One of the most gruesome and devastating types of traumatic injuries a person can undergo is a degloving injury. Indeed, we had a difficult time finding an image to assign to this article, for fear that an image of a degloving injury would be too gruesome for our readers. In our law practice, we most often… Read More
Car Accidents Caused by Drunk Drivers in Illinois
A Tragic Death Last winter, a 39 year-old male caused a motor vehicle accident when he crashed into a car containing two women and an 11 year-old boy in the back seat. The women were at a complete stop due to another accident up ahead of them. The driver of the SUV, who was found… 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
When Trucking Companies Ignore the Law
The trucking industry in the United States is subject to an increasing network of laws and regulations designed to protect the safety of others on the roads. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have created a system which, while not perfect, greatly enhances safety. Maintenance and safety… Read More
Your Rights When a Drunk Driver Strikes
Who Is at Fault? This may seem like an obvious question: the drunk driver whose careless driving caused injury to another is, of course, at fault. However, others may be legally accountable as well. For instance, if the drunk driver was a minor, or was served alcohol while visibly intoxicated, you may have a cause… Read More
Legislation to Allow Heavier Trucks on U.S. Roadways
Earlier this year, Senator Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine, introduced the Commercial Truck Safety Act. Despite its name, the bill is designed not to increase safety, but to decrease it. Snowe is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, as well as a senior member of the Senate Committee… Read More
Driving the Most Dangerous Part of America’s Jobs
When most people think of on-the-job-injuries, they think of falls, working with heavy machinery, factory or construction site injuries, and even chemical spills and exposures. However, the single leading cause of work-related deaths is far more commonplace: motor vehicle accidents. Over one-third of all work-related fatalities stem from motor vehicles. According to data kept by… Read More
An Egregious Case of Distracted Driving
Here at Passen & Powell, our experienced car accident attorneys have long spoken out regarding the dangers of distracted driving. We have examined the growing menace of distracted drivers on our roads, and the increasing toll it is taking on the lives and livelihoods of innocent members of the public. Almost since driving began, there… Read More
Good News on Traffic Safety
With the seemingly never-ending flow of motor vehicle accidents in the United States, including many that lead to fatalities or permanent, severe disability, the Chicago car accident attorneys of Passen & Powell are encouraged by recent reports in the area of traffic safety. This month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a report… Read More
Trucking Fatalities Decline, But Room for Improvement Remains
The motor vehicle accident attorneys of Passen & Powell join with others in congratulating the trucking industry and its regulators on the continuing improvements in trucking safety over the past few years. According to the latest data, fatalities from accidents involving trucks have decreased by one-third, or 33 percent, since the latest hours of service,… Read More