driver's attention is diverted away from the road. According to the CDC, there are three specific types of distractions that can result in distracted driving incidents.

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 Posted on December 14, 2021 in Workers' Compensation

Work-related injuries can occur in a variety of situations. Accidents can take place in the workplace, or a person may suffer from illnesses or health conditions caused by exposure to certain conditions or the ongoing strain placed on their body by work-related tasks or activities. In these cases, a person may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits, including coverage for their medical expenses and wage benefits that address their loss of income. When a work injury results in a permanent disability, the benefits a person can receive will depend on the parts of their body that were affected and the level of impairment they have experienced.

Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) Benefits

If a workplace injury results in the loss of a body part or any loss of use of one or more parts of the body, this is considered to be a permanent disability. Since only certain parts of the body will be affected, and a person will most likely retain some function in other parts of the body that will allow them to continue working in a position that fits their limitations, these are known as “partial” disabilities. Generally, if a person will permanently be unable to perform activities that they could do before they were injured, they will qualify for permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits.

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 Posted on December 07, 2021 in Car Accidents

There are many different types of car accidents that can result in serious injuries and significant property damage. Rear-end collisions are some of the most common types of accidents, and they often occur at intersections, on roads where vehicles slow down to make turns, and in situations where drivers are unable to slow down or stop in time due to distracted driving or traffic violations such as speeding. Even though a rear-end accident may seem to be relatively minor, victims may experience multiple types of injuries, as well as other damages. To ensure that they will be able to address their financial losses and other ways they have been affected by a collision, victims can work with an attorney to determine the amount of compensation they may be able to receive.

Damages in Rear-End Collisions

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 Posted on November 30, 2021 in Personal Injury

A blow to the head can result in serious brain injuries. These injuries may occur in car accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, construction accidents, and a wide variety of other situations. Unfortunately, these injuries are not always well-understood, and a person may not experience symptoms immediately after an accident. However, the effects of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can persist for multiple months or years, or they may even lead to permanent impairments that affect a person’s health, their relationships with others, and their ability to maintain employment. By understanding these effects, a brain injury victim can work with an attorney to determine their best options for recovering financial compensation.

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