Posted on May 19, 2014 in Firm News

Getting injured on the job can leave a person feeling very stressed, upset and frustrated. Whether an injury limits your ability to work or takes you out of a job indefinitely, the impact of a work-related injury can take its toll on you and your family. However, injured workers across Illinois may interested to know that there may be ways to recover from an accident and get back to work more quickly.

For example, staying as physically active as an injury will allow could help people get better after an accident. It may seem difficult to do this when a person is in pain, but working around an injury is possible and could be beneficial for a person's health.

If your injury has resulted in back, neck or shoulder pain, you may want to focus on strengthening your lower body and increasing cardiovascular exercises. This can include:

• Jogging or walking
• Leg work, including squats and lunges
• Stationary bikes or elliptical machines

If you have an injury that affects your lower body, it might be helpful to concentrate on upper body exercises, including: 

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 Posted on May 12, 2014 in Farm Accidents

It was a devastating scene at a rural Illinois farm recently when a 73-year-old man was reported missing. He had been working on the farm, and his vehicle was located near a grain bin. Search and rescue teams responded and launched efforts to empty the grain bin. They ultimately found the man hours later, but he had died.

This accident was no doubt catastrophic; but unfortunately, grain bin accidents are not uncommon across Illinois. Workers often need to get into the grain bin, which hold tens of thousands of bushels of grain, to unclog it. Once the grain starts moving again, a worker can get pulled under and can suffocate. Whether that was the case in this recent accident or not remains to be confirmed.

This accident is a tragic reminder of the risks that people who work on farms face on a regular basis. Modern farms utilize complex technological systems, powerful tools and fast-moving machines in order to expedite certain processes. Because of this, many farms also run with just a small number of workers, which means that many accidents happen when there is only one worker present. Without a second party to assist or call for help, any accident has the potential to be fatal. This is often the case when a person is involved in a grain handling accident.

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 Posted on May 09, 2014 in Articles

The commuting rule and its exceptions

Workers' compensation provides benefits to employees experiencing work-related injuries, which benefits are paid without regard to fault. In other words, this system, which is administratively managed, takes the place of the court system, where one is required to file a civil lawsuit and prove that the other party intentionally or negligently (that is, recklessly) caused their injuries. More specifically, as stated by the state Workers' Compensation Commission, it covers "accidents that arise out of and in the course of employment."

But what, exactly, is "the course of employment"? To take one situation, an employee who commutes to work is usually not regarded as being in the scope of employment. If such an employee has an accident while so commuting, he or she is normally on their own, and may not receive workers' compensation benefits.

However, this rule provides for many exceptions. An exception is frequently found when the injury is the result of a peril related to employment, whether or not it occurred at the worksite.

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 Posted on May 05, 2014 in Firm News

Living in a nursing home facility is something that many people in Illinois must do or choose to do. These facilities can provide residents with the ongoing care, medical attention and interaction that vulnerable patients require. This level of services is generally impossible for family members or loved ones to provide on their own, so they rely on these facilities to do what they cannot. 

While the expectation is that nursing homes will honor their commitment to patient health and well-being, the unfortunate reality is that many nursing home residents suffer inadequate care, neglect and abuse in these facilities. One group is tackling one of these very serious concerns with a proposed bill aimed at protecting nursing home residents in Illinois.

The measure is referred to as a managed care bill of rights, and it focuses on helping patients at Medicaid managed care facilities. According to the proposal, these organizations are focused more on profitability than getting quality care to residents. This priority comes at a steep cost to patients who can fall victim to substandard care, negligence and inconsistent services.

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 Posted on April 29, 2014 in Firm News

Farming is an important industry in Illinois and across the country, and it can also be one of the most dangerous. People who work in farming often operate heavy, complicated and powerful pieces of equipment that can cause catastrophic damage if something goes wrong.

Tractors in particular can prove to be deadly in a farm-related accident. Victims of tractor accidents can suffer broken bones, traumatic brain injuries or even death in the most serious incidences. Understanding what factors played a role in an accident can be crucial in getting victims and their families the help and compensation they may deserve. That is what two families may be struggling with now after two Illinois farmers were killed in separate tractor accidents recently.

Details on the tragedies are still scarce and there are likely investigations that need to be completed before families get the answers they need. 

However, what is known is that one man was killed after getting crushed between two different tractors on his farm. The second accident occurred when a tractor overturned, trapping an 81-year-old farmer. Overturned tractors are one of the most common farm-related accidents, accounting for about 44 percent of all fatal tractor accidents.

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 Posted on April 21, 2014 in Firm News

There are many residents in Springfield who know someone who may not be a safe driver. Some of these people may be new to driving, but others may have decades of experience behind the wheel. It is those in the latter category that may have the most trouble coming to terms with the fact that they are no longer able to operate a motor vehicle safely.

Elderly drivers may not drive very often or even very far, which is why it can be easy for loved ones to assume that seniors do not pose a significant threat behind the wheel. However, family members may want to consider discussing alternatives to driving if a loved one suffers from declining cognitive functions, impaired eyesight or significant physical limitations. It can be a difficult subject to discuss, but it could ultimately save the driver's life and the lives of other motorists.

For example, an 83-year-old Springfield man was recently involved in a serious accident when he crashed into two different vehicles while driving. According to reports, the man first rear-ended one car before hitting another as he tried to drive away. Luckily, no one was seriously injured in these accidents, but the situation highlights a very real concern with some senior drivers.

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 Posted on April 14, 2014 in Firm News

Many people are aware of how dangerous it can be to get hit by a commercial-sized vehicle. We know that huge semi trucks are heavy and powerful and can cause catastrophic damage in any collision. These vehicles are also difficult to operate and take longer to speed up and slow down. However, a semi truck does not even need to be moving to pose a threat to drivers. 

Recently, for example, a man was killed when his car hit a truck that was stopped on the side of the road on I-94 in Illinois. The accident is under investigation, but this tragic crash serves as a grim reminder that even a stopped truck can be a threat to motorist safety. 

There are only a few details about the accident released so far, but what is known is that it was 4:50 a.m. when the crash occurred; more than an hour before the sun came up. It was dark out and there were likely few vehicles on the road at that time. 

For some reason, the man driving the car drifted out of his lane and onto the shoulder, where the truck was stopped. It is not known why the truck was stopped on the side of the road in the first place. It is possible that the trucker pulled over to sleep or tend to a mechanical issue. It is also not known if the truck had lights flashing or reflective tape in place to make the truck visible to others, which would be appropriate for any vehicle to have when stopped on the side of the road in the dark.

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 Posted on April 08, 2014 in Firm News

Now that spring is here, many road construction projects will start up across Illinois. Whether they are major reconstruction projects or minor repairs, these jobs require workers to be out on the roads. The people who work in road construction can be in a vulnerable position and are frequently at risk of being injured in an accident.

In order to minimize the threat to the safety of these workers, flashing lights, signs and construction barrels are often put up to alert drivers that work is being completed in the area. Unfortunately, there are still accidents that happen as a result of negligence, recklessness or even just bad luck. However, drivers can go a long way in keeping road construction workers safe just by driving safer in these zones. That is the message that the Illinois State Police wants to send to drivers this week, which is National Work Zone Awareness Week.

In an average year, nearly 5,000 accidents happen in construction zones across Illinois. Hundreds of workers are injured in these crashes and dozens of people have died. Many of these accidents are the result of driver negligence. Motorists may fail to slow down or comply with lane switches and other changes in road conditions. When this happens, workers on site are in very real danger of getting hit by a car.

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 Posted on April 03, 2014 in Firm News

Placing a loved one in a nursing home facility is not always an easy decision to make. Families often try to care for an elderly parent or relative on their own, but eventually it may be necessary to move that person into a facility that can meet the physical, emotional and medical needs of vulnerable patients.

However, there are too many facilities that are poorly run. Negligent hiring practices, inadequate training and poor oversight of daily operations have all been reported at nursing homes across Illinois. Facilities can put patients in danger by subjecting them to abuse or negligence, despite giving family members assurances that a loved one will be taken care of. When and if this happens, it can be crucial for family members to take legal action to protect their loved one.

This was the route one man took after his father developed serious infections as a result of nursing home negligence.

Reports indicate that the elderly man was neglected for nearly seven months while he was in an Illinois nursing home. During that time, he developed bed sores as a result of not being properly moved and cared for by staff members. The man was transferred to a hospital where the true extent of the nursing home's negligence was discovered.

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 Posted on March 27, 2014 in Firm News

People all across Illinois have likely read about the terrifying accident that occurred recently at O'Hare International Airport when a train derailed. Details of the accident are still being investigated, but the information that is available paints a frightening picture. According to reports, the combination of human error and potential equipment failure led to the crash that injured 32 people. Thankfully, no one was killed.

This one accident brings up several critical topics related to personal safety, including negligence, work accidents and defective products. 

To begin with, the crash occurred at 3 a.m. when many of the passengers were heading to or from work at the airport. The operator of the train was also on the job when she apparently dozed off, which may invite questions related to whether she was violating work requirements or if her employer permitted or encouraged her to work too many hours. When people are injured on the job or while traveling to or from a job in Illinois, they may be eligible to pursue workers' compensation for accidents that happen during the course of their employment.

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