Posted on May 11, 2016 in Firm News

If there is a clear growth industry in Illinois and the rest of the country right now it is the one serving senior living. Demand for facilities catering to the potential living and healthcare needs of the senior population for the final 20, 30, or more, years of life is only going to increase as the elder demographic of the country rises.

Where such opportunity exists there is always an attraction for opportunists -- those who seek to make a quick buck without caring too much about the long term. Residents, who may become seen as little more than products, can encourage operators to allow negligence in care. What matters is maximizing profit.

There are laws on the books in Illinois to provide protection against nursing home abuse and neglect. But enforcement depends on the problems being reported so that they can be investigated, so any hurdle to blowing a whistle deserves close scrutiny.

That's the attitude that is being adopted by a number of experts in this particular area when it comes to a measure advancing in the Illinois legislature. It would make it illegal for a person to anonymously bring a complaint against a nursing home by phone. Callers would have to identify themselves.

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 Posted on May 07, 2016 in Firm News

Two trucks were involved in a crash in Galesburg, Illinois recently, and the police will cite one of the drivers for being reckless and dangerous. The accident occurred on Interstate 74 during the night. It was foggy out, and according to a meteorologist, visibility was down to a quarter-mile. One of the trucks was driving "too fast for conditions" and the police are expected to cite the driver for that offense.

Amazingly, there are few other details available about the wreck in the source article. We don't know if either truck driver was injured, but it appears from the photos that the trucks crashed head on. The devastation of the scene is clear from those photos.

One of the inherent facts about trucks is that they are large, powerful vehicles that basically overwhelm any other vehicle on the road if they are involved in an accident. The devastation and injuries they can cause can ruin lives and destroy families. This is why so much attention is paid to truck safety -- and why it is so outrageous and unacceptable when truck drivers get out on the road when they are tired, distracted or unfit for duty.

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 Posted on April 29, 2016 in Car Accidents

In the immediate aftermath of a car accident, any central Illinois resident would be rattled. Even if the wreck is minor in nature, the very fact that you were involved in a crash can be a scary and traumatizing moment. As a result, it is understandable for people to not know what to do in the moments that immediately follow a collision between two vehicles.

When you are involved in a crash, the two most important things you can do are stay at the scene of the crash and remain calm. Many people are upset and emotionally distraught after a crash, leading them to angrily lash out against other people who were involved in the accident. Others still try to flee the scene of an accident, which is a criminal offense. Don't do either of these things. Stay calm and stay at the scene.

Once you have remained at the scene, be the Good Samaritan that you are. Check on the other people in the car and make sure they are okay, and if they're not, call 911 as soon as possible. If they aren't experiencing a medical emergency, then you can exchange information with them.

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 Posted on April 27, 2016 in Car Accidents

The Illinois legislature, controlled by the Democrats, is still in a tug of war with the governor over the state's budget. But there is apparent agreement forming around another significant issue -- the easing of criminal penalties for possession and use of marijuana.

According to word out of Springfield, the Senate recently approved a measure that would make possession of smaller amounts of marijuana a fine-worthy, rather than a jail-worthy offense. The legislation would also ease the current zero-tolerance policy for driving under the influence of marijuana. The bill, which reportedly has the Republican governor on the fence, now goes to the House for action.

That latter provision related to DUI is one that is raising concern in some quarters. Those with experience in dealing with the aftermath of accidents due to DUI for alcohol or drugs know that there is no way to confidently correlate the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in a person's blood or saliva and impairment. That being the case, critics are leery of changing current law.

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 Posted on April 13, 2016 in Firm News

Volvo cars didn't used to be all that great looking. The feature that made the Swedish-made vehicles stand apart from the rest of the pack was safety. Some Illinois readers may remember company marketing material from a few years ago that declared, "They're boxy, but they're good." The message was that it was better to be safe than sexy.

Boxy might be one way to describe Volvo's big rig tractor trucks, too. But as has become rather apparent from recent news headlines, the lack of sex appeal hasn't necessarily been offset by better safety. Thousands of recent model tractors are now banned from the road by federal regulators.

What sparked the action is the revelation that some 20,000 of the trucks are lacking one small piece -- the absence of which creates the risk of a potentially deadly truck accident. Word is that the tractors are missing a pin that holds the steering shaft together. If that shaft breaks, the truck's driver loses control.

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 Posted on March 25, 2016 in Firm News

It is estimated that about 25 million American adults have obstructive sleep apnea. Somehow it seems fair to wonder if maybe that estimate isn't a little on the low side. Consider that experts say that one of the hallmarks of OSA is that the person with it snores to beat the band, followed by stopped breathing and then gasps.

Truth be told, the condition is so common that most of us in Illinois probably know someone with it or might be enduring it ourselves. What's most disturbing, though, is that the it's so common that it is easily to dismiss as normal.

Research suggests that those who do that are really playing with their lives, raising their risk of heart trouble. And, as a new study suggests, many commercial drivers behind the wheels of large semitrailer trucks who ignore their conditions are playing with the lives of others on the road. They are much more likely to cause serious truck accidents.

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 Posted on March 18, 2016 in Firm News

Repetitive stress injuries are among the most common in the work setting. They may also be among the most commonly ignored from the standpoint of getting treatment. It's very easy for an Illinois resident with a solid work ethic to put off getting the necessary help they need.

These kinds of injuries certainly qualify as covered by workers' compensation insurance. Unfortunately, what happens too often is that a claim is made long after the first symptoms show themselves. And when it is presented, the claim is denied as being the result of some sort of preexisting condition unrelated to the job.

Pushing back against such actions may seem daunting. Working with an experienced injury lawyer to learn what rights you have and how to exercise them is one way to ease anxiety. And since initial evaluations are usually done for free, it makes sense to set up a consultation.

The thing about RSI is that sufferers may not even know they are victims. The scope of conditions that fall under the RSI umbrella is broad. Have a little tendonitis in the elbow, shoulder or hand after a few hours of work? That could be RSI. If you've been hammering away at a computer keyboard for much of your school and working life, you might have carpal tunnel syndrome. Wrist braces anyone?

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 Posted on March 10, 2016 in Firm News

People who live in big cities have little concept of the kinds of animal life that may be encountered outside their urban environs. This may be true even for a lot of folks in central Illinois centers like Springfield, Champaign and Decatur.

Go even just a few miles beyond the limits of such cities and you might be surprised what you come across. Anyone who has driven the interstate system surely has seen the carcasses of deer, raccoons and skunks. Fewer may anticipate the possibility of having a run-in with horse, cow, sheep or pig. But they have been known to occur and the result can be a possibly deadly farm accident.

In such situations, if the animals have escaped their confines because of a livestock owner's negligence, those owners should not be surprised if victims seek to hold them accountable for the damage and injury caused.

This may be something that a 52-year-old woman from the northern part of the state is exploring now. According to police, she was driving along a U.S. highway late last month when she collided with one of a pair of horses that had escaped from a farm in the area.

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 Posted on March 04, 2016 in Firm News

As much as we would like to think that neglect and abuse doesn't occur in any of the long-term care facilities in Illinois, it does. In an ideal world, we wouldn't have to wait until after the violence has happened to hold those responsible to account. Unfortunately, that's too often the way things play out, guided by experienced legal counsel.

Finding the best care facility for your loved one shouldn't be difficult, but it can be. There are sources of information anyone can turn to in order to get a handle on such issues. However, the volume of information available and the number of channels through which it can be obtained can actually make the task very hard for first-time users.

Very often, as one consumer advocacy group notes, the nature of information available is pretty high level. It might consist of a general quality rating issued by an accrediting agency. Alternatively, there may be a government-funded ombudsman you can contact. This person's specific role is to educate consumers about proper care standards, issues and residents' rights; and investigate and advocate for residents.

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 Posted on February 26, 2016 in Car Accidents

Whenever you climb into your personal vehicle, or any other vehicle for that matter, you have a right to expect that it's equipped with all the safety bells and whistles mandated by law. Seat belts are a must on most vehicles these days, even those that predate the 1960s. In the 1990s, air bags became standard equipment in all cars and light trucks.

Clearly a lot has changed over the past few decades. But with each new mandate has come new technology and with each new device things have become more complicated. Each device may have multiple components. Each may have its own manufacturer. And in the event a product goes bad and causes a car accident, it can be exceptionally complicated for victims in Illinois to sort out who should be held accountable for damages.

Right now there are tens of millions of vehicles subject to recalls due to faulty air bags. Most readers are likely familiar with the fact that 28 million cars and trucks made by 14 carmakers have been recalled due to fears that inflators could trigger with force enough to send deadly metal shards into the passenger compartments.

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