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Recent Blog Posts
Summer Months Seeing an Increase in Drunk Driving Accidents
To operate a motor vehicle safely, one must think clearly, reason responsibility, and maintain muscle coordination. Alcohol consumption weakens all of these functions. Any injury caused by a car accident can be devastating and the injuries caused by a drunk driving accident are often preventable. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that nearly half of the vehicle fatalities in Illinois involve alcohol. Unfortunately, drunk driving is even more prominent during the summer months.
Illinois Drunk Driving Accidents
Across the nation, summer accounts for the highest level of drunk driving-related fatalities. This increase in deadly accidents makes it imperative to understand the dangers of drunk driving. Because alcohol can weaken the driver’s attention and control of the vehicle, the resulting injuries tend to be much worse. Impaired drivers may swerve, speed or even drive the wrong way on a highway, potentially leading to a head-on collision.
What to Know About Medical Malpractice During Pregnancy or Birth in Illinois
When medical errors are made, they can have serious, long-term effects on the victim. Unfortunately, sometimes these victims are fetuses or newborns. Medical errors may transpire during the pregnancy and labor or delivery phases of childbirth. Such mistakes can result in the severe suffering or disability of a child. In some of the more severe cases, medical malpractice during pregnancy or childbirth can even result in the death of the baby or the mother.
Common Medical Complications During Pregnancy
There are many issues during pregnancy that can result in serious consequences if undetected. The detection and treatment of these issues is the responsibility of the obstetrician. Such conditions that may prove serious if undetected during pregnancy include:
● Gestational diabetes
What Are My Legal Options if My Child Was Hurt at Daycare?
When parents drop their children off at daycare, they trust that the staff will keep their child safe. Unfortunately, some daycare facilities do not meet these expectations. When a child is injured at daycare, nursery school, summer camp, after-school program, or another type of childcare facility, the facility may be liable for damages. The parents may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost income, and other costs.
When is a Child Care Facility Legally Responsible for a Child’s Injuries?
As any parent can tell you, children get hurt all the time. However, daycare facilities are legally obligated to prevent reasonably foreseeable injuries. The facility should be kept clean and free of hazardous objects. Children should be properly supervised. Staff should be vetted for any history of child abuse. When a daycare facility fails to uphold this duty and a child is harmed as a result, the daycare may be legally responsible for the child’s injuries.
Can I File a Lawsuit If I Was Diagnosed with Cancer After Using Roundup?
While most companies conduct thorough testing before releasing their products to the public, certain defective products slip through the cracks. Roundup, for instance, is found to increase the risk of some cancers by 40 percent. If you have contracted cancer after using this popular weed killer, you may have the right to take legal action.
Why Is Roundup a Dangerous Product?
Roundup contains the ingredient glyphosate, which disrupts enzymic pathways in plants. The product may be effective at killing weeds, but it may harm humans in the process.
There have been several studies that have shown a correlation between Roundup and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This form of cancer targets the white blood cells called lymphocytes and is slightly more common in men than women. Studies show that cancer doubled between 1975 and 2006 and was more common among people who were exposed to glyphosate-containing herbicides or resided on farmland that is frequently treated with herbicides. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) listed glyphosate as a likely human carcinogen.
How “Dooring” Can Cause Serious Bicycle Accident Injuries
Bicyclists understand that they are at risk of injury when riding near vehicles. However, drivers are responsible for sharing the road safely with bicycles and taking the proper measures to avoid bicycle accidents. Unfortunately, many drivers fail to live up to this responsibility. If drivers do not notice bicycles near their vehicle, or if they act unsafely when bicycles are on the road, they can cause serious injuries to bicyclists. One way people in vehicles can injure bicycles is through “dooring.”
What Is Dooring?
When drivers park on the side of a busy road, they will likely be aware of other vehicles, and they will be looking to protect their own safety when they open their doors and exit their vehicle. However, drivers and passengers often fail to look for bicycles in these situations, including those who are traveling in bike lanes or who are riding in a lane of traffic near parked vehicles. If a person in a vehicle opens their door without checking for bicycles, they may block a bicyclist’s path or strike a bicycle.
What Are My Options if I Was Harmed by Exposure to Paraquat Herbicide?
Of the different types of dangerous products that can cause harm to people in the United States, herbicides are among the most toxic. Weedkillers are commonly used on farms throughout the U.S., and they often contain dangerous chemicals that can cause multiple health problems for those exposed to these substances. Paraquat, a chemical that is included in some widely-used herbicides, has been found to cause multiple health issues. Those who have suffered injuries after being exposed to these herbicides may be able to pursue compensation from a manufacturer by working with an experienced attorney.
Illnesses Caused by Paraquat Exposure
Herbicides that contain paraquat have been used since the 1960s. Even though this substance is highly toxic, the use of these herbicides has increased in recent years in response to weeds that have become resistant to other herbicides, such as Roundup. Paraquat is a “restricted use” chemical, and before using it, a person must receive training and obtain certification. Anyone who works with this chemical should use the proper protective equipment, including chemical-resistant gloves and aprons, safety goggles or face shields, and respiratory protection.
Can I Pursue Compensation if I Contracted Cancer After Using Roundup?
There are many types of dangerous products that put people who use them at risk of injury. While multiple government organizations regulate the products that are made available to consumers, some products are not properly tested, or they may be found to be dangerous after they have been used by large numbers of people. Roundup, a popular weedkiller, is one of these products, and large numbers of people who have been exposed to the chemicals in this product have contracted cancer.
Roundup Lawsuits Addressing Injuries to Consumers
Roundup is one of the most commonly used pesticides in the world. In addition to being made available for retail sale and used by homeowners and people in the landscaping industry, it is also used by many farmers to protect crops such as corn and soybeans. Roundup contains the chemical glyphosate, and breathing this chemical into the lungs or absorbing it through the skin or eyes may have harmful effects.
Can I Pursue Compensation if I Contracted Cancer After Taking Zantac?
In April of 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement requesting that the popular drug Zantac be removed from stores. This was done because laboratory tests had found that the drug contained a substance that could potentially cause cancer. Following this statement, manufacturers recalled all prescription and over-the-counter drugs containing the drug ranitidine, including the name-brand Zantac and generic equivalents. While this recall may have helped some people avoid being exposed to harmful substances, it did not address the harm caused to those who had used Zantac in the past. Those who have contracted cancer after using drugs containing ranitidine will need to understand their options for taking legal action against the manufacturers of these medications.
Litigation in Zantac Injury Cases
What Types of Traffic Violations Are Likely to Lead to Car Accidents?
There are many reasons why a person may receive a traffic ticket for violating the laws that apply to drivers of motor vehicles. Drivers who disobey the law threaten the safety of themselves, their passengers, and others who use the roads, including people in other vehicles, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. When car accidents occur because of traffic violations, a driver who broke the law will usually be at fault for the collision, and they may be held liable for the injuries suffered by victims.
Dangerous Traffic Violations That May Cause Collisions
Drivers commonly commit the following types of violations, and when doing so, they put themselves and others at risk:
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Speeding - Speed limits are meant to ensure that drivers travel at speeds that are safe based on the activity on a certain road. Residential neighborhoods usually have lower speed limits, and speed limits are set appropriately on roads where drivers frequently slow down to make turns or stop at intersections. When drivers exceed the speed limit, they may be unable to slow down in time to avoid colliding with a vehicle that is making a turn or with bicyclists or pedestrians who have entered the road. On roads with higher speed limits, drivers who speed may lose control of their vehicle and collide with other vehicles or obstacles to the side of the road. In addition to violations for driving above the speed limit, drivers may be cited with violations such as Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident or Driving Too Fast for Conditions.
UPDATE: ParaGard Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices Recalled
UPDATE: The recall discussed below, which took place in 2014, was for two lots of ParaGard devices that were not known to be fully sterile. The ParaGard IUD has never been subject to a full recall. However, in the years since this recall, many patients have reported issues with the devices, and multiple lawsuits are currently pending against the manufacturer.
The primary issue that has been reported with the ParaGard IUD is the possibility that it will break, usually when being removed from a patient's uterus. This can leave fragments of the device inside a person's body, and these fragments may need to be surgically removed to prevent further damage to the uterus or other organs. Since 2013, there have been more than 3,000 reports of device breakage made to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Nearly 2,000 of these events were considered serious, and 102 people have been hospitalized or faced life-threatening complications. It is likely that the issue is much more widespread, since there are many more people who have not reported incidents to the government or who are unaware of the risks they may face.