Posted on June 17, 2014 in Firm News

Now that summer is in full swing, people all across Springfield will be looking for ways to stay cool and have fun as the weather continues to heat up. For many folks, a quick dip in the pool or a day out on a lake is the perfect way to accomplish this. 

Sadly, summer can be a dangerous time of year as the number of drownings and boat accidents increase during the warmer months. It can be crucial to focus on safety near water this summer, but the reality is that accidents can still happen. In fact, over the recent weekend, four children in Illinois drowned. This number is far too high and it should serve as a grim reminder of what can go wrong around water.

In order to potentially avoid similar tragedies, readers should consider taking these steps to minimize the chances of a serious accident.

While boating, residents should:

• Make sure every passenger in a boat has a life jacket
• Not drink and boat, as alcohol can impair a driver's ability to operate a watercraft safely

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 Posted on June 09, 2014 in Firm News

When our loved ones are in the care of a nursing home facility, we have the expectation that they will be treated with compassion and respect. Learning that someone has been the victim of anything less can be devastating. Unfortunately, many cases of neglect or abuse in nursing homes are not brought to light until a patient gets very sick, injured or dies as a result of inadequate care.

That was the tragic situation that prompted one Illinois woman to file a lawsuit against a hospital and a rehabilitation center that were supposed to be caring for a man who shares her last name. According to reports, the man got very sick and doctors suspected that he was experiencing gastro intestinal bleeding. While examining the man's digestive tract to identify the potential cause, doctors found that he had ingested a condom.

This discovery sparked accusations that the man had been a victim of sexual abuse at either the hospital or the rehabilitation center where he was receiving care for the past couple years. During this time, the man was unable to speak or leave his bed and was fed through a feeding tube, which sources say make him a target for this type of abuse. Due to his condition, it is likely that he was incapable of reporting such horrific treatment. 

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 Posted on June 02, 2014 in Firm News

Many of us enjoyed a relaxing and fun Memorial Day holiday. Whether people were heading out to cabins or just relaxing in town, the holiday weekend is often considered to be the beginning of summer. However, while many people are looking forward to the warm weather, vacations and summer events, it might be important to keep in mind that the summer can also be a time of serious car accidents in Illinois.

In fact, the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day have been called the 100 deadliest days of the year, particularly in relation to teenage drivers. It is during this time period that thousands of people are injured or killed in car accidents involving teen drivers. Motorists and parents across Springfield may want to remember this as they or their children head out on the roads this summer.

During the summer weeks, it is much more likely to see teenagers behind the wheel. They are out of school, staying out later and are more active during the day, meaning that they are often hanging out together and driving. And despite graduated license laws in Illinois, which place certain restrictions on teen licenses, young people can end up causing or contributing to a serious accident.

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 Posted on May 27, 2014 in Firm News

In the aftermath of any accident, victims are often scared, hurt and very confused. The first priority should be to get the necessary medical attention for any injuries that have been suffered. Once that has been secured and people are on the road to recovery, they often start focusing on what happened to cause the crash and who may be to blame.

These questions can come with some very complex answers. Parties may try to avoid taking responsibility or conceal pieces of information that may have played a role in the accident. This can be extremely frustrating for victims, especially when there are multiple parties who may have contributed to a crash. However, taking legal action can be an effective way of identifying negligence and holding the appropriate people accountable.

It is often the case in truck accidents that there is more than one party named in a legal claim. This is because truck drivers do not always own their vehicles and they are generally hired by an outside company. That means there may be negligence on the part of the trucker, the owner and the employer. Each of these parties is often investigated after a truck accident.

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 Posted on May 19, 2014 in Firm News

Getting injured on the job can leave a person feeling very stressed, upset and frustrated. Whether an injury limits your ability to work or takes you out of a job indefinitely, the impact of a work-related injury can take its toll on you and your family. However, injured workers across Illinois may interested to know that there may be ways to recover from an accident and get back to work more quickly.

For example, staying as physically active as an injury will allow could help people get better after an accident. It may seem difficult to do this when a person is in pain, but working around an injury is possible and could be beneficial for a person's health.

If your injury has resulted in back, neck or shoulder pain, you may want to focus on strengthening your lower body and increasing cardiovascular exercises. This can include:

• Jogging or walking
• Leg work, including squats and lunges
• Stationary bikes or elliptical machines

If you have an injury that affects your lower body, it might be helpful to concentrate on upper body exercises, including: 

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 Posted on May 12, 2014 in Farm Accidents

It was a devastating scene at a rural Illinois farm recently when a 73-year-old man was reported missing. He had been working on the farm, and his vehicle was located near a grain bin. Search and rescue teams responded and launched efforts to empty the grain bin. They ultimately found the man hours later, but he had died.

This accident was no doubt catastrophic; but unfortunately, grain bin accidents are not uncommon across Illinois. Workers often need to get into the grain bin, which hold tens of thousands of bushels of grain, to unclog it. Once the grain starts moving again, a worker can get pulled under and can suffocate. Whether that was the case in this recent accident or not remains to be confirmed.

This accident is a tragic reminder of the risks that people who work on farms face on a regular basis. Modern farms utilize complex technological systems, powerful tools and fast-moving machines in order to expedite certain processes. Because of this, many farms also run with just a small number of workers, which means that many accidents happen when there is only one worker present. Without a second party to assist or call for help, any accident has the potential to be fatal. This is often the case when a person is involved in a grain handling accident.

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 Posted on May 09, 2014 in Articles

The commuting rule and its exceptions

Workers' compensation provides benefits to employees experiencing work-related injuries, which benefits are paid without regard to fault. In other words, this system, which is administratively managed, takes the place of the court system, where one is required to file a civil lawsuit and prove that the other party intentionally or negligently (that is, recklessly) caused their injuries. More specifically, as stated by the state Workers' Compensation Commission, it covers "accidents that arise out of and in the course of employment."

But what, exactly, is "the course of employment"? To take one situation, an employee who commutes to work is usually not regarded as being in the scope of employment. If such an employee has an accident while so commuting, he or she is normally on their own, and may not receive workers' compensation benefits.

However, this rule provides for many exceptions. An exception is frequently found when the injury is the result of a peril related to employment, whether or not it occurred at the worksite.

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 Posted on May 05, 2014 in Firm News

Living in a nursing home facility is something that many people in Illinois must do or choose to do. These facilities can provide residents with the ongoing care, medical attention and interaction that vulnerable patients require. This level of services is generally impossible for family members or loved ones to provide on their own, so they rely on these facilities to do what they cannot. 

While the expectation is that nursing homes will honor their commitment to patient health and well-being, the unfortunate reality is that many nursing home residents suffer inadequate care, neglect and abuse in these facilities. One group is tackling one of these very serious concerns with a proposed bill aimed at protecting nursing home residents in Illinois.

The measure is referred to as a managed care bill of rights, and it focuses on helping patients at Medicaid managed care facilities. According to the proposal, these organizations are focused more on profitability than getting quality care to residents. This priority comes at a steep cost to patients who can fall victim to substandard care, negligence and inconsistent services.

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 Posted on April 29, 2014 in Firm News

Farming is an important industry in Illinois and across the country, and it can also be one of the most dangerous. People who work in farming often operate heavy, complicated and powerful pieces of equipment that can cause catastrophic damage if something goes wrong.

Tractors in particular can prove to be deadly in a farm-related accident. Victims of tractor accidents can suffer broken bones, traumatic brain injuries or even death in the most serious incidences. Understanding what factors played a role in an accident can be crucial in getting victims and their families the help and compensation they may deserve. That is what two families may be struggling with now after two Illinois farmers were killed in separate tractor accidents recently.

Details on the tragedies are still scarce and there are likely investigations that need to be completed before families get the answers they need. 

However, what is known is that one man was killed after getting crushed between two different tractors on his farm. The second accident occurred when a tractor overturned, trapping an 81-year-old farmer. Overturned tractors are one of the most common farm-related accidents, accounting for about 44 percent of all fatal tractor accidents.

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 Posted on April 21, 2014 in Firm News

There are many residents in Springfield who know someone who may not be a safe driver. Some of these people may be new to driving, but others may have decades of experience behind the wheel. It is those in the latter category that may have the most trouble coming to terms with the fact that they are no longer able to operate a motor vehicle safely.

Elderly drivers may not drive very often or even very far, which is why it can be easy for loved ones to assume that seniors do not pose a significant threat behind the wheel. However, family members may want to consider discussing alternatives to driving if a loved one suffers from declining cognitive functions, impaired eyesight or significant physical limitations. It can be a difficult subject to discuss, but it could ultimately save the driver's life and the lives of other motorists.

For example, an 83-year-old Springfield man was recently involved in a serious accident when he crashed into two different vehicles while driving. According to reports, the man first rear-ended one car before hitting another as he tried to drive away. Luckily, no one was seriously injured in these accidents, but the situation highlights a very real concern with some senior drivers.

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