In the legal realm, the word “negligence” refers to a party’s irresponsible, reckless, or careless action. Negligence may also refer to irresponsible inaction. For example, an apartment landlord who knows a stairwell is unsafe should take action to remedy the problems that make it unsafe for tenants and guests. Negligence may come in the form of unsafe driving, defective design or manufacture of consumer products, failure to maintain a safe property, and more.

If you or a loved one suffered a catastrophic injury such as a brain injury, spine injury, or amputation because another party acted negligently, you may be able to take legal action. You could be compensated not only for your medical bills and other financial losses, but also for your non-financial damages such as pain and suffering.

Financial Reimbursement for a Severe Injury

Catastrophic injuries are injuries that significantly impact the injured person’s life. The injured person may suffer paralysis, loss of functioning, loss of vision or hearing, or other disabling consequences. Money from a personal injury claim cannot make up for catastrophic injuries, but it may help the injured person cover medical costs and other expenses created by the injury.

Riding in a car is statistically one of the most dangerous things the average person does on a daily basis. Fatal crashes caused by distracted driving, intoxicated driving, or simply inattention, are shockingly common. These accidents leave a trail of devastation in their wake and change families’ lives forever.

If you lost a loved one in a fatal car accident, you may have questions about your legal options. Can you hold the at-fault driver accountable? Will insurance pay for medical and funeral bills? How will you make ends meet without your loved one’s financial support? Is taking legal action worth it? Read on to learn more.

What is a Wrongful Death Claim?

When someone dies in a preventable accident, the surviving family often wants answers. They want to know who was responsible for the crash and they want that person to be held accountable. A wrongful death claim is a civil claim used to pursue monetary damages. Illinois law defines wrongful death as a death caused by another party’s negligent or wrongful actions. Negligent driving may include anything from speeding or failure to yield to more egregious actions like drunk driving. The at-fault party could also be a non-individual such as a car parts manufacturer that created a defective auto part.

If you are a parent, you probably can remember the very first time you took your child to daycare. It can be extremely hard to put your child in the care of another party. News stories about poor care or even intentional abuse in daycares, after-school programs, and other childcare facilities only worsen parents’ anxieties. While most childcare businesses are safe and run by caring staff, not every daycare lives up to parents’ expectations. Problems such as understaffing, inadequate staff training, and poor building maintenance can put children in danger. In some cases, children are severely injured or even killed by daycare negligence. If your child was hurt at daycare, read on to learn about your legal options.

Daycare Negligence Can Take Many Forms

We expect daycares to be safe havens for our children when we cannot watch them ourselves. Sadly, some daycares are far from this idealistic image.

When parents of young children purchase toys for their child to play with, they put their trust in the toy manufacturer to provide safe, age-appropriate materials for their child’s use. Tragically, many children choke to death on small pieces of toys that have either broken off, are not properly secured, or did not come with adequate choking hazard warnings. Watching your child choke can be a horrible experience, and even when choking is not lethal, it can cause serious personal injuries. If your child has choked on a toy or other defective product, you may wonder if you can hold the toymaker liable. 

Common Choking Injuries 

Every year, over 200,000 children are estimated to be treated at emergency rooms for injuries related to toys, and many of these cases are related to choking and suffocation. Children under age three are at a particularly high risk for choking on toys because they tend to put things in their mouths constantly. Very young children also have smaller mouths and airways, allowing objects to get stuck more easily. Common choking injuries from children’s toys include: 

• Laceration of the mouth, airways, vocal cords, etc. 

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While medical doctors like surgeons and anesthesiologists are most commonly associated with medical malpractice lawsuits, any professional engaging in the practice of the “healing arts” may treat patients in a way that is inconsistent with the standard of care. When this poor treatment rises to the level of negligence, it may be considered malpractice whether the medical professional is a midwife, acupuncturist, dietician, or chiropractor. 

People generally see a chiropractor to help with neuromusculoskeletal issues, such as back pain, neck pain, or joint pain. Chiropractors often use a technique called “adjustment” or “realignment” in which they use their hands or a special instrument to apply a controlled movement to a patient’s spine. While many patients find chiropractic treatment beneficial, a careless practitioner can cause serious injuries when an adjustment is performed incorrectly. If you have been seriously injured by a chiropractor, you may want to consider a lawsuit with the help of an experienced Illinois personal injury attorney. 

What Are Common Injuries From Chiropractic Malpractice? 

Research suggests that spinal manipulation is the most common event during which patients are injured by chiropractors. Overaggressive manipulation, or using too much force, can cause severe and debilitating injuries, including: