Posted on February 15, 2012 in Car Accidents

As reported on the My Suburban Life website, 32-year-old Daniel Clark is facing aggravated DUI charges following an accident that killed 42-year-old Frank Caruso and injured a police officer. The crash happened early on the morning of Saturday, February 11^th, when Clark hit a parked police car on the Eisenhower Expressway. Mr. Caruso and a state trooper were inside warming up after the trooper responded to a minor accident that Caruso had previously been involved in. The police officer suffered a potential concussion, but is expected to undergo a full recovery. One additional person was taken to the hospital following the accident but their status is unknown. Mr. Clark was charged with two separate counts of driving under the influence of alcohol, one including the “causing death” clause. As of the next day, he was being held at a DuPage County jail on $1 million bond. As explained in the 2012 DUI Fact Book, in Illinois, any felony DUI charge is classified as an “aggravated DUI.” This includes (but isn’t limited to) a drunk driving charge that is obtained by someone without a valid driver’s license or while driving a school bus. DUIs that result in accidents causing great body harm or death are also classified as aggravated DUI charges in Illinois, as are an individual’s third drunk driving charge (or any subsequent.)

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 Posted on August 19, 2011 in Criminal Law

When you are charged with a crime, especially a serious crime, you need a criminal attorney who can examine every aspect of the case, from the time you were arrested until the time you were released on bond.  Many times, police violate the rights of the accused under both the Illinois and Unites States Constitutions.  When charged with a crime, you need and experienced, creative, aggressive, criminal attorney who will fight for your rights, not just tell you to plead guilty.  A recent opinion from the Illinois Court of Appeals is an excellent example of defending a client to the fullest extent of the law.

A person was standing at a drug spot, on the street, yelling “dro, dro”.  The police arrested him for violating a city ordinance prohibiting solicitation of unlawful business on the street.  Of course, when he was searched by the police after the arrest, the police found a rather large quantity of drugs in his possession.  The arrest was challenged, contending the police did not have probable cause for the arrest.  The court found that there was probably cause, and the defendant was sentenced.  On appeal, the court found that the police did not have probable cause to believe a crime or ordinance violation was being committed or about to be committed.  The defendant won his case on appeal.

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 Posted on August 16, 2011 in Car Accidents

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmers Insurance announced today that it entered into a settlement of a nationwide class action lawsuit, In Re Farmers Med-Pay Litigation, pending in the District Court of Canadian County, Oklahoma (the "Court").

The settlement includes Farmers Insurance Company, Inc., Farmers Insurance Exchange, Truck Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange, Mid-Century Insurance Company, Farmers Group, Inc., Illinois Farmers Insurance Company, and certain related entities (collectively, "Farmers").  The Court preliminarily approved the settlement on June 20, 2011.

Plaintiffs alleged that Farmers failed to pay reasonable expenses for necessary medical services related to automobile accidents under Medical Payments ("Med-pay") and Personal Injury Protection ("PIP") coverage in automobile policies based on Farmers' use of certain claim adjustment systems and procedures.  Farmers denies all of Plaintiffs' claims in the lawsuit.  However, Farmers agreed to resolve the lawsuit to avoid the burden and expense of continued litigation.

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 Posted on August 12, 2011 in Car Accidents

August 11, 2011

Illinois State Police are still investigating a motor vehicle crash which killed tow people and seriously injured two others.

According to Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Carlita Joe, a red 2006 Porsche was on the eastbound lanes of the Reagan Tollway (Int. Hwy. 88) when the driver used an emergency vehicle turnaround just next to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle to cross into the westbound lanes about 6:28 p.m. Saturday.

The driver of the Porsche then continued east and hit a 2004 silver Toyota Corolla as it headed west in the second lane from the median, Joe said that one victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while another was taken to Edward Hospital in Naperville, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.

A passenger in the silver Toyota Corolla was taken to Edward and later moved Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove. The driver of the Porsche, a 43-year-old man from Naperville, was taken to Good Samaritan with life-threatening injuries, police said.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Medical Malpractice

For many women, having their annual or bi-annual mammogram done and waiting for the results can be somewhat stressful. That stress often turns into fear when the tests show that there is the possibility of the presence of breast cancer. This diagnosis followed by a biopsy to determine whether or not there is cancer present. However, a new study has concluded that many of these biopsy results are actually inaccurate. Those inaccurate diagnoses, which are used to determine what course of treatment should be given, could potentially be causing patients to undergo unnecessary treatments, causing other medical issues.

There are three different types of biopsies which are used by doctors to determine if a patient has breast cancer. When a doctor suspects that a breast lump is filled with fluid, they will usually perform a fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. If the lump is only a cyst, then it will typically collapse as the fluid is removed by the needle.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Medical Malpractice

When we do to the doctor or hospital because we are sick or injured, we put our trust into the physicians and other medical personnel that the treatment and care they give us will make us well, or at the very least, comfortable. What we do not anticipate is that the care we receive will actually cause more medical issues or be dangerous. But for many elderly patients, that is exactly what happens.

A study that was recently conducted by researchers at the Gerontology Program at Towson University in Maryland revealed that one in five elderly Medicare patients sustain injuries that frequently have nothing to do with the medical problems they are being treated for. Some of the more common injuries include being prescribed medication that causes allergic reactions, being given the wrong medication or having treatments for an illness which causes other medical problems other than the original diagnosis.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Criminal Law

By: Kal Issa

Recently, there has been a spike in vehicle accidents involving stopped emergency vehicles, mainly Illinois State Police vehicles.[1] Unfortunately, some of these accidents have led to the death or serious injury to members of law enforcement. In Illinois, it has been nearly 20 years since lawmakers enacted a criminal statute to address this issue.

Scott’s Law, otherwise known as the “Move Over” law, requires motorists to change lanes away from the shoulder when there is an emergency vehicle parked on the shoulder with its emergency red, white, blue or yellow lights flashing.[2] If it not safe for the motorist to make this lane change, the motorist must proceed with due caution and reduce its speed. Scott’s Law was named after Scott Gillen, a Chicago firefighter who was struck and killed by a motorist while on the scene of a crash rendering emergency services.

With this recent rise in fatal accidents, it is fair to presume that prosecutors are ensuring that a motorist ticketed for violation of this law face tougher penalties. A violation of Scott’s Law is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000.00. Even if a violation of this law leads only to property damage to another, the motorist’s license will be suspended for a minimum of three months, up to one year.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in DUI

Summer is here and that means lots of cookouts, family get-togethers, beach days, and vacations. At many of these social gatherings alcohol is served, and all too often, drivers make the decision to get behind the wheel of their vehicles after they have been drinking, with tragic results.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (NHTSA), there were 10,265 people killed in drunk driving accidents in 2015, the most current year for which statistics are available. This means that every day that year, 28 people were killed by a drunk driver. This was a sharp increase from the year before, when 9,943 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes.

In Illinois, approximately 1,000 people are killed each year in drunk driving crashes. About 35 percent of those drunk drivers are between the ages of 21 to 24. Each year, law enforcement in Illinois arrest almost 40,000 people on DUI charges, yet these horrible crashes still happen.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Medical Malpractice

A new study has found that administering uric acid, along with the usual clot-busting medication, to women who have suffered strokes, increases their chance of recovering without suffering from disabilities as a result of the stroke.

The researchers found that the uric acid limits brain damage from the stroke. In the study, 42 percent of women who were given both the uric acid and the clot-busting medications were free of any significant disabilities just three months after suffering their stroke. Only 29 percent of female patients who were given just the clot-busting medication showed no signs of significant disabilities in the three months following their stroke.

For men who participated in the study, there was no significant difference in recovery between the patients who received the combination of the acid and medication and those who only received the medication. In all, there were more than 400 stroke patients who participated in the study.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Medical Malpractice

Physicians prescribe medication to patients all the time for various reasons. Certain medicines can help alleviate pain and symptoms for injured and sick patients when correctly prescribed and used. They can also heal and cure injuries and illnesses if used properly. However, they also have the potential to cause permanent damage or even death if they are used incorrectly. If you or your loved one has suffered as a result of a prescription drug mistake, you may be entitled to compensation. An experienced personal injury attorney can help determine liability for your damages. Responsible parties may include a doctor, pharmacist, or anesthesiologist.

Common Forms of Medication Mistakes

Unlike over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, prescription medication must be prescribed by a doctor and are usually dispensed by a pharmacist at a hospital or a pharmacy. This is because these types of drugs could be potentially addictive or lethal if not taken properly. Names of some medications may at first glance look or sound similar, which means they can be easily confused with each other. In other cases, ingesting too much or too little of a drug can affect a patient’s health and well-being.

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