Distracted driving has devastating consequences in Illinois. Every year, countless lives are disrupted or ended due to preventable accidents caused by drivers not paying full attention to the road.
Families lose loved ones, individuals suffer severe injuries and communities face the ripple effects of these tragic events. Distractions behind the wheel can lead to life-altering outcomes for drivers, passengers and others.
Sobering statistics for encountering distracted drivers
The numbers paint a grim picture. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports distracted driving causes 8% of all fatal crashes. In 2022, distracted driving accidents resulted in 3,308 deaths and nearly
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Surgical errors that may qualify as medical malpractice
Surgery involves a complex process requiring precision and care. Even with the progress of medical technology and comprehensive training of medical professionals, surgical errors can still occur. Depending on the nature of these errors and the harm they cause, they may qualify as medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice arises when a healthcare provider does not meet the standard of care in their profession, which then causes harm to the patient. In the realm of surgery, certain types of errors can meet this criterion.
Surgical errors at the wrong site
Surgical procedures performed on the wrong body part fall under wrong-site surgery.
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Teen driver-involved crashes rise during 100 Deadliest Days
Car wrecks involving teenage drivers rise considerably during the summer when most teenagers are out of the classroom and have more time to spend traveling Illinois and the nation’s roads. Teen driver-involved crashes increase so much between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year, in fact, that a substantial percentage of all road deaths from crashes involving teen drivers take place within this span.
According to WIFR, fatal car wrecks involving teenagers increase both statewide and nationally during the 100 Deadliest Days stretch.
Illinois 100 Deadliest Days crash statistics
In Illinois, 249 people died in incidents involving teenage drivers during…
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Tips for safely sharing the road with motorcyclists
Did you know that accidents involving motorcycles have higher death rates than those that do not? In fact, riders are much more likely (29 times that of drivers) to die in accidents.
Therefore, these are a few tips for safely sharing the road with motorcyclists and preventing motorcycle accidents.
Get rid of distractions
Distracted driving is dangerous. It takes your eyes or mind off the road. However, it is even more dangerous when you share the road with motorcycles because they are much smaller than vehicles and can slip up behind or beside you quickly. You may not even realize…
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Nursing home violations in Illinois
Basic nursing home standards are high, but not to the point where it would make businesses suffer. The rules, for the most part, enforce the levels of care that you would expect from any ethical healthcare provider.
Even so, senior care facilities across Illinois violate the rules regularly. This article will look at some state-specific details.
Nursing home violations
The Illinois Department of Public Health issues a quarterly report on nursing home regulation violators. There, one may find the identity of the violator and several legal details.
Due to the technical nature of this resource, it is typically most useful to professionals.
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5 arguments the defense might use in a slip-and-fall case
If you sustained an injury on someone else’s property, you might be able to sue. You have probably heard the term “slip and fall” describing these premises injury cases.
Illinois has a system of modified comparative negligence for slip-and-fall cases. One result of this rule is that the defense will probably try to prove that you are more than 50% to blame for the accident. They might use any or all of the following arguments.
1. You were in a restricted area
A court might decide you are currently at fault if you were in a restricted area for visitors…
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Most common injuries from rear-end crashes
There were more than 295,000 motor vehicle crashes in Illinois in 2021. With 71,563 crashes, rear-end accidents were the most common type.
What types of injuries do rear-end crashes commonly cause?
Whiplash
Whiplash is one of the most common injuries that rear-end accidents cause. Whiplash is a soft-tissue injury that occurs when a person’s head moves forward suddenly. Because the occupants of a vehicle that gets hit from behind are usually stationary when the accident occurs, rear-end accidents often cause the occupants’ heads to suddenly lurch forward and then backward, creating the potential for whiplash injuries.
Back strains
The same…
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What type of abuse can happen in nursing homes?
Putting your loved one in a nursing home is not an easy decision and often requires the input of several family members. Facilitating the financial portion of elder care also takes time and strategizing.
Considering the time and resources you put into finding a reliable facility, you would think abuse is the last thing that will happen. Educating yourself about the dangers of elder abuse can help you protect your loved one.
Physical abuse and injury
Physical abuse can dangerously impact your aging loved one, especially considering the fragility of life in later years. Such abuse could include hitting, kicking…
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Documentation of an SCI
An accident, whether on the road or due to a slip, is a chaotic moment for anyone. When an accident results in a spinal cord injury, things may feel even more disorganized.
Securing compensation for damages requires careful documentation and clear communication. It is important to alleviate miscommunication through proper assessment of a person’s SCI and how it affects their life in general.
Key details of an SCI
SCI recovery begins with the basics: an SCI’s date, its cause and its progression. An incomplete break along the spinal cord may have a chance for recovery. A complete SCI frequently involves…
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Wrong-way crashes are increasing across the country
The number of wrong-way vehicle crashes is increasing across the United States without any indication of stabilizing or going down. These car crashes are the most dangerous type of accidents because, most of the time, they are head-on collisions.
The number one cause of these accidents, according to the American Automobile Association, is alcohol impairment. Unsurprisingly, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can severely impair your ability to drive safely, placing your and others’ lives at risk.
Even though most states have laws that are very tough on drivers who get behind the wheel while under the influence, it…
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How do hospitals prevent falls?
Falls are one of the biggest risks to the health of the elderly. Unfortunately, injured and weakened or sickly individuals also fall prey to it, too.
Hospitals are one location where all of these people appear in large numbers, which makes the risk of falling or slipping – especially in the bathroom – quite high.
High risk of falls in hospitals
Cleveland Clinic discusses ways to prevent falls in hospitals. Unfortunately, hospitals have a high number of people susceptible to falls. They also often cause people to become more susceptible to falls, such as through medications that may cause dizziness…
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Are there treatments for cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects coordination and movement. It results from brain damage that often occurs before or during birth.
There is no cure for cerebral palsy but, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, there are treatments available that can help patients manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
Medications
Cerebral palsy often causes the muscles to become stiff. Certain medications can relax the muscles and prevent the nerve cells from over-activating them. Some of these medications are injectable while others are oral medications.
Therapy
People with cerebral palsy may benefit from several types…
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What should you know about microsleeping?
Microsleeping poses a major risk to drivers all across America. However, many people do not even know what it is.
It is one of the many parts of drowsy driving that put people at serious risk, and spreading awareness can cut down on unnecessary injuries and even fatalities.
What is microsleeping?
WebMD takes a look at microsleeping, an ongoing issue for driver safety. Under normal circumstances, microsleeping is the body’s way of taking care of itself and essentially attempting to force itself to sleep when in need of a rest.
Microsleeping consists of bursts of 1 to 3 seconds in…
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Who could be liable for a truck accident?
Truck accidents are among the most disastrous of auto accidents.
Pursuing compensation following a truck accident requires identifying the at-fault party, and there are multiple possibilities.
Truck drivers
Truck drivers are liable for their actions. If a driver violates traffic laws or industry safety standards, such as going over the allowed hours of service for commercial drivers, they are liable for damages when that breach of duty results in an accident. Common errors drivers make include speeding, driving under the influence and driving while fatigued.
Truck driver employers
Truck driver employers are sometimes liable for accidents caused by their drivers.
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Head injuries from slip-and-fall accidents
If you slip and fall, you could hit your head against the ground or another hard object. This could result in a head injury. Head injuries can range in severity; many are minor, but some can be serious and potentially life-threatening.
Johns Hopkins Medicine describes two types of head injuries that you could sustain as the result of a slip-and-fall injury: intracranial hematoma and skull fracture.
Intracranial hematoma
Blood cells can stick together to form a clot. This helps to prevent you from losing too much blood in the event of an injury. However, clots can form anywhere that blood…
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Internal bleeding from a motor vehicle accident
Even if you do not seem to have any symptoms of injury after a car accident, you should always have a medical examination. Sometimes symptoms of even a severe injury do not show up for hours or days afterward. Such can be the case with internal bleeding.
Internal bleeding occurs due to damage to blood vessels. It is a common injury in a motor vehicle collision and a dangerous one. Internal bleeding can cause you to have low blood pressure or go into shock. If the blood loss is significant enough, you can die from it.
Why does internal bleeding…
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