Posted on November 30, 2021 in Personal Injury

Car crashes are one of the leading causes of death for Americans under age 55, and the frightening truth is that they can happen to anyone, at any time. For many victims of car accidents, injuries are instant and obvious; for others, however, symptoms of injuries may not appear for hours, days, or even weeks. In stressful situations, the human body releases adrenaline that can mask pain, leading to a failure to diagnose and treat issues right away. If you have recently been in a car accident and are now experiencing any of the following symptoms, it may be time to take legal action.

Common Delayed Symptoms of Car Accident Injuries

Everyone’s body is different, and we all respond to trauma in different ways. However, certain symptoms are more common than others. These include, but are not limited to: 

• Headaches - Headaches are one of the most common complaints after a car accident. Although headaches are frequently suffered by people who have never been in a car accident, if you have recently experienced a car crash, do not second guess whether you should seek treatment for severe headaches. Many headaches will go away on their own, but they could also be a sign of a more serious problem such as a concussion, blood clots, or head and neck trauma.

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 Posted on November 15, 2021 in Personal Injury

When victims of serious personal injury are eligible to receive damages from a responsible individual or company, there are two main kinds of damages that are recoverable: Compensatory damages and punitive damages. These two categories may be split into further categories, but for most purposes, understanding the difference between compensatory and punitive damages is sufficient. 

Not everybody will be able to sue for both kinds of damages, and although compensatory damages are the most common form of damages, there are cases where punitive damages are available as well. If you have been injured in a personal injury case, a qualified Illinois attorney can help you determine whether a lawsuit is appropriate. 

What Are Compensatory Damages? 

Compensatory damages are awarded to the victim of negligence or other unlawful behavior and are intended to cover the expenses associated with the victim’s pain, suffering, and losses. Among the costs compensatory damages can cover include: 

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 Posted on November 09, 2021 in Personal Injury

Sometimes car accidents are simply tragic affairs and it is impossible to blame a party who acted wrongly. Other times, however, serious personal injury or death resulting from a car accident is the consequence of negligent or wrongful behavior on the part of an individual or company. When someone is in a car accident and dies before a full legal recovery can take place, survivors often have the right to file a lawsuit.

There are two main parts of a wrongful death lawsuit in Illinois - survival action and wrongful death action. These are related but distinct, and it is important to have an understanding of the difference between the two. An experienced Illinois personal injury attorney can help you explore your options and help you bring the lawsuit that is appropriate for your case.  

Survival Action vs. Wrongful Death Action

The wrongful death action segment of a wrongful death lawsuit addresses the suffering of the victims who survived the deceased. Survivors may be entitled to damages compensating them for the loss of financial support, companionship, and consortium, as well as for the grief they endure. If a victim dies from the accident right away, then the majority of the damages in the lawsuit will result from the wrongful death action.

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 Posted on November 02, 2021 in Personal Injury

Lipitor, or atorvastatin, is a drug that is often prescribed to patients whose “bad” cholesterol levels are too high. Like any FDA-approved drug, Lipitor can be helpful to those for whom its use is appropriate, potentially lowering the risk of heart disease. But studies suggest Lipitor has serious side effects, including causing users to develop type 2 diabetes.

A recently published study in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that users of Lipitor and other statin medications are at a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes or, if patients already suffered from type 2 diabetes, developing more severe symptoms. Serious symptoms of type 2 diabetes include breakdown of muscle tissue, kidney damage, seizures, insulin resistance, unconsciousness, and even death. These can present serious and even fatal threats to Lipitor users, causing many patients to wonder whether they have grounds for a personal injury case against the manufacturer of the medicine or against a doctor for a medical malpractice lawsuit.

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 Posted on October 29, 2021 in Personal Injury

When you get behind the wheel of a car and drive, you may find yourself surrounded by trucks transporting large loads of goods. Drivers usually assume that these loads are securely fastened and will not come loose. Federal regulations and professional conduct in the trucking industry are meant to prevent disastrous accidents from happening because of items that fall from trucks or liquids spilled in the road. Unfortunately, truck drivers and trucking companies do not always follow the proper regulations or practices, and unsecured loads can lead to deadly truck accidents.  

Commercial Trucks Can Cause Accidents Due to Improperly Secured Loads

According to AAA, tens of thousands of crashes occur every year due to debris in the road. Trying to avoid debris can cause a car to careen out of control, which can inadvertently lead to disastrous injuries and deaths. Accidents can also occur when vehicles collide with obstacles, and cargo that falls onto freeways or other major expressways may lead to multi-vehicle pileups that cause injuries to large numbers of people. Drivers and passengers can also be seriously injured if a truck’s load falls on top of a vehicle. Since these items can be very large and heavy, they can cause a vehicle to be crushed, leading to injuries such as broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, or spinal cord injuries.

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 Posted on October 20, 2021 in Car Accidents

If a driver in Illinois hits another car, a pedestrian, or another object with their car, the law prohibits them from leaving the scene of the accident under threat of felony charges. Unfortunately, this law does not keep people from leaving accidents they caused or were involved in. Leaving the scene of an accident can enhance the chances of severe injury or death to the victim of a hit and run who is in need of medical assistance.

If you have been the victim of a hit-and-run car accident, or someone you love has died in such an accident, you may be entitled to financial damages from the perpetrator. An experienced Illinois personal injury attorney may be able to help you act quickly and seek justice.

What Are Common Causes of Hit-and-Run Accidents in Illinois? 

Most drivers would never leave the scene of an accident, especially if they were at fault. But people involved in hit-and-runs are often trying to hide something, which gives them the incentive to flee rather than face the consequences of their actions. Some of the things they may be trying to cover up include: 

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 Posted on October 14, 2021 in Personal Injury

 Although commercial airlines very rarely experience aviation disasters, smaller private planes crash much more often. Around 300 people die every year in private plane crashes, and there are well over 1,000 non-fatal accidents every year in America alone. While the chances of being injured or killed in a plane crash are still very small, the impact of such a catastrophic accident can change the course of many people’s lives forever. Victims of plane crashes or their families may even have cause to sue for personal injury.

What Causes Private Plane Crashes? 

Private plane crashes pose additional challenges to investigators, victims, and the families of victims who are waiting to hear what caused such a tragedy. Small private aircrafts do not usually have the “black box” that tracks speed, altitude, and other flight information on commercial aircraft, making details about crashes difficult to determine.

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 Posted on September 23, 2021 in Personal Injury

If you have been injured due to the actions of another person or party, it is understandable that you would want to hold that party accountable, not only for the purposes of recovering financial compensation, but also for achieving a sense of justice. You may even feel that the other party should be punished for their actions. In Illinois, it is sometimes possible to pursue such a punishment in the form of punitive damages. However, the situations in which punitive damages may be included in a personal injury claim are limited, and it is important to understand whether and how they may apply to your case.

When Are Punitive Damages Available?

In most Illinois personal injury cases, the damages recovered by the injury victim fall entirely within the category of compensatory damages. These are damages that are intended to compensate the victim directly for some sort of loss—whether a financial loss like medical expenses or lost wages, or a personal loss like pain and suffering, disfigurement, or loss of companionship.

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 Posted on September 15, 2021 in Personal Injury

Earlier this month, there was a scare in Park Ridge, Illinois, when a Metra train struck a car that was stuck on the tracks. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported in this instance, but it is certainly possible for people to suffer serious injuries when a commuter train collides with a passenger vehicle. If you are injured in such an accident, or any accident involving public transportation, you can benefit from a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer who can work through the complications of the case and help you get the compensation you need.

Liability in Public Transportation Accidents

Perhaps the most complicated aspect of an accident involving public transportation is determining which parties are at fault. For example, in a railroad crossing accident between a passenger car and a Metra train, the driver of the car could be partially at fault if they disregarded a railroad crossing sign or signal. However, if there was no clear signage or the crossing signal was not working properly, some fault could lie with a local government entity.

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 Posted on September 08, 2021 in Personal Injury

If you have been seriously injured due to someone else’s negligence, the thought of spending the next several months or more in a legal battle can be overwhelming. It may come as welcome news that most personal injury claims are settled out of court with the at-fault party and their insurance provider, and when a settlement is possible, it can save you significant time and stress. However, it is sometimes necessary to elevate a claim to a lawsuit and pursue compensation through litigation. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you understand whether this is likely in your case, as well as represent you throughout the legal process in pursuit of a fair outcome.

Personal Injury Settlements

It is almost always beneficial to attempt a personal injury settlement before taking your case to trial. Your attorney can help you determine the appropriate amount of damages to pursue, and draft a demand letter to deliver to the other party. Your lawyer can then represent you throughout settlement negotiations, leveraging testimony and evidence of negligence to encourage the other party to come to a fair agreement.

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