Motorists like to believe that our roadways are kept safe from dangerous drunk drivers by the police and the legal system. The reality, however, is that unless and until a drunk driver causes an accident and serious damage or death, he often receives little more than a slap on the wrist, enabling him to continue… Read More
More Chicago Fatalities from Drunk Boaters
In 2011, the number of Illinois fatalities related to alcohol and boating soared to nine – the highest number since 2004. This makes Illinois the second-worst state in the nation for alcohol-related boating fatalities (Wisconsin ranks number one). The 2011 fatalities included boaters on Lake Michigan, canoeists on our state’s rivers, and everything in between…. Read More
Driving While Texting = Vehicular Homicide
While civil punishments and lesser criminal charges for drivers who text are becoming increasingly common, homicide convictions for texting drivers who cause fatal accidents have been, until recently, untested. Now, however, a Massachusetts driver has been convicted of motor vehicle homicide (otherwise known as vehicular homicide) when his texting while driving caused a fatal crash…. Read More
Semi Truck Crashes Into Home
Last month, in a curious Chicago trucking accident, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer crashed into a south suburban home. The Calumet City crash left the driver dead and three others injured – the driver’s 8-year-old daughter and the two passengers of a car struck by the truck before it hit the home. The accident occurred late at… Read More
Another Fatal Left-Hand Turn Motorcycle Accident
Recently, in the latest in a long-running string of deadly or disabling motorcycle accidents in Chicagoland, there was an accident downtown involving two motorcycles and one automobile. One of the two motorcyclists died in the crash, while two other people were injured. The crash occurred in Chicago’s Ravenswood area, and occurred in the early morning… Read More
Another Dangerous Breast Implant Leads to Criminal Charges in Europe
In yet another blow to the breast implant market, the burgeoning scandal of the implants from Ploy Implant Prothese (known as “PIP”) has rapidly become a medical products liability nightmare. The implants were used in over 400,000 women across 65 countries in Europe and South America. The implants have not been sold in the United… Read More
Cash Incentives for Reporting Holiday Drunk Drivers
As our Chicago auto accident attorneys have previously written about the dangers of drunk drivers on New Year’s Eve. A variety of services, both free and paid, have sprung up to help drivers who have had “one too many” – or more – get home (often also arranging to drive the drunk customer’s car home,… Read More
Chicago Working to Curb Dangerous Cabbies
We have previously written about serious taxi cab accidents and the Chicago cab drivers whose tickets and citations disappear, over and over again. Now, at long last, it appears that action is being taken to correct this dangerous problem. This week, Rahm Emanuael, Chicago’s mayor, announced that the city is taking steps to tackle the… Read More
Overstretched FDA Asks Doctors to Police Pharmaceutical Advertising
In yet another sign that the FDA is incapable of carrying out its duties to ensure the health and safety of the American public, the FDA has now announced that it will be relying on doctors to police the pharmaceutical companies’ advertising. The American pharmaceutical industry spends literally billions of dollars – around $20 billion… Read More
Symptoms and Permanent Consequences of TBI
Our Chicago brain injury lawyers continue this week’s discussion of traumatic brain injury (TBI), in honor of Brain Injury Awareness Month, with a discussion of the symptoms and effects of TBI. As discussed previously, traumatic brain injuries are caused by a blunt trauma to the head — often a result of motor vehicle accidents, falls,… Read More