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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.
Can I Sue an Illinois Driver Who Caused a Crash by Driving Without Headlights?
For most of us, getting in our car to drive to work, school, or the grocery store is the most dangerous thing we will do all day. While plane crashes and random shootings may make news headlines and give people phobias about flying and going out in public, far more people die in car crashes than in any other accident or disaster.
Driving at night increases the normal dangers of driving significantly. Although only 25 percent of driving is done at night, about 50 percent of driving fatalities occur after dark. If you have been involved in a car crash that happened at night and another party was responsible, you may want to speak with an Illinois personal injury lawyer.
Common Causes of Nighttime Car Crashes
At night, all the regular hazards of daytime driving apply - debris in the road, distracted driving, or driving over the speed limit. But a special set of other factors can enhance regular road risks and make night driving much more dangerous. These include, but are not limited to:
What Kinds of Work Injuries Can Cause Total Disability?
Illinois requires most employers to have insurance that covers employees who get hurt on the job. When employees are injured on the job badly enough that they can never fully recover, future employment can be out of the question. In cases like this, it may seem like common sense to make sure the injured employee receives permanent disability benefits. Unfortunately, employers’ insurance companies usually fight these claims and deserving victims can be left without the resources they need. If you have been injured at work, be sure to talk to a workers’ compensation attorney before you make any decisions.
What Injuries Cause Permanent Disability?
Construction workers, truck drivers, police officers, and other high-risk employees are at particular danger of suffering injuries that can cause permanent disability. These injuries include:
What Should I Do if My Spouse Gets Arrested in Illinois?
When your spouse gets arrested, especially if it is the first time, your first reaction may be one of confusion and you may have many questions. Are they guilty? What are the consequences if they are convicted? What does this mean for my family? And - perhaps more pressing - what do I do now? Taking quick, effective action is essential for protecting your spouse and ensuring they get the criminal defense they need. Here are some important first steps to take when someone you love has been arrested for committing a crime in Will County.
Encourage Your Spouse to Remain Silent
People who have been arrested often believe that they can explain themselves out of a situation and that the arresting officer or jail employees will be reasonable if the arrestee is friendly and polite. Unfortunately, this is just not true - and everything your spouse says may be used against them later on. As soon as you speak to your spouse, encourage them to stay quiet and only talk to an attorney about their case.
How Do Elderly Nursing Home Patients Develop Bedsores?
Nursing home residents are elderly and often frail, requiring extensive care and assistance. Families who have loved ones in nursing homes have to take a leap of faith, putting their trust in the staff and management at a residential care facility which family members often know very little about. The truth is that nursing home residents often face abuse and neglect. Tragic stories of abuse and neglect are frequently on the news, and understaffing is often responsible for the worst outcomes for nursing home patients.
Bedsores are one of the most common consequences of nursing home understaffing. While you may not be able to monitor your loved one in their nursing home all the time, if your parent or grandparent has bedsores and you have a hunch that they may not be getting the care they need, take action right away.
How Do Bedsores Develop?
How Can I Get My Driver’s License Back After an Illinois DUI?
Everybody makes mistakes, but sometimes our mistakes have a major impact on our life. Getting caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Illinois carries serious consequences in Illinois, including the suspension of your driver’s license. However, living without a driver’s license makes working and running everyday errands complicated and difficult. If you have had your driver’s license suspended because of a DUI, you probably want to get your license reinstated so you can get your driving privileges back as soon as possible; fortunately, an experienced driver’s license reinstatement attorney can help.
Attending a Hearing
You have done your community service, paid your fines, and maybe even spent some time in jail. You should be able to pay a small fee and get your license reinstated, right? Not so fast - thanks to the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, which wants to ensure that giving your driving privileges back would not endanger public safety. First, you need to attend a special hearing to prove you would not be a threat to other drivers. Depending on the severity of your DUI charges, your hearing will either be “formal” or “informal.”
Will My DUI Charge Be a Felony in Illinois?
Drinking and driving is a major cause of fatal car accidents, even when only one car is involved. The state of Illinois, therefore, takes people driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol very seriously, and certain DUI charges may even be prosecuted as a felony DUI. Criminal DUI charges can impact your employment prospects, driving privileges, and relationships for long into the future; if you have recently been charged with a DUI in Will County, Illinois, you may be wondering what the likely consequences are.
First and Second DUI Charges
If there are no other additional charges, such as property theft or vehicular homicide, a person’s first and second DUI charge will usually be a Class A misdemeanor. While a misdemeanor may sound less serious than a felony, Class A misdemeanors are the most serious type of misdemeanor charge and carry serious consequences, including up to a year in jail and up to $2,500 in fines. A judge can also order probation, court supervision, a breath alcohol ignition interlock device, and counseling for DUI charges.
What is the Difference Between Workers’ Comp and Social Security Disability Benefits?
When someone is seriously injured or has ongoing health issues, their ability to go to work every day can be threatened. Unfortunately, injury and illness can result in job loss and the disastrous consequences that come with it - unpaid bills, food insecurity, and even homelessness. Fortunately, there are options to replace your income if you are unable to work due to serious illness or injury: Social Security Disability (SSD) and workers’ compensation benefits. Although these are similar, they are not the same and it is important to understand the difference between the two, especially if you sustained a work-related injury that has kept you from earning a paycheck.
What is Workers’ Compensation?
Nearly all Illinois employers are required to have workers’ compensation insurance, which allows employees to receive benefits after a workplace-related injury or illness. The upside to workers’ compensation benefits is that, in most cases, workers are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits even if they were at fault for the injury or illness. The downside is that workers’ compensation usually shields employers from lawsuits after an employee has been injured or made ill through no fault of their own. Workers’ compensation can cover medical expenses, lost wages, and sometimes even job training if the employee is unable to return to their former profession.
I Was Delivering a Package and Got Attacked by a Dog. What Can I Do?
The classically antagonistic relationship between dogs and postal workers has been the subject of many comedy skits and great movie scenes. While most dogs are friendly to visitors and the vast majority of the millions of deliveries in America each day are made safely, it is unfortunately true that people who deliver mail, packages, and food are sometimes viciously attacked by dogs through no fault of their own.
Dog attacks can be terrifying to experience and can have serious physical and emotional consequences. Injuries sustained in dog attacks can require expensive treatment, including surgery and physical therapy, and may even cause lifelong physical deformation. If you were delivering a package and were attacked by a dog, you may want to meet with an Illinois dog attack lawyer.
Common Dog Attack Injuries
Dog attack injuries can vary widely in their seriousness and in the level of treatment they require. However, common injuries sustained in dog attacks include:
Construction Sites Pose Risk of Serious Work Injuries in Illinois
Of all the jobs in Illinois, construction work exposes workers to some of the most consistently dangerous conditions. Throughout the United States, heavy machinery, slippery conditions, unstable scaffolding, and other risk factors contributed to over 1,100 construction worker deaths in 2019 alone, with many tens of thousands of construction site injuries. While most injuries are not life-threatening, others are serious enough to take a worker off the job for months and sometimes even permanently. Here are some of the most common injuries sustained by construction workers in Illinois.
Common Construction Site Accidents
The United States Department of Labor keeps statistics on construction industry accidents. According to their estimates, the most common cause of injuries and fatalities were falls, slips, and trips. Most fatalities occur when someone falls to a lower level. Other common causes of serious accidents include:
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