If you work in the labor or trucking industries, you may be well aware of workers’ compensation. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, truck drivers and tractor trailer operators made up 5.4% of all private industry reports of injuries. Non-construction laborers make up the highest percentage of 7.3%. Other notable industries are janitorial, nursing assistants, and retail workers.
Every employer is required to have workers’ compensation insurance in the event that someone gets hurt at work or sustains an injury related to working conditions. Workers’ compensation can assist people after an injury by providing:
A family member or friend in your industry may have even needed workers’ compensation benefits, but when it happens to you, an important question to ask is: do you hire a workers’ compensation attorney?
No parent ever expects that a product or toy they purchase could injure or kill the child for which it is intended. Yet, every year, there are between 400 and 450 recalls of products in the interest of safety. In 2017, there were 251,700 injuries related to toys alone, as reported by emergency rooms to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Kids getting minor injuries related to playtime is unavoidable, but the negligence of a company and serious injury or death can be avoided.
When a faulty product is discovered, it is the company’s job to report the defect to the government. You may recall seeing flyers around your regular retailer's about recalls. When a product is recalled, it is completely up to the consumer to follow through with reaching out to the company. Recalls are also listed on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website, where company contact information and remedies to the defect are also available. If a consumer ignores or is unaware of a recall, he or she is potentially putting themselves or loved ones in danger.
The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, and the last thing on your mind should be a personal injury lawsuit. Unfortunately, accidents do happen, even during the most wonderful time of the year. Tripping or falling over Christmas lights of your own doing is one thing, but what if your injury is caused by the negligence of someone else?
Negligence is when a person could have done something to prevent an unfortunate outcome but did not, either due to ignorance or laziness. For example, if a store owner refuses to clean up a spill and someone ends up getting hurt, the injured party is considered a victim of negligence.
During 2011 through 2015, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission reported over 1,700 Christmas related injuries in 100 hospitals. Here are a collection of those common Christmas injuries.
The decision to place an elderly parent or another family member in a nursing home is often made with best intentions. Common tasks may become impossible for your elderly loved one to complete, and a nursing home can provide around-the-clock care to make them more comfortable. You may feel guilty for not being able to provide the care yourself, but nursing homes have health professionals that are experienced in the needs of elderly people.
You want to think that your loved one is safe in your nursing home of choice, but one out of ten elders experience some form of neglect in a nursing home.
There are four main types of neglect that are seen in a nursing home:
Running a business without workers' compensation insurance is considered a felony. Under Illinois Workers’ Compensation Laws, almost all workers are eligible for workers compensation. A couple of exceptions are farm workers and Federal employees.
Employers are required to have workers’ compensation insurance, which provides financial stability and medical care for employees who are facing injuries that were caused by an accident in the workplace or their working conditions. It is there to help employees heal from their ordeal, physically and emotionally.
If you are unsure about whether your work-related injuries are eligible for workers' compensation, here are some of the most common workers' compensation claims:
Slips and falls - Anyone can trip and fall, but conditions such as a slippery floor, uneven surface, poorly managed wires, or inadequate lighting can make an employee falling at work more likely. According to the United States Department of Labor, trips, falls and slips account for twenty-five percent of the work-related injuries that prevent an employee from immediately returning to work. In the case of a slippery floor, even if a wet floor sign is present, an employee may still eligible for workers compensation, even if a wet floor sign is present, so long as the injury is severe enough that it renders an employee unable to work. Serious falls, such as those from heights, are more commonly seen in utility and construction professions.
Kane County is no stranger to cold and snowy winters. During the second week of February of this year, St. Charles received over 14 inches of snow over a span of four days. Shoveling the driveway and sidewalk is hard enough, but what happens when you need to operate a vehicle during the harsh Midwest winter?
Every year, approximately 900 people are killed in an auto accident during winter precipitation, and 1,300 are killed because of pre-existing road conditions such as snow, ice, or slush. Thousands more are injured, despite almost 75 percent of the United States regularly experiencing winter weather.
In an act of preparing for the harsh winter ahead, here are some tips for keeping safe on the roads, despite unfavorable conditions:
Go Slow - Your safety is more important than getting to your destination quickly. It takes longer to stop your car on snow or ice, giving you a shorter reaction time if you are speeding. If your destination is time-sensitive, consider leaving early. Other people will be driving slow as well. If conditions are too bad, safely pull over.
We have truck drivers to thank for providing goods and services across the county. However, these massive vehicles are one of the most dangerous on the road, weighing up to 80,000 pounds. Any accident on the road can be deadly, but when an 18-wheeler is involved, catastrophic personal injury can occur. Driver fatigue is often blamed for accidents involving trucks, but overworking is not always the cause of a truck accident.
In the United States, truck drivers must keep a 24-hour logbook while on duty. Commercial motor drivers can only work 11 cumulative hours within a 14 hour period. Drivers are then required to rest for a minimum of ten hours. A recent mandate has made electronic onboard recorders mandatory, which record the actual driving time of a truck.
After bringing a child into the world, you do your best to provide a safe environment for them to grow up in. You may put locks on cupboards, and a gate in front of the basement stairs, but what happens when a product you purchase puts your infant in harm's way? Poor design or a manufacturing flaw in a product can result in injury or death to your child. Common injuries involved in a products liability suit may include:
Something seemingly safe for your child may result in death or injury. Here are some examples of products for infants that are seen as hazards, or have been recalled due to bodily harm to a child.
For the average adult, one-third of your life is spent at work. Your workplace is a familiar space and, especially for traditionally non-hazardous spaces like an office, it may be hard to believe when a serious accident occurs. No matter who is at fault for the accident, you have rights as an employee to submit a claim for any pain and suffering sustained while at work. Suffering an injury at work is a scary and unsure time. Here are a collection of frequently asked questions in regards to workers compensation in Illinois.
According to the Illinois Handbook On Workers Compensation And Occupational Diseases, workers compensation is defined as a system, for most employees, to receive benefits by law after a workplace injury or disease developed from an occupational hazard.
Car accidents are inevitable with human error. However, the likelihood of an accident is significantly higher when the driver behind the wheel is under the influence of alcohol. Approximately one-fourth of all fatal car accident victims in Illinois in 2016 were alcohol-related. There were also 29,528 DUI arrests in the same year, as reported by the Secretary of State’s office. A drunk driver perceives the road differently than a sober driver, and sometimes defensive driving is not enough to protect yourself.
A DUI, or Driving Under the Influence, is when a person is operating a motor vehicle while under a mind-altering substance. DUI’s are most known for alcohol offenses, but they also include: