The National Safety Council reports that nearly 5,000 large trucks were involved in fatal auto accidents in 2020. Approximately 147,000 people were injured in truck accidents in the same year. Commercial trucks are much larger than the average vehicle on public roads and consequently, the damage caused in a commercial truck crash is often catastrophic. Personal injury lawsuits for commercial truck accidents often lead to six and seven-figure payouts. Frequently, information from the truck’s event data recorder is a key piece of evidence in a large commercial truck accident investigation.

What Does an Event Data Recorder Do?

Event data recorders (EDRs) sometimes called “black boxes” or electronic control modules may be installed in commercial vehicles or privately owned vehicles. The device records technical vehicle information before, during, and after a collision. This information can be used to understand the events that led to a crash and what happened during the collision.

Event data recorders often record information about:

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.

Car accidents, falling, and countless other forms of trauma can cause someone to suffer a traumatic brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can have long-lasting, significant consequences. Physical, mental, and psychological symptoms of TBI can exist for months or years after an injury.  Fortunately, new treatment options may provide brain injury victims the relief they desperately need.

Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries

If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury in a car crash or other incident, you know just how far-reaching the effects can be. Many people are left with painful headaches, dizziness, vomiting, and hearing and vision impairment. Others suffer from cognitive impairments that reduce their ability to concentrate, pay attention, or remember past events. Severe TBIs can cause seizures, slurred speech, constant fatigue, and problems sleeping. Psychological problems, including depression and anxiety, may also be caused or worsened by brain trauma.

Fortunately, experts are constantly looking for better ways to treat TBIs and reduce these symptoms. Surgery may be used to remove hematomas and relieve pressure inside of the skull shortly after a TBI. Medicines including anticonvulsants and muscle relaxants may be used to mitigate convulsions and seizures. Antidepressant medicine and anti-anxiety medicine may help lessen the psychological effects of TBI. Doctors are even testing the use of ADHD medication in TBI sufferers with the hope of combatting fatigue and brain fog.

Finally, spring has arrived to the Chicago area. For many people, spring marks the beginning of motorcycle season. Anyone who has ridden on a motorcycle can understand the appeal of zipping through the streets on a bike. Unfortunately, riding a motorcycle is much more dangerous than traveling in a closed vehicle. Motorcyclists are harder to see, and riders are not protected by the vehicle in the event of a crash. Over 5,000 people lost their lives in motorcycle accidents in 2019. Individuals on a motorcycle are 29 times more likely than individuals in a passenger car to die in a collision.

If you were injured or a loved one was killed in a motorcycle crash, you may be able to take legal action and pursue damages. Read on to learn some of the top questions about motorcycle accident claims in Illinois.

Are Motorcyclists Presumed to Be at Fault for a Collision?

Unfortunately, unfounded negative stereotypes about motorcyclists can sometimes color people’s perspectives about fault for a crash. Some people think that motorcyclists are more likely to speed and drive recklessly. They may assume that if a motorcycle and passenger vehicle are involved in a collision, that the motorcyclist is at fault.

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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Using special medication, general anesthesia puts a patient into an unconscious state and allows them to avoid pain and physical movement. While Illinois anesthesiologists are carefully trained to administer anesthesia and monitor a patient’s heart rate and other vital signs during treatment, even relatively minor surgeries can be dangerous when they involve the use of general anesthesia. Most of the time, general anesthesia is used safely, even for high-risk populations; but when an anesthesiologist acts negligently or carelessly, patients can suffer serious injury and even wrongful death. 

Are Certain Patients at Great Risk of Anesthesia Complications? 

Not every injury and death that occurs during the use of general anesthesia can be attributed to medical malpractice. Certain health conditions, habits, and medical histories can place patients at higher risk of adverse events during anesthesia, including: 

• Obesity

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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: 

Most people find the prospect of getting major surgery frightening enough even in the best of circumstances. Between the anesthesia, the complexity of the surgery, and the process of recovery, there is good reason to be apprehensive about the risks involved. One odd but particularly dangerous risk is that of an Illinois surgeon who leaves a foreign object inside of a body during surgery. While most surgeons adhere to the standard of care and this does not often happen, when it does, it can have severe and life-threatening implications for the patient. If you have gotten surgery in Illinois and a negligent surgeon has left a surgical tool, sponge, or other items in your body, you may want to take legal action through a medical malpractice lawsuit. 

What is a Never Event? 

An item left inside a human body during surgery is often referred to as a “never event.” A never event is a mistake that is completely preventable by following proper care protocol and that, therefore, should never happen. Yet one study found that foreign objects are left inside bodies nearly 40 times a week in the U.S. When objects are left inside the body, they must first be detected - nearly always after a patient complains of severe pain and is subject to repeated testing - and the removal itself requires more surgery, along with its inherent risks. Common patient complaints include: 

• Vomiting or coughing up blood

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As Illinois weather begins to slowly warm, many motorcyclists are waiting for the day when the streets are safe and dry and the weather is conducive for taking the first ride of the season. While the research on the benefits of using a helmet during motorcycle use is clear, the feeling of the sun on your face and the wind in your hair can tempt even the most experienced riders to leave home without head protection. 

Unfortunately, motorcycle accidents are common, perhaps more so in the spring when cars are not used to seeing motorcycles on the road and are not as watchful. Motorcycle riders can be seriously injured and killed in accidents and this is especially true if the rider is not wearing a helmet. If a helmetless rider got into an accident because of the actions of another driver, but was more seriously injured because of the failure to wear a helmet, he or she may wonder whether this will impact their ability to pursue fair compensation for their injuries. While an experienced Illinois personal injury lawyer is the best person to answer questions about your unique case, this blog provides a brief overview of how helmet use may or may not affect your case. 

Motorcycle Accidents without Helmets

Helmet use can affect not only the outcome of a motorcycle driver or passenger’s injuries, but the outcome of a personal injury lawsuit as well. In Illinois, a personal injury lawsuit can still be possible, even when the actions of the driver who was not directly responsible for the accident made the situation worse. This includes speeding, failing to use turn signals, or not wearing a helmet. If the injured motorcyclist was not more than 50 percent responsible for his or her injuries, a claim for partial compensation may still be possible. 

The last thing you expect when you visit a restaurant with family or friends is to suffer a serious burn injury. Yet for many Illinois diners, catastrophic burns happen suddenly and have the potential to change their lives for years to come. A waiter may accidentally tip hot coffee or soup into a patron’s lap, hot grease can melt right through to-go bags, or oil from a teppanyaki-style grill can splash out onto a visitor. Whatever the reason, burn injury lawsuits are more common than you might think and victims can often pursue compensation from the responsible party. 

What is a Restaurant’s Duty of Care? 

Under Illinois’ Premises Liability Act, restaurants have a responsibility to provide their patrons with a duty of care, including preventing burns through reasonable means. Burns are a legitimate risk in restaurants, and steps must be taken to ensure customers do not suffer painful injuries because of poorly trained staff, uneven floors that cause a slipping hazard around hot grills, or flimsy containers. 

Perhaps the most famous restaurant burn injury case was that of an elderly woman who suffered severe third-degree burns from extremely hot coffee that spilled on her lap. Although the victim was often the target of scorn in media coverage of the case, she received a large settlement, in part due to the fact that previous incidents had occurred at the same restaurant chain. When a restaurant knows there is a danger of burns and does not take action to prevent them, this is when a personal injury lawsuit may be most likely to succeed. 

Our ears are complex organs that help us hear and keep our balance. Made up of many parts, the middle and inner ear are especially fragile and susceptible to damage that can impact our hearing and balance permanently. Auto accidents, in particular, are often the cause of major, long-term hearing loss. 

The consequences of full or partial hearing loss can catastrophically impact your day-to-day life and make everyday activities like working, exercising, and even walking difficult or impossible. If you have recently been involved in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident in Illinois and you are experiencing ringing ears or hearing loss, meeting with a personal injury attorney may be a good idea. 

Ear Trauma is Linked to Air Bag Deployment

When high-intensity sounds suddenly occur, our ears protect themselves by briefly contracting tiny muscles using something called the “stapedius reflex.” This reflex lowers the amount of sound that can access the middle ear, especially against loud noises at lower decibels. 

Every year in the United States, around 5,000 lives are tragically lost in motorcycle accidents and around 80,000 more motorcycle drivers are injured. More than ten times as many men die in motorcycle accidents as women, and drivers under age 35 cause are involved in a significant majority of motorcycle accidents. 

Regardless of the age or family status of the victim, when a loved one is suddenly lost in a motorcycle accident, it is a shock and tragedy for the ones left behind. When the victim is a parent and breadwinner, the family he or she leaves behind can be left reeling, uncertain of what the future holds. If someone you love has suffered a wrongful death in a motorcycle accident in Illinois because of the negligent actions of another person, you may be able to pursue justice in the form of financial compensation. While a lawsuit can never bring back your loved one, it has the potential to provide much-needed financial security and some stability for the future. 

When Is a Fatal Motorcycle Accident a Wrongful Death? 

When another driver’s reckless behavior causes a fatal accident, the victim’s family may be able to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit. If a crash was caused by an issue other than a driver’s behavior, such as an improperly loaded vehicle or a defective motorcycle product, the person responsible may be held liable as well. The most common causes of wrongful motorcycle fatal accidents include: 

Dog attacks are frightening for anyone, but for children, they can be particularly scary. Not only are many dogs stronger and bigger than most children, but the effects of a dog attack in a child’s youth can have a life-long impact on their relationship with dogs and other animals. 

In addition to the psychological harm of dog attacks, the injuries sustained in dog bites can be extremely painful, require extensive medical treatment, and be serious enough to permanently disfigure a child. If your child has suffered from a disfiguring dog bite injury, you may want to speak with an experienced Illinois dog bite attorney to explore your legal options. 

What are the Effects of Dog Bite Scarring? 

Most children acquire scars as a normal part of the rough-and-tumble nature of childhood, but dog bites can leave scars that are disfiguring. Dog bites on a child’s face and neck can leave particularly noticeable scars.  A child with facial scarring is not only constantly reminded of the trauma she experienced but is likely to struggle with social connections and job prospects. In addition to the impact this can have on a child's daily life, studies suggest that individuals with facial disfigurement and other disabilities may face discrimination in hiring practices. 

Semi-trucks and 18-wheelers are essential for transporting necessary goods all over the country. Food, clothing, vehicles, and even prefabricated homes travel safely to their destinations every day, thanks to the effort of cautious trucking companies and their drivers. 

But trucks can also pose serious risks, especially to other drivers on the road in smaller vehicles. Trucks that are improperly loaded, negligently maintained, or driven by exhausted or inebriated drivers can cause crashes that lead to serious and even fatal injuries. If you or someone you love has been involved in a truck accident, it may be possible to recover financial damages with the help of an experienced Illinois truck accident attorney. Here are three common causes of fatal truck accidents. 

Shifting or Loose Loads

Truck drivers are required to abide by rigorous safety measures that regulate the way cargo must be loaded and secured before driving. Cargo must be evenly distributed and properly secured so it does not shift or come loose during transportation. Sometimes, employees fail to abide by these standards. When cargo is not correctly secured, it can make a truck unsteady, causing it to swerve, tip over, or roll. Cargo can also fall out of a truck and into the road, hitting some vehicles and causing other vehicles to swerve to try to avoid a collision. 

Car accidents in Cook County are serious matters. While most major car accidents are not fatal, they nearly always result in some kind of injury. And most of those injuries, like cuts, lacerations, and bruises, may be painful, however, they will eventually heal. Some injuries, however, never heal and can change the victim’s life forever. 

One particularly serious type of injury is amputation. The loss of a leg, foot, arm, or hand is a catastrophic injury that can permanently impact a victim’s ability to work, move around, and live a normal life. When an amputation occurs after a car accident in which another driver’s negligence is to blame, an experienced personal injury attorney may be able to help the amputee obtain just compensation for their loss and suffering. 

What Kinds of Vehicle Accidents Can Cause Amputation? 

Limb and digit amputations are only done after it is clear that the physical damage to the victim is so extensive that reconstructive surgery is not an option. Unfortunately, this means the type of car accidents that result in amputation are usually very serious. Truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, rollover crashes, and lost cargo that has fallen into the road can all cause serious car crashes. 

Even when you are driving defensively, the behavior of other motorists can cause serious car accidents. Although it is true that motorcyclists are at much more risk of being injured in car accidents than the occupants of a car or truck, it is also true that many motorcyclists cause or are involved in accidents because of reckless driving. Many motorcycle drivers are young men who, without thinking carefully about the consequences, often drive far above the speed limit on highways and other thoroughfares, putting the other drivers around them in serious danger. 

Reckless driving by speeding motorcyclists can cause the drivers of nearby vehicles to swerve in an effort to avoid an impending collision, causing a serious car crash. Sometimes, the rider will pull over and help. Other times, by the time the car crash has happened, the motorcyclist is long gone. If you have been seriously injured in a car accident that you caused only because you tried to avoid another collision, you may be able to prove the accident would never have happened if not for the other driver’s actions. 

Can I Hold a Driver Responsible for a Car Accident Even if They Did Not Hit Me? 

When one driver’s actions cause another driver to swerve and crash into another car, this is called a no-contact accident and the initial driver is called a “phantom vehicle.” If the driver of the phantom vehicle remains on the scene, you may be able to benefit from their testimony about what happened and it may be easier to hold them liable for damages.

Every year, dozens of pedestrians in Illinois are seriously injured or killed when they are struck by a vehicle. Drivers may be distracted by traffic or cell phones, or might have their vision impaired by bad weather or nighttime driving; whatever the cause, the consequences for victims of these accidents are often life-altering. 

One of the most common types of injuries suffered by pedestrians hit by motor vehicles is back injuries. Damage can be localized or distributed throughout the spine and is nearly always found in combination with associated injuries like soft tissue or organ damage. Spinal cord injuries are particularly challenging because they can cause paralysis, permanent numbness and tingling, and debilitating pain. These injuries can be expensive and prevent a victim from working their normal job for the rest of their lives. If you or someone you love has been hit by a car, you may be able to hold the person responsible for damages and compensation. 

Common Types of Back Injuries From Pedestrian-Vehicle Accidents

While many different injuries are present after pedestrian-vehicle accidents, back injuries in particular pose substantial risks to the victim. Common back injuries include, but are not limited to: 

Although car crashes that result in serious injuries or fatalities are always tragic, these accidents leave victims and loved ones especially grief-stricken when they occur during the holiday season. The loss suffered in a serious car crash can be made even worse when it could have been prevented by something as simple as sober driving or using a designated driver. 

Unfortunately, the holiday season in Illinois often sees an increase in drunk driving accidents, and poor driving conditions resulting from inclement weather can make bad accidents worse. If you have been a victim of a car crash because somebody broke the law and drove under the influence of alcohol or drugs, consider working with a personal injury attorney who will work to hold them accountable. 

Why Can a Personal Injury Attorney Help After a Car Crash? 

Although some victims of car accidents consider representing themselves, having a skilled attorney with experience in litigating against major insurance companies can make the difference between a successful outcome and a lost case. Although there is never a 100 percent guarantee that any case will result in a specific outcome, personal injury attorneys are often able to recognize the extent of a client’s injuries and the way they have affected the client and their family. Insurance companies are often more willing to negotiate substantial settlements with attorneys because they know they mean business.