Posted on April 03, 2013 in Farm Accidents

The farming industry is not only dangerous for farm workers. A new study found that farm hazards are a significant safety risk for children in Illinois and throughout the country, with roughly 27,000 children being injured on farms every year.

Farm injuries range from minor to fatal and many injuries are caused by industrial hazards like machinery accidents and falling off tractors, according to a study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. The study reported that many farm accidents resulted in more severe injuries for children compared to non-farming injuries.

Of the children who suffered farm injuries, 14 percent required hospitalization, with 84 children dying on average every year, the study reported. That is a high number of farm accidents happening to children every year, especially since a majority of these injuries are not work-related.

The researchers said that 71 percent of children's farm accidents and 86 percent of fatalities did not happen to children who were working on farms, meaning that many do not fully understand the farm hazards that pose a threat to children.

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 Posted on March 29, 2013 in Firm News

Families want the best for their elderly relatives and many rely on nursing home facilities to take care of their parents as they get older. While no family wants to think about someone taking advantage of their elderly parent, unfortunately many nursing home residents end up abused and neglected every year.

Nursing home abuse includes physical, emotional and financial abuse as well as neglect by those responsible for taking care of elderly residents. Nursing home abuse and neglect can be very traumatic and dangerous for nursing home residents. That is why families with loved ones in nursing homes need to be aware of the signs of abuse and neglect to prevent their family member from being harmed.

What are the common types of abuse family members should be aware of? Physical abuse results in physical injury, pain or impairment and many elderly people try to cover up the physical abuse and may become less socially active after being physically abused.

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 Posted on March 29, 2013 in Articles

Largest Personal Injury Law Firm in Central Illinois
Changes Name to Kanoski Bresney

New firm name, same firm tradition

Springfield, Ill., March 12, 2013 -Kanoski & Associates, the largest personal injury law firm in central Illinois, is changing its name to Kanoski Bresney to note a change in the firm's management and ownership. Todd Bresney, a seasoned trial lawyer, joined the firm in 2002.

"As the firm continues to grow and mature, so does the need to plan for its future. As such, we introduce and welcome Todd Bresney as the firm's newest shareholder," said Ronald J. Kanoski, founder.

Mr. Bresney joined the firm 10 years ago to help victims of personal injury. He is a trial lawyer with more than 17 years experience dealing with insurance companies by successfully trying more than 65 cases to jury verdict in venues across Illinois and nationally. He was awarded the prestigious "40 Under Forty" award for Illinois lawyers in 2008 and currently serves on the Board of Managers for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.

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 Posted on March 22, 2013 in Car Accidents

Commercial trucks are required to have guards under the back of their trailers to prevent cars from driving underneath their vehicle in the event of a crash. These guards are called underride guards and the newest safety test found some dangerous news for car drivers in the U.S.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that their latest safety test showed that many commercial trucks failed at preventing serious and fatal injuries that result from cars rear-ending commercial trucks. They reported that seven out of the eight trailers tested failed the crash test that analyzes how well a truck's underride guard prevents passengers in cars involved in trucking accidents where the car rear-ends the commercial truck.

Their test found that a majority of the trucks' underride guards did not protect drivers or passengers from sustaining serious and fatal head and neck injuries during these crashes. The most dangerous type of rear-end crashes were when cars hit only 30 percent or less of a truck's underride guard instead of hitting at least 50 percent or more of the width of the back of the truck.

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 Posted on March 22, 2013 in Firm News

For more than 30 years, Kanoski Bresney has served the central Illinois community. With 11 attorneys and more than three dozen staff, we've built a solid reputation of pursuing and obtaining full compensation for accident victims whether that accident involves a personal injury, worker's compensation claim or a medical mistake. It's been a commitment of the firm to ensure our clients get the Respect, Response or Results they deserve.

As our firm continues to grow and mature, so does the need to plan for its future. As such, we introduce and welcome Todd Bresney as the firm's newest partner. Todd joined the firm 10 years ago to help victims of personal injury. He is a trial lawyer with more than 17 years experience dealing with insurance companies by successfully trying more than 65 cases to jury verdict in venues across Illinois and nationally. He was awarded the prestigious "40 Under 40" award for Illinois lawyers in 2008 and currently serves on the Board of Managers for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. He will continue to serve as the firm's managing trial lawyer in addition to leading Kanoski Bresney into the future.

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 Posted on March 20, 2013 in Articles

Yasmin, the oral contraceptive, was introduced to the market in 2001. The drug's manufacturer, Bayer, marketed the drug as a treatment for acne and severe premenstrual symptoms, in addition to its birth control benefits. The drug was a hit, bringing in $1.47 billion in sales during 2010 alone.

Although the drug was a financial success, it came with a price-deadly side effects. The drug has been linked to an increased risk of blood clots that often result in heart attacks and strokes. As a result, since 2009, Bayer has been hit with a barrage of lawsuits claiming that it failed to warn consumers of the drug's health risk and that it knew or should have known of the adverse side effects.

As a result of the litigation, Bayer recently announced that it has reached agreements to pay $1 billion in settlements to 4,800 women in the United States who say they were harmed by taking Yasmin or Yaz (its sister drug). The company is only settling claims for blood clot injuries. Currently, there are about 10,000 lawsuits that are pending against the manufacturer.

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 Posted on March 13, 2013 in Farm Accidents

Grain bin accidents are a serious risk for farm workers in Illinois and throughout the country. One of the biggest risks of working with grain bins is how to safely enter the grain bin. While safety harnesses are helpful, they need to be connected to a secure safety line in the grain bin to help prevent accidents and fatalities.

The safety risks associated with grain handling and grain bins are well-known in the farming industry. Unfortunately, grain bin accidents continue to happen because proper safety precautions are not followed or understood by all employers and farm workers.

The Grain Handling Safety Coalition believes they have a solution to grain bin safety hazards. They said they are in the process of developing a safety harness system with an anchor that can reduce the risks and number of injuries and fatalities caused by grain bin accidents.

This new system would help reduce the safety risks of entering and working in a grain bin because the safety harness would be securely attached to an anchor in the bin. This innovation could potentially save hundreds of farm workers every year.

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 Posted on March 06, 2013 in Car Accidents

Vacations are supposed to be full of fun, relaxation and occasionally, some adventure. Unfortunately, not all vacations end well, especially when an accident or injury occurs while on vacation.

There are several types of vacations that are commonly associated with a higher risk of being injured. These types of vacations usually involve more travelling or adventurous activities like hiking, skiing, surfing and other activities that involve adventurous excursions.

Reports show that more adventurous vacations have risks and that accidents usually happen more frequently. The National Ski Areas Association reported that 54 skiers and snowboarders died in accidents on the slopes last year alone. Parasailing, another common activity for vacationers in Florida and California contributed to 70 deaths in the last 30 years in the U.S.

While riskier activities on vacation can put travelers at a higher risk for being injured, the most common type of accident for people on vacation is being in a car accident. Government reports said that roughly 36,200 people were killed in car accidents last year, making driving one of the most dangerous activities for people on vacation.

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 Posted on February 28, 2013 in Car Accidents

Unsafe vehicles can be very dangerous and pose serious risks for everyone on the road. While auto manufacturers are required to report any safety issues or injuries and deaths caused by car accidents or vehicle defects, many times these reports are not done and when they are, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration takes too long to investigate.

The NHTSA reports vehicle defects, injuries and fatalities caused by unsafe vehicles. In addition to the official safety investigations that are reported by the NHTSA and posted on their website, they also do informal investigations to try and keep unsafe vehicles off U.S. roads.

Despite the NHTSA's best intentions, many of these investigations take too long and the public is not informed about problems and safety issues that can contribute to car accidents and fatal injuries. When safety issues are not investigated or reported to the public, it can have a serious impact on car buyers and owners because they may not know that their vehicle may be unsafe and pose a threat on the road.

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 Posted on February 21, 2013 in Car Accidents

Traffic fatalities increased for the first time in the U.S. since 2005. The National Safety Council reported that there was a five percent increase in traffic deaths from 2011, with roughly 36,200 car accident fatalities reported last year.

In addition to the increase in car accident fatalities, the NSC reported that there was also a five percent increase in car accident injuries that required medical care. Car accident fatalities had been declining the last six years so why did traffic fatalities increase last year?

The NSC said that they are very disappointed and concerned that car accident fatalities increased during the last year. Despite newer vehicles becoming safer for drivers and passengers, the NSC said that there are new challenges on the road that have contributed to the increase in fatal car accidents.

One of the main safety concerns for the NSC is the danger of distracted driving and teenagers. Car accidents remain the number one cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. Many safety organizations said that distracted driving behaviors have directly contributed to the increase in serious and fatal car accidents and that more awareness needs to be made about the dangers of distracted driving as well as drowsy driving and drunk driving.

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