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Alcohol and driving do not mix well, and every driver learns about the dangers of drunk driving and the consequences they can face if they are arrested for driving under the influence (DUI). However, in addition to alcohol, there are many other substances that can affect a person’s ability to drive safely. When drivers cause car accidents due to intoxication by legal or illegal drugs, victims may be able to hold them liable for their negligence.
In Illinois, as in most other states, a driver may be charged with DUI if they have a blood alcohol content (BAC) above the legal limit of .08%. While marijuana has been legalized in the state for adults over the age of 21, DUI charges may also apply if a test finds that a driver had at least five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood or 10 nanograms of THC per milliliter of a substance such as saliva or urine.
For those who are injured while on the job, workers’ compensation benefits can be crucial. Medical benefits will cover the costs of all treatment related to an employee’s injury, and wage benefits will provide compensation for the loss of income due to a temporary or permanent disability. However, even though employees are eligible to receive these benefits following any work-related injuries, whether they or their employer were at fault, some employers or their insurance companies deny workers’ comp claims. This can cause a great deal of financial difficulty for a person, since they may be unable to pay their medical expenses, especially if they are unable to work while recovering from their injury. Fortunately, employees who have been denied benefits can file a claim through the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) and take steps to receive the benefits they deserve.
Construction sites can be dangerous places due to the use of large, heavy equipment and materials and multiple people performing different tasks at once. When working in one of these areas, it is important to follow the proper safety procedures. However, even if employers and workers take precautions, construction accidents can still occur due to defective tools or equipment. People who have been injured because these types of items did not function properly may be able to pursue a product liability lawsuit against a manufacturer or a company that did not follow the correct practices when performing maintenance.
While any tool that fails can present hazards, some types of tools are more likely to cause serious injuries when they malfunction. These include:
When you visit a doctor, you expect them to properly evaluate your physical condition, listen to your concerns, and determine the best course of treatment to address any issues that affect you. However, if a doctor does not properly assess your condition and identify diseases or other issues that may impact your health and well-being, you may not be able to receive the proper treatment within the right amount of time. In some cases, doctors may misdiagnose a condition, or they may not make the correct diagnosis in time to provide the necessary treatment. This form of medical malpractice is much more prevalent than many people would expect; around 12 million people are misdiagnosed every year in the United States, and one out of every three cases involving misdiagnosis result in serious injuries or wrongful death.
Over the past decade, Amazon has skyrocketed from a small online forum for third-party vendors to the nation’s largest online retailer. Their cardboard boxes adorned with a smile-shaped arrow are delivered to billions of houses across the world on a daily basis. Consumers typically turn to Amazon as a one-stop-shop that offers cheaper products and quick shipping. With the high volume of packages that are delivered each day, some of the products are bound to be faulty—even Amazon can’t be perfect. But what happens when these quick-shipped, defective products lead to serious injuries? Will Amazon take the blame or leave you empty-handed?
One woman's battle with Amazon began back in 2016 when her recently purchased laptop battery exploded and left her with third-degree burns on her arms, legs, and feet as well as damaging her San Diego apartment. In the five years since the incident, the victim has had skin graft surgery to repair the scars that the $12.30 replacement battery left behind, and pursued a product liability case to hold Amazon accountable. The woman is not the first, and certainly not the last, person to be injured by products sold by the global enterprise. However, a California state appeals court ruled that Amazon can be held liable for defective products sold on their site this past August.
When employees suffer work-related injuries, they are eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits. Injuries can occur in workplace accidents, employees may experience repetitive stress injuries due to the activities they perform while working, or they may contract illnesses after being exposed to toxic substances or infectious diseases in the workplace. The costs of medical treatment for work-related injuries will be fully covered by workers’ comp, but employees should be sure to understand their rights and the procedures that should be followed to receive medical benefits.
An employer’s workers’ compensation insurer will be required to pay all costs related to medical treatment that is needed to address the effects of a work-related injury. This includes any immediate or emergency medical care, as well as treatment that will address the ongoing effects of an injury and restore a person to their condition before being injured, or as close to that condition as possible. Covered treatment may include:
Commercial trucks are large, heavy vehicles that contain multiple types of complicated equipment. Trucks should be properly maintained at all times, since the failure of any of these systems can cause a driver to lose control of their vehicle, leading to dangerous truck accidents that are likely to cause serious injuries to people in other vehicles. Following this type of accident, victims will want to determine whether a truck driver, trucking company or other parties were responsible for equipment failure due to inadequate maintenance.
Before and during a trip, a truck driver should inspect their vehicle and identify any issues that need to be addressed. Regular maintenance should also be performed to ensure that all systems are working properly. Some maintenance issues that can lead to truck accidents include:
There are a variety of situations in which a person may be injured while on someone else’s property. If a person’s injuries occurred because of the property owner’s negligence, the victim may be able to recover financial compensation through a premises liability claim. These cases will often involve accidents that occur because a property owner failed to correct hazardous conditions or warn visitors about the risks of injury. However, victims may also be able to pursue compensation for injuries that occurred because a property owner was negligent in providing the proper security to protect the safety of guests.
Property owners or tenants in control of property have a duty to protect the safety of those who are allowed to enter and use the premises. This duty includes taking steps to prevent foreseeable events, such as assault, robbery, or theft. Adequate security must be provided at all times when visitors or guests are present.
Anyone who undergoes a surgical procedure is likely to be concerned about their health and safety since complications can occur even when an operation is completed correctly. Unfortunately, complications and long-lasting injuries become much more likely when errors are made by doctors, nurses, or other medical staff members during a procedure. In many cases, surgical errors are considered medical malpractice. Those who have suffered these types of injuries will want to understand how they can receive financial compensation for the damages they have suffered as a result of the negligence of surgeons or other medical personnel.
Surgical errors can occur for a variety of reasons. Doctors or nurses may fail to follow the correct procedures when preparing for surgery or performing a procedure, or they may make mistakes during a procedure that cause harm to a patient. Some of the most common surgical errors include:
On-the-job injuries can occur in a wide variety of situations, and they are not always caused by workplace accidents. In many cases, an employee may suffer injuries that are caused by repetitive motions that put strain on different parts of their body. These types of injuries often develop over months or years, and they can cause a person to suffer pain and discomfort, affecting their ability to continue working.
Those who have been injured while working are typically eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits that will cover the costs of their medical treatment, as well as the loss of income due to a temporary or permanent disability. Workers’ comp will cover injuries that are fully or partially related to a person’s work, including repetitive stress injuries that develop over time.
Workers may experience multiple different forms of bodily harm related to the movements and tasks they perform while on the job. These repetitive stress injuries may include:
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2114 Deerpath Road, Aurora, IL 60506 630-907-0909
