Recent Blog Posts
Local Race Builds Awareness on the Consequences of Drunk Driving
Each and every day in the United States, an average of 28 people die in an automobile accident involving an intoxicated driver. This accounts for nearly one-third of all U.S. traffic accident deaths each and every year. Designated driver commercials and campaigns and even free ride services are in place to prevent such tragedies, yet 1.5 million people are arrested for driving over the legal limit during any given year. To help raise awareness and show the real consequences of drunk driving, more than 600 Illinois residents recently participated in a race to honor one victim.
Made the Right Choice but in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time
The young man, a former Heartland Community College and Illinois State University student had been out drinking with his friends the night of the accident that took his life. But, unlike the driver that hit him, he had ridden with a designated driver. He had made the right choice but, ultimately, had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and still became a victim of a drunk driving accident.
Negligent Drivers vs. Negligent Workers: Who is Responsible for Construction Zone Accidents and Fatalities?
While construction work is necessary to help keep our roads safe, the time in which they are being repaired can be hazardous to both workers and passersby. In fact, statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration determined that 87,606 construction zone accidents occurred in 2010. Of those crashes, more than 500 resulted in at least one fatality. In addition, 37,476 drivers and more than 20,000 workers were injured. Unfortunately, sorting who is responsible for these accidents can be a rather difficult task.
Driver Responsibility in Construction Zones
Distracted driving is a major factor in automobile accidents today, and it happens to be one of the most prevalent issues in construction zone accidents. Considered an issue of driver negligence, it can include anything from talking or texting on a cellular phone to changing the radio station. In these instances, the driver can be held liable for any others who are injured, including workers.
Public Schools and Premises Liability: When Negligence Leads to Student Injury
Serious injuries on school property, like those recently experienced by three Alabama high school students, can lead to expensive medical bills, time missed from work for the parents, or even death. Unfortunately, recovering damages for those expenses can be especially difficult when an incident occurs on school property. This is because, unlike other establishments that may be subject to premises liability lawsuits, public schools are considered protected government agencies. There are, however, a few provisions in place to aid parents whose children have been injured at an Illinois public school.
Premises Liability Basics
For a premises liability case to be considered valid, it must contain three basic elements:
- The person or establishment being sued must have control of and be responsible for the property where the injury occurred;
Man Paralyzed on the Job Returns Home After Five-Year Workers’ Compensation Battle
A California man has spent the last five years in hospitals and assisted living centers instead of at home with his family after being paralyzed in a trucking accident. The reason? The workers’ compensation insurance that should have paid to have his home renovated appealed three different times instead of funding the updates that would have made it possible for him to live at home full-time.
A Five-Year Battle
When he woke up after the accident, the first thing the man could think about was whether or not he had injured anyone else when his truck crashed. He gave no thought to his own circumstances, despite being rendered a quadriplegic – just the well-being of others on the road. So, when he was told that he was the only one injured in the crash, he was able to accept his medical fate with grace. What he was not able to accept was living in an assisted living facility an hour away from his family.
Proposed Illinois Bill Would Eliminate Anonymous Complaints Against Nursing Homes
Under current state law, complaints of nursing home negligence or abuse against Illinois nursing homes can be made anonymously. A recently proposed bill, sponsored by East Peoria Representative Mike Unes, could ban such complaints. Advocates say this bill would cut back on the amount of time wasted on fraudulent complaints, but the opposition feels it would only deter valid ones. The real question is: who is right?
Lawmakers Say Bill Would Keep Caller Information Confidential
Already approved by a House committee and awaiting a vote from the Senate, the bill (otherwise known as House Bill 5601) would completely prohibit anonymity in nursing home complaints. Instead, callers would be required to leave their contact information so that the state could contact them with any further questions or information. The caller would also be informed that a false complaint could carry criminal charges. The goal, according to Unes, is to reduce the number of fraudulent calls while improving communication with those filing reports, but between the fear of facing charges and the fear of retaliation, some callers may decide that leaving their information is too much of a risk.
Who Is to Blame in a Driverless Car Crash?
Driverless cars are thought to be the wave of the future, a way to decrease risks of distracted driving and improve safety. Unfortunately, the world is a long way off from actually realizing such a phenomenon. Case in point: the recent accident involving a bus and a Google autonomous vehicle (AV). This poses some potential setbacks for the company and driverless cars as a whole, but it also leaves many wondering who would be to blame in situations such as this.
About the Crash
While traveling about two miles per hour, the Google AV driver noticed a bus approaching in their left side mirror but mistakenly believed the bus would either stop or slow down to let them pass. The car’s software also apparently thought the bus would stop. Instead, as the Google AV re-entered the center lane, it made contact with the side of the bus, which was operating at about 15 miles per hour at the time of the accident. Sandbags in the road are also thought to be a contributing factor in the accident.
Receiving Compensation in a Hit-and-Run Accident Can Be Difficult But Not Impossible
In a perfect world, every person would take accountability for their actions, all parties in an accident would carry adequate insurance and exchange information, and victims would never have to worry about how they will cover their medical expenses or vehicle repairs. Unfortunately, the world is far from perfect, as indicated by a hit-and-run accident involving an Illinois police officer.
The crash occurred in Hammond, Illinois, and seriously injured a motorcycle rider. The police officer, a 13-year veteran of the Evanston Police Department, was driving his personal vehicle, and was subsequently charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury. The case is currently pending.
Hit-and-Run Accidents on the Rise
Sleep Apnea Sufferers May Have a Higher Risk for Work Injury
According to statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately three million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses occur each year. Of those cases, more than half involved missed workdays, job transfers, or work restrictions. Trips and slips, electrocutions, repetitive motion injuries, machine entanglement, vehicle crashes, and falling objects are some of the most common causes, which can affect anyone. However, a new study suggests that sleep apnea sufferers may be especially prone to workplace injuries.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that blocks the airway during sleep and then causes wakefulness throughout the night, affects approximately 22 million Americans. Sufferers often experience marked daytime sleepiness and fatigue due to the disruption of the brain’s normal sleeping cycle, but few awaken fully during obstructive episodes. As a result, many cases go undiagnosed.
Unmarked Train Crossing Leads to an Unfortunate but Preventable Accident
Train accidents are rather rare, which makes them exceptionally memorable when they do happen. Such is the case in a recent accident between a truck and a train in Homer, Illinois. Thankfully, no one was injured or killed. The driver of the truck may be due compensation, however, since the accident could have been prevented.
Unmarked Construction
According to the city’s police chief, seven cars had derailed about a week prior to the accident in question. The company that owns the line had allegedly closed the road to clean up the aftermath and fix the problem, but the contractor who was working on the repairs reportedly moved the barricades from both sides and then forgot to return them before leaving. This made it an unmarked construction zone – one with a hole reportedly so deep, it managed to stop the 72-year-old man’s truck as he tried to driver over the tracks.
Pessimism Could Increase Your Risk of a Car Accident, Study Says
Pessimism, or a negative bias, has an impact on almost every aspect of your life, including your mood, relationships, and even your health. Now, science has added a new potential risk for those that see the world as a half empty glass: they may be more prone to experiencing motor vehicle accidents.
Negative Bias Increases Response Time to Negative Stimuli
In the study, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Psychology interviewed 38 drivers with at least three years of driving experience. Using the number of penalty points on their driving records, the participants were then split into two groups – 23 were considered “safe” drivers and 15 were considered “dangerous” drivers.
All drivers were asked to view a series of photographs and determine if they had a red border or blue border. Each was meant to incite a negative, positive, or neutral emotion. Those in the dangerous driving group took slightly longer to identify the border colors of negative emotion photographs than those in the safe driving group. According to the authors, this suggests that negative drivers may take longer to respond to negative stimuli while driving.
