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Slip and Falls in the Winter
Winter conditions make functioning daily more dangerous. Slips and falls are one of the most common accidents and they can result in a variety of injuries from scrapes and bruises to breaks and fractures. What is important in a lawsuit following a slip and fall is negligence on behalf of the property owner. This can be a business, private property, or public government property that you fall on.
What Is Negligence
Negligence is when a person could have done something about a situation, failed to do so, and a person got injured because of that failure. A couple examples of negligence are:
- A driver going significantly over the speed limit and gets in a car accident;
- An accidental overdose of medicine administered by a health provider; and
- A business not mopping up a spill and someone falls.
Safety Tips for Motorcyclists
Operating a motorcycle is an exciting way to get around. However, according to the National Motorcycle Institute, driving a motorcycle is 27 times more dangerous than operating a car. Unlike a car or truck, as a driver, you are completely exposed to the environment around you. There are precautions like gear and helmets that can help keep motorists safe, but they only help if you wear them.
Does a Helmet Really Make a Difference?
Yes, wearing a helmet is 37 percent effective in preventing death and 67 percent effective in preventing brain injuries in a road accident. Protecting yourself is one thing, but being mindful on the road can prevent accidents and other people being injured. Addition to personal safety, here are some safety tips for operating a motorcycle. Be responsible: Bikers get a bad reputation of being mean-spirited misfits, but even the most grisly looking motorcycle rider can practice the rules of the road. As you would in a car, follow traffic lights and signs unless otherwise instructed by a member of law enforcement. Always use your turn signals and keep a reasonable distance between other vehicles. Remember that on a motorcycle you may be harder to see for some drivers. Wear bright clothing or reflectors to help others see you. Stay sober: The same rules for operating a car apply for driving a motorcycle when it comes to being under the influence of a substance. Motorcycle riders are almost three times more likely to be involved in an alcohol-related fatal accident than other vehicles on the road. Alcohol and other substances can alter your perception, making it a dangerous time to get on a motorcycle. Be educated: A motorcycle is a specialized machine, and like most machines, require knowledge to operate to one’s best ability. Taking a motorcycle rider course is not required by law in the state of Illinois, but if you are over the age of 18, it allows you to waive the written and driving portions of obtaining a motorcycle license. Another benefit of taking an Illinois Department of Transportation approved course is that you may be eligible for a discount on your motorcycle insurance.Contact an Orland Park, Illinois Personal Injury Attorney Today
Pedestrian Safety Tips
In 2007, the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration reported that over 4,500 pedestrians were killed as result of an auto accident. It is the responsibility of drivers and pedestrians to keep each other safe on the road. Drivers should always be operating in a defensive mode. However, a pedestrian suddenly crossing into the road to cross does not give a lot of time to react behind the wheel. A driver disobeying a traffic light also puts a pedestrian, crossing safely, at risk.
Traffic Lights Explained
At intersections, traffic lights help us stay organized and safe. For drivers, the light patterns are more straightforward: green: go, yellow: slow down, red: stop. Here are the pedestrian lights explained further:
- Walk: The symbol of a walking person means that pedestrians may cross the street that the signal is facing, and have the right of way.
Reducing Cell Phone Distracted Driving
Although young drivers are the most attached to their phones, adults drive distracted as well. You are 400% more likely to get into a car accident while using a cell phone, than regular motor use. Although Bluetooth, or hands-free, devices are legal to use on the road for drivers over the age of 19 in Illinois, it is still more dangerous than talking to a passenger in the car.
What If I Need to Use My Phone?
Life continues while you are in the car. If you do need to make a phone call or respond to a text message, Illinois State Police recommend safely pulling over to the shoulder of the road. Although hands-free driving is legal, this does not include talking on speakerphone. The only times a nonhands-free device can be used are:
- Parked on the road shoulder;
- To report an emergency; and
- When the car is in neutral or park during regular traffic.
Why Soft Tissue Injuries Should Be Taken Seriously after Car Accidents
If you have been in a car accident, you run the risk of getting soft tissue injuries. These injuries are common and can be debilitating for significant periods of time. If you were not at fault, or not fully at fault, in the car accident, you should be fairly compensated for your injuries.
Types of Soft Tissue Injuries
This class of injury involves damage to the soft tissue of the body such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Soft tissue injuries can leave one immobile and in pain for weeks and months. These injuries can also require extensive physical therapy in order for you to be fully rehabilitated.
Types of soft tissue injuries that can be sustained in an auto accident include:
- Whiplash. This is the most common soft tissue injury caused by car accidents. Whiplash occurs when a car strikes another and the force causes a victim’s head and neck to violently move backward and forwards. Symptoms of whiplash include stiffness of the neck, sharp neck pain, back problems and even cognitive issues, such as problems with memory and concentration.
When Is a Store Responsible for Your Slip and Fall?
In our firm’s 10 years of representing clients, one misconception that comes up regularly is that if you fall on someone else’s property, you have a viable lawsuit against them. This is not the law in Illinois, and slip and fall accidents can be much more difficult to prove.
The Deciding Factor on If You Can Recover Damages
Often the fact that determines if you have a case is if you can prove if the condition that caused your fall was known or should have been known to the property owner/occupier. In some cases, you can prove that the property owner knew about the dangerous condition and did not fix it. For example, you may be able to get video surveillance footage of a store employee mopping and not putting out warning signs.
More common, however, is that you can prove that a reasonable property owner should have been aware of the dangerous condition. For example, you may be able to secure the testimony of another customer who can testify to the fact that the dangerous condition had been present for weeks before your fall.
Illinois Passes New Children's Car Seat Law
Illinois recently passed a law mandating that child passengers under two years old must ride in car seats that face the back of the vehicle. The bill was signed into law on August 3, 2018.
The law states that children under two years old may sit facing forward in car seats if they are at least 40 pounds or 40 inches tall. A first offense is punishable by a $75 fine, and a second offense is punishable by $200.
This requirement had long been the recommendation made by experts, however, the law previously only required rear-facing car seats up to a year old. Prior to 2011, the Academy of Pediatrics recommended rear-facing car seats until the child was a year old or 20 pounds.
The new recommendation and subsequent law came about after studies showed that death rates were 75 percent lower when car seats were positioned rear-facing until two years of age.
Common Vehicle Collision Injuries in Children
Beyond Bite Wounds: How a Dog Attack Can Injure Victims
While most people think of a dog bite as the resulting injury of such an attack, there are other injuries that may be sustained during the dog attack. These injuries can be more threatening than a flesh wound and should not be overlooked by a victim, medical provider, or attorney.
Disease from Dog Bites
A dog’s mouth can have many types of bacteria in it. There are over 60 types that have been found. It is no wonder that 18 percent of dog bites become infected.
Dog bite victims can contract these diseases:
- Rabies. If you do not know the shot record of the dog that attacked you, rabies is one of your top concerns. Rabies affects the brain and is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.
- Capnocytophaga. This type of bacteria does not make dogs or cats sick. Many people will also not become sick from this bacteria. However, the bacteria are dangerous to those with weakened immune systems.
Hit and Run Deaths Are at an All-Time High
Fatalities from hit and run accidents have never been higher in this country, according to a 2018 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
According to the study, 2,049 people died in hit and run accidents in 2016. This figure is an astonishing 62 percent increase from 2009. AAA reports that 2016 is the year with the most fatalities since 1975 when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began collecting numbers on fatal motor vehicle collisions.
The study found that the states with the highest rates of fatal hit and runs were New Mexico, Louisiana, and Florida. The states with the lowest rates were Maine, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.
What Is a Hit and Run Crash?
A hit and run collision occurs when at least one person leaves the accident without offering appropriate information or help to the other parties. Failing to report the accident can also be considered a hit and run.
Car Accidents Can Leave Pedestrian Victims with Serious Injuries
Being injured as a pedestrian in a collision with an automobile can be extremely serious. These pedestrian accidents are also common. It is estimated that a pedestrian is injured every eight minutes in the United States. Pedestrian accidents can also be deadly. In fact, the United States averages to one crash-related pedestrian death every 1.6 hours.
How Pedestrians Are Injured
No two accidents are alike, and that is one reason why an attorney will be helpful in making your best arguments to an insurance adjuster or a judge and jury. However, most pedestrian-car accidents follow a similar injury pattern.
First, the car’s front bumper strikes the pedestrian’s lower leg area. Then, with the legs moving in the same direction as the vehicle’s travel, the upper body hits the car hood or windshield.
Thus, there are typically three points where the pedestrian is hit:
- Between the lower leg and bumper;
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9631 W. 153rd St., Suite 32,
Orland Park, IL 60462
Phone
708-966-2408
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9631 W. 153rd St., Suite 32, Orland Park, IL 60462
708-966-2408
