Recent Blog Posts
When is a Property Owner Liable for a Slip and Fall on Their Property?
People can be seriously injured when they slip, trip, or fall, and the hazards of poorly tended surfaces are heightened for elderly and disabled individuals. Accidentally falling is one of the leading causes of unintentional deaths in America, and millions of people are treated in the hospital for injuries sustained in falls. It is important to understand your rights in Illinois if you are injured when you slip and fall. You may be eligible to receive compensation from the responsible party for your injuries, including medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more.
How Does Illinois Premises Liability Law Work?
The Illinois Premises Liability Act is intended to hold property owners and managers responsible if someone who has a right to be on the property is hurt because of carelessness or negligence on the part of the property owner. In some cases, property owners may be liable for injuries that occurred even when someone was trespassing.
Illinois Truck Drivers Should Be Aware of These Common Commercial Driver License Violations
The truckers and deliverymen and women who ensure the rest of Americans receive their packages and food on time often need to have commercial driver’s licenses (CDL). Getting a CDL requires extensive training in recognition of the serious responsibility that comes with driving vehicles carrying significant weight or dangerous substances.
Because of this responsibility, Illinois law is highly circumspect when it comes to articulating CDL violations and the consequences such actions involve. If you are a CDL driver or want to be and have questions about license violations or reinstatement, speak with an attorney right away.
Common CDL Violations
While certain violations, such as driving under the influence, might be more well-known, other violations may surprise you. Just a few common CDL violations include:
- Leaving the scene of a crash while driving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV)
What Happens to Commercial Truck Drivers Who Get a DUI?
Commercial drivers are a crucial part of the American economy, especially in a world where Covid and other challenges prevent easy or regular access to stores. More people than ever are doing the majority of their shopping online, and the significant supply disruptions that occur when truckers are overworked or unavailable attest to the importance of these jobs.
Although commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders are essential to helping our daily lives continue normally, they are human just like everyone else and sometimes make serious mistakes like drinking or taking drugs before driving. A DUI on a commercial driver’s license can have serious consequences, to say nothing of what can happen when a big rig driver loses control of his truck because he is not thinking clearly. If you are facing DUI charges on your CDL, get help from an aggressive criminal defense attorney right away.
Summer in Illinois Requires Heightened Vigilance Against Swimming Pool Accidents
One of the best parts of summer is enjoying the warm weather by the side of a swimming pool. Kids stay busy and parents enjoy having the kids out of the house and tuckered out at the end of the day. However, pools also come with serious injury risks, as thousands of people, both children and adults, are injured in swimming pools every year in America.
Many of the children who are injured will face a long, uphill battle toward recovery. Their parents will likewise struggle with the healing process as they face expensive medical and rehabilitative treatment for their child, as well as the emotional burden of helping their child recover from their injuries. If you or your child are injured in a preventable Illinois swimming pool accident this summer, it may be helpful to know the basics of Illinois premises liability law and have the help of an experienced swimming pool injury attorney.
Warn Your College-Aged Child About These Criminal Offenses Over Summer Break
Summer is in full swing in Illinois and kids are out of school. For young adults that just graduated high school or are visiting from college for the summer, the freedom can be downright intoxicating. Add literal intoxicants like THC or alcohol, and the mix can sometimes be disastrous.
Young adults—young men, in particular—generally still do not have a fully developed frontal lobe, which is the part of the brain responsible for making decisions and accurately predicting the consequences of those decisions. When drugs, alcohol, or peer pressure are added to the inevitable lack of maturity and underdeveloped decision-making skills that come with young age, risk-taking behaviors increase. While most activities are relatively harmless—and even those that are harmful are often escaped without causing serious damage—sometimes the consequences of poor decisions require the help of an Illinois criminal defense attorney.
Carelessness With Fireworks Can Cause Serious and Even Life-Threatening Injuries
As the Fourth of July approaches, experts are urging families and individuals who plan to use fireworks to use extreme caution when handling these dangerous products. While fireworks may seem harmless, every year tens of thousands of Americans are injured by even the smallest fireworks, including sparklers and snaps or poppers. Practice firework safety this summer season, and if you do sustain an injury because of someone else’s reckless actions, speak with an Illinois personal injury attorney to see if you can take action.
Common Firework Injuries
There are gruesome videos online demonstrating the explosive force of fireworks on human dummies, allowing skeptics can see just how powerful and dangerous fireworks can be. People frequently sustain serious injuries from fireworks, including:
- Burns
- Lacerations and cuts
- Open wounds and hemorrhaging
Three Things You Need to Know About Marijuana and DUI in Illinois
While Illinois has legalized recreational marijuana, there are still boundaries around when and where it can be safely used. Like alcohol, marijuana is an intoxicant that muddles the body and brain’s typical responses to stimuli. Although many people feel as though they can safely drive after ingesting cannabis, research shows that a high driver’s chances of getting into a car accident increase dramatically. However, unlike alcohol, getting a ticket for driving with cannabis in a driver’s bloodstream is complicated because THC can remain in your system for many days after the last time it is used. If you have been pulled over and charged with driving under the influence of marijuana, here are three things you should know before you call an Illinois DUI defense attorney who can help you fight the charges.
Even If an Officer Smells Marijuana, They Cannot Search You Without a Warrant
Can You Still Be Charged With Distributing Marijuana in Illinois?
Even though individuals in Illinois can now purchase marijuana from licensed dealers, grow up to five plants on private property, and own up to 30 grams of marijuana, it is still illegal to privately sell marijuana or own it with the intent to deliver. Illinois has not relaxed its penalties for drug crimes that involve marijuana, and, if anything, prosecutors tend to go after these cases more harshly now. If you have been charged with unlawful marijuana possession, it is important to take these charges seriously and contact a criminal defense attorney right away.
Why Is Delivering Marijuana Privately Still Illegal?
Whether you view the restriction of private marijuana sales as a cynical tax grab or the state of Illinois simply protecting its citizens from unsafe substances, private marijuana sales are still illegal. Even selling a small amount to a friend or possessing an otherwise legal amount with the intent to sell it is illegal.
Is Paying a Traffic Ticket My Only Option?
You pay taxes on your income, taxes on gas to fill up your car, and even taxes on household essentials. So when you get hit with an expensive traffic ticket that you know is going to fill the coffers of the government even further, it is natural to feel angry and frustrated. Aggressive parking and traffic ticket policies are often initiated to meet quotas and, rather than making the streets of Illinois safer, can instead have a highly detrimental impact on your wallet, ability to drive, and even hold down a job.
Fortunately, you can fight traffic violation tickets with the help of an experienced Illinois traffic ticket defense attorney. Doing so can help you save money and avoid some of the serious consequences of a traffic ticket because you accepted the results without fighting back.
Why Should I Not Just Pay My Traffic Ticket?
Intoxicated Semi-Truck Driver Causes Crash That Sends Cows Sprawling Over Illinois Highway
Illinois highways are some of the most trafficked roads in the nation, full of semi-trucks, heavy farm equipment, flatbed truck trailers, and more. Not only does Illinois have a large and thriving economy of its own, but it is at the heart of America and handles much of the interstate traffic as goods are moved from place to place.
While Illinois has its fair share of truck accidents and car crashes, every so often an accident happens on Illinois roadways that is almost too strange to believe. Last month, for example, a truck driver with a load of cattle in a large cattle-hauling truck was driving under the influence and crashed into a parked semi on the side of I-80 in Joliet. Several cattle were thrown out of the truck and killed, while others were freed, wandered away from the scene of the accident, and had to be wrangled up by professional cowboys. The truck driver, who was charged with a DUI, was seriously injured and taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.