Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

A freak accident that could have resulted in serious or fatal brain injury appears to have had no lingering consequences. An Orland Park man thought he had hit himself in the head with his nail gun while working in his garage. He even took a picture of what he called a minor scratch with his cell phone.

The Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety recently released their annual report, identifying the laws that are needed in each state to improve highway safety and reduce traffic accident injury and death.  Illinois ranked relatively well, with only three areas of concern noted.

A Chicago lawmaker has proposed banning cell phones while bicycle riding.  A New York legislator has offered a bill that would prohibit using cell phones and MP3 players while crossing streets.  What's going on?

A downstate Illinois truck accident shut down traffic on I-57 and I-70 for 25 miles on Monday afternoon. Two semi trucks hauling modular homes on I-57 missed their exits and end up at the construction zone west of Effingham on I-70. The first truck hit a concrete construction barrier, blocking the roadway entirely. State police reported that the truck drivers were lost.

A bus accident in Montana illustrates the importance of the black box. Police and traffic safety officials throughout the United States and Illinois routinely review the data contained in the recording devices installed in many commercial vehicles, such as buses and trucks. The devices store data such as speed, use of brakes, impacts and other information that can pinpoint how and why a public transportation accident took place.

Falling on ice and snow is part of winter in the Chicago region. However, most people do not anticipate that a fall on an icy sidewalk or driveway will leave them with a brain injury. However, it does happen, and some hospitals make special preparations for people whose injuries include head and brain injuries because of a slip and fall.

Passengers in the rear seats of cars will be required to wear seatbelts as of January 1, 2012. Like unrestrained passengers in front seats, back seat riders involved in accidents can suffer head and brain injuries, as well as chest and abdominal trauma. The new seat belt law, applicable throughout Illinois, is designed to reduce severe injuries and fatalities among passengers.

Although an Illinois coroner has said that a recent infant death does not appear to be linked to baby formula, he still wants some more tests. Madison County coroner Steve Nunn reported that there was no physical evidence of infection in the baby. However, because of concerns that contaminated formula could cause infections, he is seeking additional lab work before conclusively ruling out formula as the cause of death.