Illinois Injury Attorney Blog

Illinois's governor signed a new Workers Compensation bill into law on Tuesday. Illinois lawmakers had sent the sweeping work comp overhaul to Governor Pat Quinn's desk a few weeks ago. Insurance changes are expected to begin in about two months.

The Chicago Tribune reports in the article, "Quinn to Sign Workers' Compensation Reform Tuesday," the new Work Comp law will save Illinois companies about $500 million each year. Lawmakers say the legislation is designed to prevent people from taking advantage of the state's Workers' Compensation system. Among the changes, workers who are hurt on the job will have to show they were, indeed, injured while working. Also, the new Work Comp law will get rid of most of the people who hear cases for the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission. The new arbitrators will have to be lawyers and will have to undergo training.

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An Illinois Auto Accident claims the life of a 15-year old Gurnee, Illinois girl. Taylor Mae Stinchcomb died as she was trying to keep her family dog, who was sick with cancer, from being put down.

Chicago media outlets report the teen put her dog in the family's minivan and drove away with another 15-year girl in the vehicle as well. This was done without her parents' knowledge and apparently, in an attempt to protect the dog from euthanasia. Reportedly, Taylor became too distraught to drive so the other 15-year old took the wheel, and Taylor moved to the passenger seat. Unfortunately, that teen lost control of the minivan which flipped and then hit a few trees and a utility pole. Both Stinchcomb and the dog she was trying to save died from their injuries. The other girl was hurt but not severely.

Obviously, both girls were too young to have a driver's license. Teens do, however, find themselves as victims of auto accidents usually when passengers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 12 children ages 10-15 died in 2009 in Illinois in vehicle accidents. Nationally, 728 children in that age group were killed in auto accidents.

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Recently, Illinois lawmakers passed new reforms to cutdown on Nursing Home Abuse and Nursing Home Neglect. The new legislation aims to protect children and adults with extreme developmental disabilities. It would apply only to nursing homes for people with developmental disabilities. Last year, lawmakers passed similar legislation for nursing homes for the elderly and people with mental disabilities.

As the Chicago Tribune details, the potential new laws would mandate nursing homes that care for developmentally disabled people report all fatalities to state regulators. The nursing home staff would also have to tell local coroners or medical examiners about any deaths. The proposed legislation would also include larger fines for poor care, and it would stop new admissions at nursing homes with many violations. Additionally, the reforms would tighten the use of psychotropic drugs.

While many lawmakers and those in the Nursing Home field applaud these potential safeguards, some people think the legislation does not go far enough. An advocate for Nursing Home residents says Illinois will need to hire more nursing home inspectors to make sure the new laws are being enforced. However, an official with the Illinois Department of Public Health says the new laws are enough to make the department more effective at protecting residents from Nursing Home Abuse and Injuries.

Of course, you can also take steps if you suspect a nursing home resident is suffering from abuse or neglect. The Illinois Department on Aging suggests you call the Illinois Department of Health or the Nursing Home Hotline.

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Two people are recovering after they were hurt in an Auto Accident involving a Bus and Two Construction Trucks. Illinois State Police say the Truck Crash happened Tuesday morning on United States Interstate 88 near Sugar Grove. The injuries could fall under the Worker's Compensation field of law.

According to Illinois State Police, the vehicle crash is a result of the driver of a Greyhound Bus falling asleep while driving. The bus was empty at the time of the auto accident. Illinois's 53-year old John Hudson is identified as the driver. After falling asleep, he then apparently hit a construction truck in the back which forced that truck to hit a second construction truck that was in front of it. Hudson now faces numerous charges.

As for injuries, Hudson was hurt and was transported to a local Illinois hospital for treatment. The driver of the first construction truck was also hurt and taken to an Illinois hospital. These injuries could be considered Work Comp related if they, indeed, happened while the drivers were in the course and scope of employment.

Each year in Illinois, tens of thousands of workers are hurt while on the job. The Illinois Department of Health keeps track of such injuries to help improve safety in the workplace. In a recent study, it found that painters, construction and maintenance workers had the highest median days away from work with 76. That was followed by first-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers with 63 days of work missed and truck drivers, light or delivery services with 41 days missed.

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A Chicago Southwest side community is mourning the death of an Illinois girl killed in a Hit and Run Vehicle Crash. 8-year old Mariela Crisotomo died after an SUV hit her while she was riding her bicycle in front of her house Tuesday. The SUV driver then took off after the auto accident.

Now, Chicago media outlets report Chicago Police are looking for the driver of a gray or silver SUV. Witnesses indicate the driver is a female. A Chicago Police official says Mariela ended up under a parked vehicle after she was struck by the SUV. The Cook County medical examiner's office says the child was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois for treatment, but she later died.

Unfortunately, bicycle accidents happen all too often and can be deadly. The website, www.bicyclinginfo.org, reports 630 people died in bicycle/motor vehicle accidents in 2009. That accounted for about two percent of the people who died or were hurt in vehicle accidents that year. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that kids are particularly in danger. In 2001, children who were 15 years old or younger made up 59% of bicycle - related injuries reported in emergency rooms in the United States.

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We now know the name of the driver who died in a Truck Crash Wednesday in Highland, Illinois. Illinois State Police say the victim was 36-year old Chad True from Irvington. True died when the trash truck he was in collided with a dump truck.

Illinois State Police say the dump truck was stopped and waiting to turn left when True's 2007 Sterling truck did not stop and struck the dump truck from behind. While the dump truck was pushed off the street, True's truck kept going until it went off the road, flipped and then caught fire. He could not get out of the vehicle. His passenger from Centralia, Illinois was ejected from the truck and received serious injuries. The dump truck driver from Belleville, Illinois was also seriously hurt. He was transported to an Illinois hospital for treatment.

If these drivers were on the job when this Vehicle Accident occurred, their injuries might fall under Worker's Compensation. Workers' Compensation or "Work Comp" refers to the field of law that covers injuries a worker suffers while in the course and scope of employment. The Work Comp laws vary by state and are often changing. For example, Illinois lawmakers are currently overhauling the state's Worker's Compensation system. They recently passed Work Comp reform legislation that among other things would apparently save about a half-billion dollars a year for employers, mostly by reducing the payments physicians receive to help hurt workers.

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A woman is recovering after a Car Accident in Robbins, Illinois. The auto collision happened just after midnight Monday near 156th and Kedzie Avenue.

Illinois State Police responded to the vehicle crash. Illinois investigators say the driver, a 21-year old man, had fallen asleep. His car, then, went off the street, hit a tree and struck part of high voltage equipment. While he was not hurt, his 18-year old passenger did suffer injuries. She was taken to Advocate Christ Hospital for treatment for her injuries.

Driving while tired can be a lethal combination for you and your passengers. The website, www.drivers.com, notes research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that about 100,000 police-reported vehicle accidents each year involve drowsiness or fatigue as a big factor. And those auto collisions amount to about 1,500 deaths and 71,000 injuries.

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