Recent Blog Posts
Summer Forecast: Road Rage
Road rage has been on the rise since the end of pandemic-related lockdowns. For a long time, essential personnel were the only ones commuting. People were not doing much of anything outside their homes, and everyone got used to there being very little traffic. Then, stay-at-home orders lifted and suddenly, everyone was dealing with traffic like they had not seen in over a year. Since the roads first started to fill back up, road rage car crashes have only gotten worse and more frequent.
Now that we are right in the middle of summer, road rage levels may be even higher than usual. There is an undeniable link between heat and road rage, and traffic tends to be worse in the summer. If you are injured by a driver with road rage, you may be able to recover compensation.
The Link Between Heat and Road Rage
The fact that high temperatures contributes to road rage incidents has been known for a very long time. Extreme heat tends to increase how a person responds to annoyances drastically. A minor irritation, like getting cut off in traffic, might be no big deal at all for a driver in pleasant weather. However, in extreme heat, that same driver may end up reacting quite aggressively, such as by trying to swerve around and cut off the other driver in an act of revenge.
Drivers May Be Distracted by Their Own Dashboards
You have probably heard a lot about the dangers of cell phone use while driving. Obviously, if someone is cruising down the highway with one hand on the wheel, one hand holding a cell phone, and two eyes looking at a screen, there is likely to be a car accident. Distracted drivers kill over 3,000 people and injure almost 500,000 each year in the U.S.
Cell phones are responsible for quite a large percentage of distracted driving accidents. Unfortunately, drivers of brand new vehicles may now have a completely new source of distraction - their own dashboards. Many car companies are now using built-in infotainment systems that are meant to reduce cell phone distraction. The question remains just how distracting these integrated systems may be.
The Dangers of Integrated Distractions
New cars with integrated infotainment systems can do almost everything a cell phone can do, including helping the driver send a text message, navigate, or connect to the internet. Screens may be integrated into the dashboard so that drivers do not need to pick up their phones. Often, these infotainment systems are meant to be voice-controlled, but voice control is still far from a perfect technology.
Top 6 Causes of Staircase Injuries in Kane County
There are certain safety standards that staircases should comply with, whether in residential buildings or in public places. Staircases can be dangerous when they are not kept in a reasonably safe condition. Things like having enough lighting and handrails are some of the most basic steps that a premises owner or manager should take to ensure that people are able to get up and down the stairs safely. When these very reasonable safety standards are violated, the likelihood that someone will suffer a serious fall, slip, or trip, skyrockets. If you were injured when you fell on a staircase, you may have a strong claim against the party who is liable for the safety of those on their premises. An attorney can help guide your next steps.
The Most Common Hazards That Cause Falls on Stairs
While people can fall down even the best-designed staircase, serious staircase accidents are often caused by the premises owner’s failure to use reasonable precautions. Some common safety issues on staircases include:
Is it Neglect if the Nursing Home Does Not Answer Call Lights?
One of the main reasons people enter nursing homes is because they can no longer perform their normal activities of daily living and need help. People who reside in nursing homes can generally do very little to care for themselves and must rely on caregivers for assistance with everything from eating to dressing. When your loved one in a nursing home presses their call light, everyone should be able to expect that someone will come along in a timely fashion to see what they need. Whether a nursing home resident presses their call light because they need help making a phone call or because they have fallen out of their chair, they deserve a prompt response. If your loved one’s call light is going unanswered, they may be facing nursing home neglect. An attorney can advise you on what your next steps should be.
Dangers of Leaving a Call Light Unanswered
Top 3 Types of Medical Malpractice in Hospitals
When you go to a hospital for medical care, you expect to be in a safe place. You should be able to automatically trust that the doctors and other providers are being careful to provide you with safe treatment. Unfortunately, the labor shortage has hit hospitals just as much as it has hit restaurants and retail businesses. There is a significant nursing shortage. However, being short-staffed does not excuse medical malpractice. A hospitalized patient can do very little to take care of themself and must rely on doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals like Certified Nursing Assistants. When these providers fail to perform their jobs in a manner that is safe for patients, they may ultimately do more harm than good. If you were harmed while staying in a hospital, an attorney may be able to help you recover compensation.
Common Forms of Malpractice in a Hospital Setting
Illinois Workers' Compensation in High-Risk Careers
In Illinois, just about anyone with a job is eligible to receive workers’ compensation if they are injured or made ill at work. Even office staff sometimes uses workers’ compensation after an accident like a slip-and-fall. However, if you are in a dangerous career with a high risk of injury, you may use workers’ compensation several times throughout your career. People in high-risk professions include electricians, construction site workers, and some healthcare professionals. When you are in a high-risk profession, it is best that you understand the workers’ compensation process and know how to respond to a workplace injury before anything happens.
Do’s and Do Not’s for High-Risk Employees
If you are in a dangerous profession, there are a few rules of thumb you should keep in mind when it comes to workplace safety and handling a workplace injury. General do’s and do not’s for high-risk workers include:
Deciding Whether to Sue for Sexual Abuse
No one should ever have to experience sexual abuse or sexual assault. Being harmed like that can leave long-lasting mental and emotional scars, and many victims are left with physical injuries as well. You may have heard some truly alarming statistics about low conviction rates for sex offenses in criminal court. However, filing a civil claim is completely different. To successfully prosecute someone for a sex crime, it must be proven that they are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. To win a civil claim, however, you would only need to show a jury that it is more likely than not that the abuse or assault happened as you are alleging. That said, following through with such a claim can be very challenging on many levels. At Kinnally Flaherty Krentz Loran Hodge & Masur P.C., we will make sure that you have all the information you need to decide whether you should file such a claim.
The Benefits of Pursuing a Sexual Abuse Claim
Calculating What Your Aurora Car Accident Claim is Worth
After you get hit by a negligent driver, you are likely to get a call from their insurance company fairly soon. The insurance company will make you a settlement offer. It will sound like a good offer, but it rarely is. Insurance companies do not count or consider every financial loss you will suffer as a result of your car accident. Their goal is to get you to accept a settlement that does not come close to fully compensating you. Before you think about accepting a settlement, it is important that you take the time to add up every expense and loss associated with the crash. You are likely to find that your claim is worth much more than you are being offered. Our experienced lawyers can help you determine the total amount that you deserve.
What Costs Can I Recover After a Car Accident?
The types of damages you could recover after a car crash are much more numerous and varied than you might expect. A car accident injury can cause lasting damage for many. When calculating your total financial loss as a result of the crash, make sure to factor in not just your ER bill and the cost of your car, but also:
Top 5 Causes of Rear-End Collisions in Kane County
Rear-end collisions are not always harmless fender-benders. A hard rear-end collision can cause serious or even disabling injuries. Head, neck, and arm injuries are very common in rear-end crashes. The damage does not need to look bad from the outside to be bad for the individuals inside the car. In a rear-end accident, the driver in front is often completely stopped, causing them to absorb the full force of the impact. There is also little the driver in front can do to avoid being rear-ended even if they do see the accident coming. This type of car accident is very preventable, and often the result of careless driving. If you have been injured in a rear-end collision, we may be able to help you recover compensation for your injuries.
Careless Driving Habits That Cause Rear-End Accidents
Every driver has a duty to use an appropriate level of caution to prevent accidents. Rear-end collisions are almost always caused by carelessness. Some common forms of negligence that cause rear-end accidents include:
Top 3 Causes of Workplace Injuries in Kane County Office Buildings
Workers’ compensation is not just for those in traditionally high-risk blue-collar jobs. White-collar office workers can and do get hurt at work and are equally entitled to workers' compensation protection. While injuries suffered by those with desk jobs tend to be less severe on average, they can still keep an employee out of the workplace for weeks while they recover. If you were injured at your office job, you should take the situation seriously and consider having an attorney help you recover compensation. The costs associated with a workplace injury are compensable whether you operate a desktop computer or a forklift. Some office employees hesitate to file a workers’ compensation claim, but this is a mistake. If you do not file a claim after getting hurt at work, you could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table.
The Most Common Reasons Office Workers Get Hurt on the Job
People with desk jobs tend to view their workplaces as very safe. This can cause people to let their guard down and become more vulnerable to hidden dangers around the office. Some of the most common categories of workplace injuries in office buildings include:
