North Chicago & St. Louis Injury Updates

Spot The Warning Signs of Elder Abuse and Neglect

Published on: March 21, 2016 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Nursing home accidents | March 21, 2016

For many families, the decision to entrust an elderly or disabled loved one to the professionals at a nursing or care facility can be incredibly difficult. You expect nurses, physicians and other care providers to be attentive, professional and to ultimately provide your loved one with assistance they need in a respectful, dignified manner.

However, in some cases, care providers fail in their duties. Negligence, as well as verbal, emotional and physical abuse are all potential concerns for patients as well as their families. It’s important for family and loved ones to be vigilant and to know how to identify the warning signs of abuse and neglect.

After Accident-Related Brain Injuries, Risks Can Rise With Age

Published on: March 11, 2016 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Car accidents | March 11, 2016

If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury in an auto accident, you may be wondering if the injury is going to bring about any increased risks that go along with aging. Though experts do admit that this specific link hasn’t been studied too much, they do believe that the risk could go up in a few different ways.

For one thing, a study that was done by the Institute of Medicine back in 2008 suggested that a person who had a traumatic brain injury would then be more likely to suffer a seizure. Additionally, the study found that people who had poorly controlled seizures saw a larger risk of passing away earlier, when compared to those who did not suffer from this same ailment. In this sense, a brain injury could increase the risk of death as someone gets older.

Don’t Leave Safety to Chance When Celebrating St. Patrick’S Day

Published on: March 9, 2016 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Firm News | March 9, 2016

On St. Patrick’s Day, many festivities will be taking place throughout Chicago. Whether you’re out with friends or enjoying the day with family, celebrate responsibly and consider the potential consequences that can arise when having a few turns into a few too many.

Drunk driving isn’t about bad luck, it’s a bad decision

How to Avoid Drunk Driving Accidents on Illinois Roads

Published on: March 2, 2016 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Legal Articles | March 2, 2016

Alcohol-related accidents are all too common, but people may avoid being involved in them by spotting and avoiding drunk drivers on the road.

Drunk driving accidents are all too common in Illinois, and frequently result in serious injuries or death for those involved. In fact, the state’s Department of Transportation reported alcohol played a part in 33.2 percent of the fatal collisions that occurred across Illinois in 2013. While people may help protect themselves from such crashes by not drinking and driving, they cannot guarantee that others have done the same. However, there are things that motorists can do to avoid drunk driving accidents.

What The U.S. Steel Lawsuit Can Teach You About Workers’ Rights

Published on: March 2, 2016 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Firm News | March 2, 2016

Do you feel comfortable reporting injuries at work? Does your employer encourage you to report any injuries that occur?

It is critical to report a workplace accident as soon as possible after the event, and there are several reasons for this. Most importantly, filing a report alerts your employer to any safety issues that might need to be addressed and it also creates a record so that you can obtain the workers’ compensation benefits owed to you by law.

Those Who Die in Truck Accidents Are Typically in Other Cars

Published on: February 26, 2016 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Truck Accidents | February 26, 2016

In 2014, a total of 3,660 people were killed in accidents involving large trucks, like semi-trucks and box trucks. However, the vast majority of the fatalities did not come from the trucks themselves, but from people riding in other vehicles.

A mere 16 percent of those who died were occupants—drivers and passengers—in the trucks. Almost that many were motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists, coming in with 15 percent. However, a full 68 percent were people who were driving or riding in other passenger vehicles.

How Does Comparative Negligence Apply to Illinois Car Accidents?

Published on: February 24, 2016 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Legal Articles | February 24, 2016

Illinois uses a modified comparative negligence model, which means an injured party’s award could be reduced if he or she is to blame for a car wreck.

In September 2015, the daughter of actor Paul Walker filed a lawsuit against Porsche for an accident that killed her father in 2013. According to Fox59, the wrongful death claim alleges that the car had design flaws that caused the wreck. However, Porsche states that Walker’s accident was the result of his comparative fault, stating that the vehicle had been altered and that Walker knew the risks of his behavior.

The Importance of Physician-Patient Relationships

Published on: February 19, 2016 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Medical malpractice | February 19, 2016

Doctors often turn to extra tests and paperwork to try to reduce the odds of medical malpractice. They have taken to calling this practice “defensive medicine.” If one office visit or one scan will work, won’t two or three be even better, reducing the odds that a mistake will be made?

There is some merit to this. In the cases when a scan or a test does miss the mark, doing it multiple times could expose the truth. However, on the whole, experts say that this does not really make errors—or the lawsuits that go along with them—less likely.

Is It Illegal To Drive Barefoot in Illinois?

Published on: February 4, 2016 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Car accidents | February 4, 2016

Have you ever had anyone tell you that it’s against state law to drive without your shoes on? If so, you should know that this is actually just a common myth. It is not against the law in any state to be barefoot while you drive a car or truck. It’s also not against the law to drive barefoot at the federal level.

It is worth noting that some other vehicles could have laws regulating barefoot driving—like motorcycles. For your daily car driving, though, you can wear shoes or keep them off, as you’d like.

Seidman, Margulis, & Fairman Blog

Spot The Warning Signs of Elder Abuse and Neglect

After Accident-Related Brain Injuries, Risks Can Rise With Age

Don’t Leave Safety to Chance When Celebrating St. Patrick’S Day

Drunk driving isn’t about bad luck, it’s a bad decision

How to Avoid Drunk Driving Accidents on Illinois Roads

What The U.S. Steel Lawsuit Can Teach You About Workers’ Rights

Those Who Die in Truck Accidents Are Typically in Other Cars

How Does Comparative Negligence Apply to Illinois Car Accidents?

The Importance of Physician-Patient Relationships

More Tragedies Linked to Hoverboards

Is It Illegal To Drive Barefoot in Illinois?