The birth of a child is one of the most joyous occasions in any parents’ lives. It is also a sophisticated medical procedure which, if appropriate care is not given, can cause severe birth injury during labor and delivery. Birth injuries can be permanent, requiring long-term medical care. A relatively common, and potentially severe birth… Read More
Amtrak Crash Kills 9-Year-Old Girl and Grandparents in Railroad Crossing Accident
According to today’s news, a 9-year-old girl and her grandparents were killed when an Amtrak train struck their vehicle near Ottawa, Illinois. The LaSalle County Coroner said that the young girl and her grandparents, from Leland, Illinois, were pronounced dead on the scene of the accident. Two other children from Indiana, ages 10 and 7,… Read More
Injured At Work: Worker’s Compensation and Third-Party Actions
In Illinois, as in many states, if you are injured at work (or in the course of your employment), you may not sue your employer directly for personal injury. Instead, you must pursue a “workers compensation” action to recover damages from your employer. Because our personal injury lawyers practice predominantly in Illinois, we are most… Read More
NTSB Motor Vehicle Safety “Most Wanted List” Still Applicable in Illinois
As car accident lawyers and tractor-trailer attorneys in Chicago are acutely aware, transportation accidents continue to take a huge toll on our society not only in Illinois, but nationwide. In November 2008, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) created a Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements, many of which are designed to reduce the… Read More
Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Assessing Liability in a Motor Vehicle Accident
At Passen & Powell, our experienced Chicago personal injury lawyers handle a small number of catastrophic injury cases — involving permanent injury (such as traumatic brain injury, paralysis or disfigurement) or wrongful death. Our top Chicago car accident and truck accident lawyers also handle cases where the injuries are less severe (e.g., fractures, herniated discs… Read More
President Obama Rejects Caps On Damages In Medical Malpractice Cases
President Obama’s speech at the annual conference of the American Medical Association in Chicago was a highly anticipated event, not only for casual followers of the President’s political agenda, but also for Chicago medical malpractice lawyers. Health care reform is front and center, once again, and so is the issue of “tort reform.” Medical malpractice… Read More
Fate of Illinois Medical Malpractice Tort Reform Act to be Decided by Supreme Court
As discussed in a previous post, Illinois personal injury lawyers nervously await a ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court, which will decide the fate of the Malpractice Reform Act of 2005 (“Act”). The Act caps jury awards for pain and suffering and other non-liquidated damages in medical malpractice lawsuits at $500,000 against physicians and $1… Read More
Social Host Liability in Illinois for Underage Alcohol-Related Accidents and Injuries
June is a month filled with graduation parties parties, many of which are attended by children under the age of 21. An unfortunate reality is that alcohol is often consumed at such parties, which are too often followed by children getting into a motor vehicle to drive themselves, and their friends, home. The consequences of… Read More
Recognizing Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injury lawyers represent individuals, and families of those, who sustained a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. The brain injury is considered ”traumatic” if it was caused by some external “trauma” or force, such as in a car accident, as opposed… Read More
Illinois Appellate Court Extends Damages for Wrongful Birth Actions
In a win for victims of medical malpractice involving “wrongful birth,” an Illinois Appellate Court recently extended the damages available in such actions. Illinois medical malpractice lawyers handling wrongful birth cases must take note of this decision. This author has previously written about the need to extend damages for wrongful birth causes of action in… Read More