Chicago Personal Injury Attorneys Blog

Many Chicago area families with teenage drivers in the household are familiar with the New Car Assessment Program. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration runs the five-star safety ratings program to provide vehicle safety performance ratings to consumers. While most Chicago families are very concerned about the safety of vehicles driven by teenagers, NHTSA thinks we should also be concerned about the cars that older family members are driving.

Older drivers and vehicle occupants are generally less able than younger people to withstand the force of a car accident. In fact, federal statistics show that older drivers face the highest rate of death in serious car accidents. As a result of this information, and the fact that America's largest generation is reaching retirement age, NHTSA has proposed a new safety rating that would specifically assess vehicle safety as it pertains to older drivers.

The family of a 15-year-od boy has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a man who, while texting and driving, struck and killed the boy while the victim and a friend were walking on the shoulder of a street. The man's vehicle left the road and struck the victim who died the next day in the hospital.

The man has a long history of traffic violation and has been charged in criminal offense, automoble homicide involving the use of a hand-held wireless communication device while driving which is a felony.

Utah, where the accident occurred had just passed an amendment to its' texting-while-driving law making it illegal to be doing anything on a hand-held wireless communication device except making or receiving a call, or using GPS navigation. Before the amendment, the driver had to be sending a text at the instant the accident occurred. Merely looking at a text or screen of a cell phone was not illegal.

Grazian and Volpe applauds the broadening of Utah's texting -while- driving laws. As we have pointed out in numerous article texting-while-driving causes more accidents that driving and drinking. We cannot be too tough on this practice.

It is always better to stay safe and avoid accidents-but if you can't stay safe-stay with Grazian and Volpe- Chicagoland's Injury Lawyers for over 30 years.

The largest personal injury award in the county's history was awarded in a wrongful death lawsuit to the husband and family of a woman who was killed by a falling power line in her backyard. The woman burned for more than 20 minutes while in mother-in-law and two young daughters watched helplessly until utility crews arrived to turn off the electricity. The victim's mother-in-law attempted to help but was burned in the process and unable to render aid. The victim had several fingers severed from her left hand and her left arm was amputated by doctors in an attmept to save her but she died three days later in a local hospital.

Evidence was presented showing that the power company failed to properly train workers for years before the accident and after the victim's husband told the company that he was concerned for his family's safety because the spliced power line in their backyard had failed twice before.

It was shown that the power company did not properly train its workers to use a wire brush to clean the power lines before they were spliced. This failure caused the splices to rust which leads to overheating and failure of the lines. The victim had gone outside to call the power company because she saw a tree burning to the overheated wire, cutting power to the house.

This was the most tragic of premises liability injuries and the jurors were justly incensed by the wanton nature of the power company's response to this safety issue and deliberated less than two hours.

As summertime approaches and more adults and children venture outdoors, Grazian and Volpe advises that all be aware of the presence of power lines and their conditions. Fallen and impaired power lines should be avoided and reported and children taught safety awareness in the presence of these lines-especially where lakes or pools are present.

It is always better to avoid accidents and stay safe but if you can't stay safe-stay with Grazian & Volpe, Chicagoland's Injury Lawyers for over 30 years.

If you are injured at work, do not be bullied by your employer into choosing the company doctor. Doctors are hired by companies to put you back to work and the horror stories abound where employees are sent back to work before they are fully healed.

Don't be bullied. 

When you are injured in the workplace your employer may compel you to see the company doctor or industrial clinic. However, you may and should see the doctor of your choice. The doctor chosen by your employer was chosen because he or she renders treatment and diagnosis that are most favorable to your employer. This means they may advise less beneficial, cheaper treatments and are focused on getting you back to your employer's workplace as soon as possible. In addition and most disturbing is that the doctor recommended by your employer is not liable for any malpractice that they commit during the course of treating you! Your employer can compel you to see the company doctor or industrial clinic of their choice. However, if you are not satisfied with that treatment, you can and should insist on seeing the doctor of your choice.

Your employer won't tell you that you can choose your own doctor and will encourage you to remain with the company doctor or preferred industrial clinic. Remember, you have the choice! Choose the doctor that will work for your best interest and not your employers. Many employees worry that insisting on their rights may result in losing their job however this is retaliatory discharged and not permitted under the law. If your employer fires you because you insist upon your rights, they will face additional liability and you will be entitled to additional compensation (see blog, Grazian and Volpe, July 27, 2011 Workers' Compensation and Machine Guarding).

We have been writing about the effect of the new changes to worker's compensation on our Chicago Injury Attorney and South Chicago Accident Lawyer blogs since the Illinois Legislature finalized the rules. It is not more important then ever that an injured worker confer with their worker's compensation attorney, most beneficially with a law firm that combines the expertise of workers' compensation and personal injury(See Grazian and Volpe Blog dated 8/3/2011 Workers' Compensation May Not Be All). 

Grazian and Volpe has been Chicagoland's Injury Lawyers for over 30 years and we are dedicated to advocating on the behalf of all  injured plaintiffs whether the accident occurred in or outside the workplace. Remember to call Grazian and Volpe as soon as you are able. When injured in the workplace look for a firm that combines expertise in workers compensation and personal injury.