Springfield Illinois Personal Injury Blog

Many people in rural Illinois work in agriculture but working on a commercial or private farm is not without risk. These farms often store a number of fuel barrels, chemicals, fertilizers and heavy equipment which can pose a serious threat when a farm accident occurs, especially in the event of a fire since these substances are quite flammable.  Therefore, it is important for first responders to know where hazards may be on the farm.

Whether responding to tractor accidents, combine accidents, grain bin explosions or more, firefighters often have only seconds to respond in order to save a life or minimize the risk of long-term injury. However, a pilot program involving the firefighters, researchers and farmers shows that an online database which stores the locations of dangerous substances on farms could be of great benefit to farm workers when an accident happens.

The exact impact of vehicular speed in crashes varies, based on many factors, but there is nonetheless a connection between higher speeds and more severe accident outcomes, including brain injuries, amputations, and spinal cord injuries. In a truck accident, for example, one reason may be the increased impact that naturally occurs as the rate of movement climbs. Another might be the decreased time for driver response when travelling faster.

A recent opinion expressed concern about increased risks of collisions if a new bill is successful in raising the speed limit in Illinois from 65 to 70 miles per hour. The opinion points out that the enactment of such a law would result in more deaths and uses findings from studies to back up their argument. While supporters of the bill point out that the speed increase could be friendly for businesses in the state, the opinion says that traveling at higher speeds will create more accidents because people will fail to increase their distance from other vehicles.

It's well-known that texting while driving is a very dangerous behavior. That danger might be rubbing off on teen drivers as a new study found that teens who text behind the wheel are more likely to portray other risky behaviors while driving.

Teenagers in the U.S. that text while driving are less likely to wear their seat belt and often ride with an intoxicated driver, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study found despite texting while driving being illegal in most states, many teens still send and read texts behind the wheel. They reported that four out of nine high school students surveyed sent or read of text while driving within the last month.

Farming poses many risks for workers. One of the most dangerous risks for farm workers is being involved in a tractor accident. Tractor rollovers cause the most fatal farm accidents in the country, according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. They report that roughly 250 fatal accidents are caused by tractor rollovers every year.

To address the risk of being in a tractor accident, researchers have started designing and testing a mobile device application that could potentially save farm workers from being killed in tractor rollover accidents. The University of Missouri is testing an app that uses sensors and a GPS device to detect tractor rollovers. When a rollover is detected, the app sends an emergency email and text message to alert others of the location of the accident.