North Chicago & St. Louis Injury Updates

One Dead, Multiple Other Injuries in Funeral Procession Accident

Published on: August 8, 2013 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Firm News | August 8, 2013

One person was killed and another seven were injured and taken to local area hospitals, with four in serious to critical condition, following a car accident that involved a funeral procession and multiple vehicles.

According to reports, the crash occurred in the early afternoon hours in Morgan Park at 109th and Vincennes. There were three vehicles involved in the accident, including a Buick LeSabre that was part of a funeral procession at the time of the collision. There were seven people in the vehicle. The other two vehicles included a Lincoln Continental as well as a beverage delivery truck.

First Acceleration Wrongful Death Suit Against Toyota to Begin

Published on: August 2, 2013 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Firm News | August 2, 2013

The first of several wrongful death cases against the automaker Toyota is set to begin. This lawsuit is centered around the death of a 66-year-old woman who the family says was the victim of a horrifying car accident due to the sudden acceleration of her vehicle.

According to court filings, the woman’s 2006 Toyota Camry hit speeds of up to 100 mph in a 30 mph zone because of the sudden acceleration. Photos taken of the vehicle after the accident show the vehicle’s emergency brake pulled up, which was an attempt by the woman to slow her car down. Her vehicle struck a tree and a telephone pole, and she died at the accident scene.

Talking Cars A Potential Safety Breakthrough

Published on: July 30, 2013 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Car accidents | July 30, 2013

Sooner or later, most drivers will make a mistake that could lead to an accident. Driver error is a common cause of car wrecks. Drivers can be distracted, exhausted, irritated or confused at exactly the wrong moment, leading to a serious crash. Eliminating driver error would drastically reduce the number of auto accidents that occur every year on American roads. The National Transportation Safety Board is hoping that connected-vehicle technology can help. Cars that communicate with one another, with the road, and with drivers may prevent thousands of accidents every year. If you have been injured in a car accident, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact our Chicago car accident lawyers today.

The NTSB recently asked the federal government to require automakers to equip all new vehicles with technology that would all cars to communicate with one another wirelessly. Such devices send and receive information regarding the speed, location and direction of vehicles on the road. If a potential collision is detected, the devices can alert drivers using a warning light or alarm or can even apply the brakes directly. In addition, stop signs, stop lights and other danger areas can be equipped with devices to help drivers avoid collisions in those areas, as well.

Truck, Cars Collide Leading to Multiple Injuries

Published on: July 24, 2013 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Firm News | July 24, 2013

In many cases, chain reaction accidents are among the worst. With so many vehicles involved, the chance for injury is much greater. A recent chain reaction crash on the Tri-State Tollway near Gurnee involving six vehicles led to injuries to 16 people, including three children who are now in critical condition at local hospitals.

Reports are stating that the crash involved multiple families that were heading to the famous Six Flags Great America amusement park located in Gurnee.

Chicago Man Sentenced to 15 Years in DUI Accident

Published on: July 11, 2013 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Firm News | July 11, 2013

A Chicago resident was sentenced on Monday to 15 years in prison as a result of a car accident he caused on the Northwest Side in 2011, leading to the death of a mother and her teenage son.

In addition to the two people killed in the crash, three others were injured as well. This included a high school student, who sustained permanent vision and hearing damage, as well as a then 3-year-old child who suffered a broken leg. Another high school student suffered a fractured pelvis.

Multi-Vehicle Crash Leads to Multiple Injuries

Published on: July 5, 2013 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Firm News | July 5, 2013

On July 2, four people were injured and taken to the hospital following a multi-vehicle accident on the Dan Ryan Expressway. In addition to those who were taken to the hospital, six more individuals were treated on the scene.

The accident involved a collision at approximately 6:55 p.m. including three cars, a limousine, and two box trucks. According to Illinois State Police, alcohol may have played a factor in the car accident.

Young Workers Faced Elevated Risk Levels

Published on: June 28, 2013 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Work Accidents | June 28, 2013

Every summer, many young workers enter the workforce for the first time in their lives. While a person’s first job can be exciting, or at least eye-opening, it can also be a source of danger. Young workers suffer from highly elevated rates of workplace accidents. The workplace injury rate for workers under 25 years of age is double that of older workers. They are the most likely to be injured and the most likely to die in fatal on-the-job accidents. Knowledge that many older workers may take for granted needs to be imparted to new workers to help them stay safe. The numbers make it clear that we are not doing enough to protect new workers when are first learning what it means to be employed.

According to the Department of Labor, another teen worker is injured every 9 minutes. The severity of these injuries varies greatly, but each represents a failure on the part of both the worker and the employer in taking proper precautions. In 2011, there were more than 100,000 such failures, including 331 incidents in which a young worker suffered a fatal injury.

Are Too Many Scans Endangering Patients’ Lives?

Published on: June 28, 2013 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Medical malpractice | June 28, 2013

Along with a rise in claims of defensive medicine and unnecessary medical testing has come a concern that certain medical tests could be causing a dangerous increase in radiation exposure among some patients. A new movement has begun in some hospitals to track the cumulative radiation exposure a patient receives as part of his or her electronic medical record. While most are doing nothing more than tracking exposure, it may be a step toward curbing over-testing in that it will show doctors when a patient has received multiple high radiation dose procedures over time. It may encourage doctors to be more judicious in ordering these potentially damaging tests.

Even the decision to track this information is drawing controversy. Some doctors are concerned that there is insufficient evidence to balance the potential risks of greater radiation exposure against the risks of not obtaining the test results they desire. The movement to track exposure is based on recent studies connecting medical imaging tests with increased cancer rates. One such study indicated that the roughly four million pediatric CT scans performed on the head, abdomen, chest or spine in a given year will lead to a projected 4,870 future cancers.

Seidman Law Attorney Ryan A. Margulis Admitted To The U.S. Supreme Court Bar

Published on: June 21, 2013 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Legal Articles | June 21, 2013

RELEASED: June 20, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C.

A Broad Argument Against Multitasking

Published on: June 21, 2013 | by Seidman, Margulis & Fairman, LLP

Firm News | June 21, 2013

It is a common belief that multitasking is a way to get more done in a limited amount of time. In reality, multitasking can be inefficient and, when done in the wrong situations, dangerous. Distracted driving accidents are just one area where the myth of multitasking is causing harm. Pedestrians also suffer elevated accident rates when they engage in texting, chatting or other tasks that take their attention away from getting safely to where they are going. The ability to focus your attention on a single task and do so until it is complete is highly valuable. That is true for almost every activity you do, including driving.

The fundamental problem with multitasking is that when people believe they are completing several tasks, they are really just switching inefficiently from one task to another. This leads to wasted time in transition and to mistakes. Doing a poor job of three tasks at once is not better than doing each task well and then moving on when that task is done. When it comes to driving, when a driver is texting or even using a hands-free device, that driver is not actually driving. They are behind the wheel of a vehicle, but they are doing something else.

Seidman, Margulis, & Fairman Blog