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Can I Sue a Truck Driver for Killing My Loved One in an Accident?
The loss of a loved one is always a tragic affair. The loss of a loved one in an avoidable truck accident is devastating. If your loved one died in a collision caused by a negligent truck driver, you may be seeking justice. You may also be dealing with the financial burden caused by your sudden and unexpected loss. A wrongful death lawsuit may help you recover monetary compensation for your losses while simultaneously holding the at-fault parties accountable for the tragic outcome. Read on to learn about bringing an Illinois wrongful death lawsuit after losing a family member in a fatal truck crash.
Truck Collisions Caused by Negligence
Illinois law states that a wrongful death occurs when a death is caused by wrongful or negligent actions and, had the victim survived his or her injuries, he or she would have had the right to bring a legal action for damages. Negligence refers to a party’s failure to act as a reasonably prudent person would have acted in a similar situation. For example, a truck driver may act negligently by continuing to drive even though he or she is much too sleepy to drive safely. A trucking company may act negligently by allowing truck drivers to violate the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) rules regarding rest breaks and consecutive driving hours. Other examples of truck driver or trucking company negligence may include:
How Are Injury Claims Involving Pile-Up Accidents Handled?
A typical car accident injury case is already complicated. When multiple vehicles are involved in a collision, the case becomes even more complex. If you or a loved one were involved in a pile-up accident, you may be curious about how these accidents are handled from a legal perspective. Is the driver of the vehicle that initially caused the collision liable for all of the other collisions? Am I liable for hitting someone else’s vehicle because I was rear-ended? Questions like these are what make injury claims involving pile-ups so difficult to navigate.
Seeking Compensation for Damages Through a Personal Injury Claim
Last month, smoke from a grass fire caused a multiple vehicle pile-up accident in Illinois. Nine vehicles and one semi-truck were involved in the collision. Several of the individuals involved in the crash sustained serious injuries and needed to be airlifted to the hospital. Accidents involving multiple vehicles often cause chain reactions that result in multiple severe injuries and fatalities. If you or a loved one were hurt in a multiple vehicle accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages.
I Am a Roofer Who Suffered a Catastrophic Injury. What Are My Legal Options?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roofing is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. In 2017 alone, 2,060 roofers were injured and 96 were killed on the job. Falling accounts for a large percentage of severe and deadly roofing accidents. If you or a loved one suffered a catastrophic injury on a roofing job, you may be facing expensive medical bills and major financial hardship. You may be able to get compensation for your losses through workers’ compensation or a third-party claim.
Getting Financial Compensation for Injuries Caused in a Roofing Accident
Roofing accidents are often life-changing. Severely broken bones, internal organ damage, and debilitating spine injuries are not uncommon. An injured roofer may be left with limited mobility or may even be paralyzed in a roofing accident. Traumatic brain injuries with devastating physical, mental, and psychological effects are also common consequences of a roofing accident. If you or a loved one were hurt while on a roofing job, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and more. However, the types and amount of compensation that you may recover depend on your worker classification, who is liable for the accident, and several other factors.
Personal Injury Claims Involving Permanent Hearing or Vision Loss
Our senses enable us to interact with the world around us. Everything from working to communicating with our loved ones involves our senses. When an injurious incident leaves a person with reduced hearing or vision, the consequences are often life-changing. If you or a loved one have suffered vision or hearing loss because of another party’s negligent or malicious actions, you may be able to file a personal injury claim and recover damages.
Incidents Resulting in Vision or Hearing Loss
Accidents causing vision or hearing loss can happen almost anywhere. A workplace accident may expose a worker to toxic chemicals that harm his or her eyes. Explosions or working around loud machinery can cause hearing loss as well. Car accidents resulting in lacerations to the face or traumatic brain injury may also lead to hearing or vision problems. The cause of an individual’s hearing or vision impairment may be intentional physical violence as well. Being the victim of a robbery, assault, or another violent attack can leave a person with temporary or permanent vision loss.
My Loved One Died in a Motorcycle Crash. What Are My Legal Options?
For many, riding a motorcycle is one of the best things in life. Unfortunately, motorcyclists are significantly more likely to die during a collision than occupants of cars and trucks. If your loved one died in a fatal motorcycle crash, you may be shocked and unsure of what to do next. In addition to your grief, you may be facing considerable financial hardship because of your loss. One legal option that you may have after losing a loved one in a motorcycle accident is a wrongful death lawsuit. Through a wrongful death action, you may be able to recover financial compensation for the losses incurred by your loved one’s death.
A Wrongful Death is a Death Caused by Negligence or Wrongdoing
According to Illinois law, a wrongful death action is possible when a death is caused by “negligence,” meaning carelessness or recklessness, or wrongdoing. You may be able to bring a wrongful death case if your loved one’s motorcycle accident was caused by:
How is Lost Earning Capacity Calculated in a Personal Injury Case?
A personal injury lawsuit can serve two vital functions in an injured person’s life: Holding the liable party responsible for the injury and recovering financial compensation for damages. When we think about personal injury damages, medical bills and immediate costs incurred by the injury usually come to mind. However, these losses often pale in comparison to the long-term costs resulting from the injury. In many catastrophic injury cases, the greatest loss that an injured person suffers is the loss of his or her ability to earn a living. If you or a loved one suffered severe injuries in an incident caused by negligence or wrongdoing, you may be entitled to compensation for lost earning capacity.
Compensation for Injuries That Cause Loss of Functioning or Disability
Semi-truck accidents, motorcycle crashes, construction accidents, intentional acts of physical violence, and countless other incidents can leave a person with catastrophic injuries. If you or a loved one suffered an injury that caused paralysis, amputation, neurological damage, loss of vision or hearing, or other long-term health consequences, is it important to know your rights. You or your loved one may be entitled to compensation for past and future medical expenses, lost income, damage to your future earning capacity, and more.
What Are My Legal Options If I Suffered a Catastrophic Injury in an Agricultural Accident?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, agricultural workers like farmers and ranchers have one of the most dangerous professions in the country. Over 250 agricultural workers were killed while performing work duties and 280 received non-fatal injuries in the year 2018 alone. If you or your loved one suffered a disabling injury in an agricultural work accident, it is essential to know your rights. You may be able to recover compensation through workers’ compensation as well as a third-party claim.
Understanding Your Available Options
Workers in the agricultural industry work with dangerous chemicals, heavy agricultural machinery, and from great heights. If you or your loved one were seriously hurt in a tractor rollover, fall, or machinery accident, you may be left wondering what your legal options are. Per the Illinois Workers’ compensation Act, the owners of small agricultural enterprises may be exempt from workers’ compensation. If your employer does carry workers’ compensation insurance, this should cover your medical bills and part of your lost income; however, workers’ compensation alone may not cover the full extent of the financial harm caused by your injury. You may have a permanent disability or reduction in functioning that affects you for months or years after the incident. This can result in an overwhelming financial burden. If another party’s negligence caused or contributed to the accident, you may be able to bring a separate claim against that party.
Bringing a Personal Injury Claim After an Amputation Injury
While they are painful, cuts, bruises, and even most broken bones eventually heal. Some injuries change the entire course of a person’s life. If you or a loved one have suffered an amputation injury, you know just how devastating this type of catastrophic injury can be. Losing a hand, foot, arm, or leg in an accident is something that no one should have to go through – especially when the loss of limb is caused by the negligence of another party. A personal injury claim can help victims of amputation injuries recover compensation for their medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and more.
Types of Negligent Conduct That Can Lead to Loss of a Limb
Amputation injuries are sometimes caused by the carelessness or negligence of another individual or entity. Dismemberment may be caused by a singular traumatic event such as a car crash, motorcycle collision, truck accident, or pedestrian accident. Incidents involving heavy machinery such as construction accidents and agricultural accidents are also a top cause of amputation injuries. Fireworks accidents and explosions may also lead to losing a limb.
What Types of Damages Are Typically Available in Catastrophic Injury Cases?
Some injuries occur in a split second but result in lifelong consequences. If you or a loved one have suffered a catastrophic injury, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages. Compensation for the financial harm caused by the catastrophic injury as well as the non-financial consequences of the injury may be available. Because a catastrophic injury has such a profound impact on the injured person, these cases are usually higher value than cases involving milder injuries. If you are interested in bringing a personal injury claim after a catastrophic injury, it is important to work with an attorney who has experience handling high value cases.
What is a Catastrophic Injury?
Although painful, people eventually recover from injuries such as broken bones and lacerations. A catastrophic injury, on the other hand, is one that can affect a person for the rest of his or her life. Catastrophic injuries are injuries that result in long-term or permanent disability or loss of functioning.
When is an Ambulatory Surgery Center Liable for a Medical Mistake?
Understandably, most people are nervous about having a surgical procedure done. Whether it is a minor procedure or a major surgery, going under the knife can be nerve-racking. While most surgeries are completed without complication, some surgery patients are injured or even killed by surgical mistakes. If you or a loved one were harmed by a surgical mistake at an ambulatory surgical center, you may have a valid medical malpractice claim. You may be able to recover compensation for your medical debts, lost wages, and other damages.
Errors at Outpatient Surgery Centers
More and more surgery patients are turning to same-day surgery centers for routine procedures. These centers are often less expensive and more convenient than having the surgery performed in a hospital operating room. However, an investigation led by USA Today and Kaiser Health News suggests that ambulatory surgery centers may not be the safest choice for even minor surgeries. Through the investigation, they found that 260 people had died after having routine surgeries at ambulatory surgery centers between 2013 and 2018. Many point to under-trained staff and lack of government oversight as reasons for their distrust in surgery centers. However, each case is different and there may be a multitude of factors that lead to a bad surgical outcome.
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From our offices in Orland Park, Arlington Heights, Glen Ellyn, Joliet, Elmhurst, Peoria, and Rockford, the legal team at Schwartz Injury Law represents injury victims and their families throughout Illinois, including Chicago, Alsip, Crestwood, Oak Forest, Palos Heights, Mokena, Frankfort, Homer Glen, New Lenox, Naperville, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Palatine, Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, Mahomet, Rantoul, Bloomington, Normal, Morton, Pekin, and Washington.
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