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How a DUI Arrest May Impact Your Job
Getting arrested for drunk driving can have serious career implications for some people. While Illinois does offer some legal protections for employees with criminal convictions or arrest histories, there are plenty of ways a DUI arrest could affect your job or future job prospects. At a minimum, you will likely need to discuss your arrest with your boss or HR, especially if you unexpectedly did not arrive for a shift because you were in jail. You are most likely to face adverse career impacts if you hold a professional license or if your job duties include driving. An experienced Will County, IL DUI attorney can work to minimize the overall impact your recent DUI arrest will have on your life.
Can I Get Fired for Getting a DUI?
Generally, an employer cannot fire you just for getting arrested or even just for getting convicted of a crime in Illinois. However, there are many exceptions to this rule. First, if your job involves driving, you could be fired for getting convicted of a DUI. In that case, your conviction would be substantially related to your job duties, and allowing you to continue doing that job would give you the opportunity to re-offend.
Why Reporting Minor Work Injuries is Essential
It is easy to feel a little silly when you go to report a minor work injury to your supervisor. If your injury is so minor that you do not think you will need any medical attention and can keep working that day, you might question whether there is any sense in reporting it. You should always report all workplace injuries, however insignificant they might seem at first. Reporting minor accidents can protect you in case the injury turns out to be worse than you thought. Injuries that do not seem too painful at the time can swell and get worse after you go home for the day. Cuts that seem like insignificant scrapes can start showing signs of injection days later. Documentation is everything in a workers’ compensation case. Reporting an injury promptly can help you get the compensation you need later. After you have reported a workplace injury, you should consult an experienced Will County, IL workers’ compensation attorney.
Package Delivery and Fall Injuries
People increasingly prefer to shop from home. Especially in the winter before the holidays, it can be much more convenient to buy gifts online instead of driving from store to store or carrying bags around the mall. The trend towards online shopping becomes more pronounced each year. During the month of December, many people have boxes arriving almost daily. Unfortunately, packages can also be a tripping hazard, especially in apartment buildings where numerous residents are having deliveries made. Accidents can also occur during the delivery process, especially when delivery drivers are rushed. If you were injured by a careless package delivery person, an experienced Will County, IL personal injury attorney may be able to help you recover compensation.
Improperly Placed Packages Are a Tripping Hazard
Package delivery workers should use reasonable care to place packages out of the way where people are not likely to trip over them. This means that packages should be set to the side of doorways and close to the wall if there is no designated mail area. Packages that are carelessly placed in front of doorways, where people exiting an apartment might not see them, can cause people to trip and fall. Even greater care must be used when the layout of an apartment building means that people’s doors open on staircase landings. Boxes should never be placed near the top of a staircase, as tripping and falling down the stairs can cause very serious injuries.
Why Theft Charges Peak During the Holidays
Typically, the summer months bring more violent crime such as muggings and gang-related shootings. The winter months bring more property crime. Theft, vandalism, and sometimes criminal trespass all tend to increase shortly before major winter holidays. There are a number of reasons for these patterns, which are fairly predictable year after year. Many of these crimes are committed out of desperation or frustration rather than with any real malice or desire to commit a crime. If you are charged with theft, vandalism, or a related offense, you need an experienced Joliet, IL property crime attorney to help you. Courts can be more understanding of minor property offenses around the holidays, especially when your attorney can frame the facts well.
People Struggle Financially Around the Holidays
Financial difficulties have always been a great driver of shoplifting and theft. Even families who are generally financially secure for most of the year can experience hardship around the winter holidays. There are a lot of extra expenditures, like presents for others, special foods for holiday meals, and seasonal items like new winter coats for children who outgrow them every year. This can motivate people who would not normally steal to try to shoplift some of the items they need but cannot afford.
Are Ghost Guns Legal to Own?
Ghost guns have become a subject of much discussion after it was discovered that the gun used to shoot the CEO of United Healthcare had no serial number and may have been made with a 3D printer. It is likely that a lot of gun crime in the Chicago area involves "ghost guns" that were not produced or sold through legitimate channels. In Illinois, it is illegal to own a ghost gun that has no serial number and was not purchased lawfully. It is also illegal to create these guns at home. Illinois has fairly strict firearms laws that require all gun owners to have a Firearm Owners Identification card. If you are facing firearms charges for owning or creating a ghost gun, you need an experienced Will County, IL gun crime attorney to help you.
What Is a Ghost Gun?
A ghost gun is a firearm without a serial number. Most ghost guns are produced at home, often through the use of 3D printing technology. Ghost guns can also be built from a kit, the idea being that a bag of firearm parts can be sold in situations where a fully assembled and ready-to-shoot gun could not. Most people who produce ghost guns in their homes are trying to circumvent Illinois’ firearms regulations.
Pranks That Are Actually Criminal Offenses in Illinois
Playing a lighthearted prank on a friend, neighbor, or coworker can be a nice way to make a normal day a little more fun. The internet is full of prank videos. Even major TV networks feature TV shows based on pranking unsuspecting victims. As long as everyone - including the person being pranked - is laughing in the end, you are probably not going to face criminal charges. However, it is important to exercise great care when playing pranks that could be upsetting to the victim. If property is damaged, someone is hurt or made ill, or the prank could be construed as harassment, there is a chance you may be violating a criminal statute. If you are facing criminal charges after a prank has gone wrong, you need an experienced Joliet, IL criminal defense lawyer to help you.
Pranks That May Be Considered Criminal Assault
When planning a prank, it is important to know that if you touch the victim or cause the victim to be touched in a way that is harmful or offensive or cause the victim to believe that he or she is going to be touched in this manner, you could be charged with criminal assault. Examples of pranks that might be considered criminal assaults or batteries include:
What to Expect at an Informal Driver's License Reinstatement Hearing
When you are trying to have your driver’s license reinstated after a DUI revocation, you may be asked to attend either a formal or informal hearing. If you have had multiple DUIs or injured someone during your first DUI, you will probably have to go through a formal hearing. However, if you have only had one uncomplicated DUI, you might qualify for an informal hearing. If you qualify for an informal hearing, you will only need to go to a Secretary of State Driver Services office where hearing officers are located. You do not need an appointment, but you do need to be well-prepared. An experienced Joliet, IL driver’s license reinstatement attorney should always help you prepare for an informal hearing.
What Happens at an Informal Driver’s License Reinstatement Hearing?
What exactly will happen and what types of questions you need to be ready to answer depends on the specific facts and circumstances of your case and whether you are asking for full reinstatement or a restricted permit. These hearings can be quick and straightforward in simple cases or more complex if your case has an unusual or complicated fact pattern.
Worker's Compensation for Repetitive Stress Injuries
Repetitive stress injuries can happen to any worker with any job. Even white-collar workers with desk jobs can sustain this type of injury. A repetitive stress injury is a type of bodily harm that comes about when someone is making repetitive bodily movements, like bending and lifting or even typing on a computer. These injuries do not happen abruptly - they come on slowly, over time. You might first notice that a body part is sore, but you can still use it. Then, problems like pain, stiffness, or reduced movement build up, and it gets to a point where you cannot just ignore the injury and keep working. If this has happened to you, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation so that you can get the medical treatment and time off you need. A dedicated Will County, IL workers’ compensation attorney can help you pursue all the compensation you deserve.
The Most Common Work Injuries Among Healthcare Workers
Being a healthcare worker, like a nurse or CNA, can be dangerous. Healthcare workers are much more likely to be injured on the job than most people. Nursing is a physically demanding profession, especially for those who work in elder care or bedside nursing. Nurses and nurses’ aids often bear the brunt of the physical labor that needs to be done, like helping patients ambulate or change positions in bed. Healthcare workers who are injured on the job may be eligible for workers’ compensation. If you are a healthcare professional who got hurt at work, you should immediately contact an experienced Joliet, IL workers’ compensation attorney.
Back Injuries and Patient Care
Back injuries are one of the most common types of bodily harm healthcare workers sustain while working. Hospital staff may not have the equipment needed to safely move bariatric patients, forcing them to attempt to manually help these patients change positions or stand up. Some patients are instructed to walk only with a two-person assist, but the hospital may not have enough staff to allow two people to assist one patient. Nurses and CNAs are commonly injured when a patient they are assisting starts to fall and the healthcare worker intervenes.
Compensation for Road Rage Injuries
Dealing with a driver with road rage can be terrifying and also dangerous. Road rage incidents tend to increase during times of civil unrest or universal stress, such as during the height of the pandemic and around election day. When people, in general, are short on patience in their daily lives, they tend to be less patient on the roads as well. This can lead to a lot of car accidents. With the election approaching, a lot of people are also displaying political bumper stickers on their vehicles. While this is a vital form of free speech, it can also lead to increased aggression on the roads between opposing sides. If you are injured by an aggressive driver, you need an experienced Will County, IL personal injury lawyer to help you maximize your compensation.
Common Signs of Road Rage
While some drivers with road rage make themselves known quite clearly by rolling down their windows and shouting or making obscene gestures, others are harder to spot. It can be challenging to determine whether a driver is acting out of negligence or road rage. Some signs that you have been targeted by an aggressive driver include:
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