In the wake of Toyota’s sudden acceleration scandal, automobile safety is once again a hot-button issue. After internal documents showed Toyota knew about potential defects, hid them from regulators, and even bragged about saving money from limiting its recalls, Toyota received the largest fine ever levied against an auto manufacturer.
After 50 deaths and 8.5 million recalled cars, this saga is yet another example of regulation as an incomplete safeguard and manufacturers that put profits over safety. Unfortunately, this scenario has been repeating itself for decades.
Several car manufacturers, including GM and Ford, designed defective gas tank placement, which resulted
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Latest from Chicago Personal Injury Law Blog
Outbreaks of Foodborne Illnesses Lead to Illness, Death
At least seven lawsuits have been filed against Boar’s Head since the meat company recalled its cold cuts products after a listeria outbreak killed nine people, according to a report on CBS MoneyWatch.
In addition, 58 consumers were sickened in 18 states – including Illinois – by spoiled meat originating from the company’s tainted Virginia plant, which had reports of mold, mildew and insects. The company recalled millions of pounds of deli meats after people started getting sick.
In addition, nine states have reported an outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to eggs produced at Milo’s Poultry Farm or Tony’s Fresh
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Tailgating a Leading Cause of Car Accidents
Tailgating – a term that is often used to describe drivers who are following too closely – is one of the leading causes of auto accidents in the U.S. More than one-third of all car crashes are the result of tailgating, with 75% of them occurring on highways and tollways.
Learning how to avoid tailgating and maneuver safely is a defensive driving technique that all drivers should learn and adhere to, yet often fail to do so. Speak to a Chicago car accident attorney to learn more!
Causes of Tailgating Accidents
Failure to drive at a speed that allows you
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Four Smith LaCien LLP Lawyers Recognized As Best Lawyers® Award Recipients
CHICAGO, IL, August 15, 2024 — Smith LaCien LLP, located here, has announced that four lawyers have been included in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. First published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become “universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence,” according to Best Lawyers CEO Phillip Greer.
The Smith LaCien lawyers and their respective Best Lawyers categories are as follows:
Todd A. Smith, a founding partner – Aviation Law, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, and Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
Brian
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Truck Accident Injury Lawsuit Settles for $500,000
Smith LaCien LLP – Trial Lawyers represented a plaintiff in a lawsuit who suffered serious injuries when an improperly secured load of scrap metal placed in a long-haul tractor-trailer truck caused the trailer to overturn. The injuries he sustained prevented him from continuing to work as a truck driver. The case was settled in the Circuit Court of Cook County for $500,000.
During the trial, the plaintiff, a 56-year-old long-haul truck driver, alleged that the defendant – a big rig trucking company – should have made sure that the scrap metal was carefully secured to the wooden pallets and that
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Left-Turning Vehicles Often Lead to Traffic Collisions
Left-turning vehicles are a significant concern on Illinois roads because they contribute to a great number of traffic collisions. These accidents typically occur when a driver making a left turn is struck by an oncoming vehicle. Several factors contribute to making these turns so dangerous. Understanding them can help decrease the risks.
A primary factor is the difficulty in accurately judging the speed and distance of oncoming traffic. Drivers often miscalculate the time they have to complete their turn. Additionally, distractions and obstructed views at intersections can further impair a driver’s ability to make safe decisions. In Illinois, where urban
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The Dangers Of Construction Accident Falls
A tragic fall from a scaffold at a construction site on Thursday left a 27-year-old ironworker dead and another worker in critical condition at a UChicago Medicine building. The accident happened when high winds knocked the workers from a scaffold to the ground, according to a Fire Department spokesman. The survivor was listed in critical condition at UChicago Medicine, a few steps from the site. OSHA is investigating.
Sadly, construction site accidents often result in serious injuries or wrongful death. OSHA said that 65% of construction accidents occur while workers are on scaffolds that were not erected or used properly.
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Autonomous Freight Trucks Begin To Hit The Road
On a test track in Pittsburgh, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rounded a curve. No one is behind the steering wheel. The truck’s sensors spot a trash can blocking one lane and a tire in another. In less than a second it signaled, then moved into the unobstructed lane and passed the obstacles.
The self-driving semi, outfitted with 25 laser, radar and camera sensors, is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation. The technology, called Aurora Driver, can operate vehicles ranging from a four-door sedan to a semi-truck. Currently, Aurora has about 30 autonomous haul trucks in operation on the road in Texas,
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Users of Hair Straighteners Who Got Cancer Seek Compensation
A federal lawsuit against L’Oreal, Revlon, Dark & Lovely and other companies alleges that the businesses that sell hair straightener products, knew, or should have known, that the use of the dangerous chemicals in the products would increase the risk of cancer. They marketed and sold them anyway without so much as a warning label.
As of March 2024, there were 8,334 hair straightener lawsuits pending in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, in Chicago. With its background in class action lawsuits and product liability, Smith LaCien LLP was asked to serve as co-counsel on some of these
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Large Malpractice Verdict Amounts Against Physicians Increase
Large Malpractice Verdict Amounts Against Physicians Increase
A surge in large medical malpractice awards targeting physicians and hospitals is part of new data released on February 2, 2024, by the global reinsurance company TransRe.
In 2023, a record number of 57 medical malpractice verdicts of $10 million or more were recorded in U.S. Of these, slightly over half reached $25 million or more. This surpasses the range of verdicts from $10 million or more from 2012 to 2022, which ranged from 34 in 2013 to 52 in 2022.
The statistics “blew away every record previously set among high medical malpractice
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A Victory for Plaintiffs in Wrongful Death Lawsuits
Illinois was one of 16 states that did not allow for the recovery of punitive damages in wrongful death cases – until now. Last year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law HB 219, which amended the former law to allow punitive damages to be recoverable in wrongful death cases.
The new law makes Illinois the 35th state to allow the recovery of punitive damages in wrongful death actions. The legislation will significantly affect wrongful death cases statewide by enabling those who lost a loved one to receive financial help beyond the basic compensatory damages.
What Are Punitive Damages
Damages refer
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Truck Fatalities Crisis Calls for Bold Solutions
A sharp rise in deaths from heavy truck crashes, which are up almost 50 percent in the last 10 years, has federal officials more eager than ever for solutions. Many know what needs to be done and have a federal Administration willing to cooperate, but a lack of consensus prevents any real movement forward.
The Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are still considering whether new big rigs should be required to have automatic emergency braking systems and devices that limit how fast trucks can go.
Speed Limiters and Breaking Systems
A proposed rule
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U.S. Calls Pregnancy-related Death Rate a Public Health Crisis
Despite having one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the world, the U.S. currently has the highest pregnancy-related death rate among developed nations. Maternal deaths rose 40% in 2021 from the previous year. Black women are particularly vulnerable, dying at significantly higher rates than other groups.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has deemed it a public health crisis, and the Biden administration has announced a call to action to improve parental and infant health outcomes.
Barriers to Care
Among the barriers to quality care are inadequate access to clinical care, health facilities with limited experience with
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Trucks, SUVs Behind Soaring Rise in Pedestrian Deaths
Last year, over 7,500 pedestrians tragically lost their lives while walking on roads. The number of fatalities shot up a whopping 77%, hitting a 40-year high.
What’s behind this disturbing trend? One major factor is the proliferation of massive trucks and SUVs. They are bigger and bulkier than their predecessors, making them harder for drivers to handle and causing huge blind spots in the front and rear. They need more time to stop and maneuver because of their size and weight.
Truck Accident Causes
In addition to a truck’s size, the condition of the driver may be a factor in
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Falls a Leading Cause of TBI Among Seniors
Falls are a major cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in the U.S., affecting the elderly more than any other age group, just ask our Chicago brain injury lawyers.
Seniors lose their balance more easily and fall off a ladder or slip on the ice more readily and lose the spring in their step. Some 80% of falls account for almost half of emergency department visits for brain injuries. People older than 65 and children under age 17 experience the most fall-related TBIs, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
An estimated 1.5 million Americans survive a traumatic brain injury. Of these,
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Great Lakes Surf Zone Hazards: What You Need to Know
Labor Day weekend may be one of the last major times of the year for recreation on the Great Lakes, but that doesn’t mean the end of potential hazards on the lakes.
Data from the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project shows that since 2018, roughly 20 people per year drown in one of the five lakes between September 1 and December 31.
And maps maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that more than half of the deaths that occur in Great Lakes surf zones — the areas of relatively shallow water near the shore where waves
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