Posted on June 18, 2021 in Farm Accidents

Agriculture is a major industry in central Illinois, and there are more than 70,000 farms in the state that provide jobs for hundreds of thousands of workers. However, working on a farm can be dangerous, and there are multiple types of situations where injuries can occur. Tractor accidents are one of the most common ways that farm workers may be injured. Those involved in these types of accidents will want to work with an attorney to determine their options for receiving financial compensation.

Causes of Tractor Accidents

Every year, more than 30,000 people suffer serious injuries while working on farms in the United States. Around 400 people are killed each year in these types of accidents, and around half of all fatalities occur in tractor accidents. These accidents may involve a tractor running over a person, a tractor colliding with a motor vehicle, or a person becoming entangled in a tractor’s machinery.

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 Posted on June 11, 2021 in Personal Injury

Many different types of personal injuries can affect someone’s health, their ability to work and complete daily functions, and their overall well-being. Spinal cord injuries are some of the most serious types of harm that a victim can experience, and they can occur in car accidents, slip and fall accidents, construction accidents, and many other situations. Injuries that affect the back and spine can be very painful, leading to restrictions to a person’s mobility and the activities they can perform at work or in their personal lives. In the most serious cases, a person will experience paralysis, and they may be permanently disabled. Victims can work with an attorney to understand the full effects of a spine injury and pursue compensation from the parties who were responsible.

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 Posted on June 04, 2021 in Workers' Compensation

Certain types of injuries can affect a person’s ability to return to work while they are recovering. However, if an injury took place while a person was working or arose out of activities performed during the course of their employment, they will usually qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ comp will pay all costs related to medical care for these injuries, and if a person misses at least four days of work, they can receive wage benefits based on a temporary disability. These benefits will cover a percentage of what they would have been able to earn if they had not been injured. By working with an attorney, injured employees can ensure that they submit the correct information when filing a workers’ comp claim, allowing them to receive the benefits they need and deserve.

Temporary Total Disability (TTD)

If a person is temporarily unable to work while recovering from their injury, or if they have been approved for light work, but their employer will be unable to accommodate their needs, they can receive temporary total disability (TTD) benefits. These benefits will be paid until the employee returns to work or reaches maximum medical improvement (MMI).

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 Posted on May 24, 2021 in Motorcycle Accidents

Spring is here, and summer is approaching, and this means that many motorcyclists will be looking to enjoy the warmer weather as they hit the road. In recognition of the increased motorcycle traffic during the spring and summer months, safety advocates have highlighted May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. 

While motorcyclists are encouraged to follow the proper safety precautions, such as wearing a helmet and keeping their motorcycles properly maintained, the fact is that other vehicles are the primary danger to motorcyclists. When drivers act negligently around motorcycles, this can lead to motorcycle accidents that are likely to inflict serious injuries on motorcyclists or lead to a person’s wrongful death. A motorcyclist who is injured in a motorcycle accident may be able to take legal action to recover financial compensation from a negligent driver.

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 Posted on May 17, 2021 in Truck Accidents

Drowsy driving can be very dangerous. A person needs complete control of their physical and mental faculties to be able to operate a vehicle safely, and being tired or fatigued can affect their ability to see what is happening on the road around them and react to other vehicles or changing conditions. This can be especially dangerous for truck drivers, and driver fatigue is a factor that leads to far too many truck accidents. 

Issues That Can Cause a Truck Driver to Be Too Drowsy to Drive Safely

The trucking industry is focused on delivering cargo to its destination as quickly as possible. Drivers are expected to spend long hours on the road, and they are sometimes encouraged by their employers to exceed the allowed hours of operation. However, even when drivers abide by the rules and regulations, driving the correct number of hours and taking breaks when required, they can still become tired after a long shift of driving. This is especially true for drivers who are driving at unusual hours, since truck accidents are more likely to occur at night.

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 Posted on May 10, 2021 in Car Accidents

Drunk driving presents a serious risk to everyone who uses the roads. Drivers who are intoxicated experience significant impairments to their ability to drive safely. These include vision problems that affect their ability to see other vehicles or people on the road, balance and coordination issues that affect their ability to control their vehicle, and delayed reaction times that may cause them to be unable to respond in time to avoid colliding with a vehicle or pedestrian. Since driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a form of driver negligence, those who have been involved in drunk driving accidents can usually hold a drunk driver liable for their injuries and damages. However, the laws in Illinois also allow an injury victim to take legal action against an establishment that sold or served alcohol to a drunk driver.

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 Posted on May 03, 2021 in Nursing Home Neglect

Millions of elderly or disabled Americans live in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. In many cases, families make the difficult decision to place a loved one in this type of facility because they cannot provide the needed care. Facilities that have trained doctors and nurses on staff can attend to patients’ medical needs and ensure that they are receiving the proper treatment at all times. Unfortunately, far too many nursing homes fall short of this ideal, and patients can suffer harm due to nursing home negligence. In many cases, nursing home neglect occurs because of inadequate staffing or supervision. Staff members’ failure to properly check on patients and provide them with the necessary care may lead to bedsores. These injuries can be very painful, and they can lead to additional complications that threaten a person’s overall health and well-being.

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 Posted on April 28, 2021 in Workers' Compensation

When people consider workers’ compensation benefits, it is usually in the context of injuries suffered due to accidents in the workplace. An employee who is injured while working is eligible to receive benefits that address the costs of medical treatment, as well as any income lost due to a temporary or permanent disability. However, a person’s health can also be negatively affected by conditions in their workplace, and workers’ comp will apply for those who have suffered occupational diseases. 

In some cases, proving that an illness is related to the work a person performed may be difficult. This may be a concern for people who have been exposed to COVID-19 during the course of their employment. Those who have suffered occupational illnesses will want to work with an attorney when filing a workers’ comp claim to ensure they can receive the benefits they deserve.

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 Posted on April 14, 2021 in Car Accidents

The month of April has been designated Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and during this time, public safety campaigns are working to make sure people understand how this issue affects everyone who uses the roads. Distracted driving is one of the most common forms of driver negligence, and it can lead to dangerous car accidents that result in serious injuries or wrongful death. In fact, across the United States, 3,142 people were killed by distracted driving in 2019. Non-fatal accidents are very common as well, with about 700 people being injured every day in accidents involving distracted drivers. People who are injured by distracted drivers will want to work with an attorney to determine how they can receive financial compensation for the injuries they suffered because of the driver’s negligence.

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 Posted on April 06, 2021 in Car Accidents

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused people throughout the United States to make changes to their lives and routines. Many people have shifted to working from home rather than commuting to an office. In their personal lives, people have stayed at home when possible to prevent the risk of infection, and they have avoided traveling long distances. Because of this, the amount of traffic on the roads has decreased. 

While it might seem like fewer vehicles on the roads would lead to fewer car accidents, this has not been the case. The number of motor vehicle collisions resulting in fatalities increased in 2020, and pedestrians have been especially affected. When compared to 2019, the number of people killed in pedestrian accidents increased by 8%. However, the total number of miles traveled by vehicles decreased by 16.5%, and because of this, the number of pedestrian fatalities per mile traveled increased by 20%.

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