- Barry Doyle | January 31, 2007 4:00 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsUnder an Illinois law known as the Dram Shop Act, persons injured by intoxicated persons can recover damages from establishments licensed to sell liquor by the State of Illinois which sold or gave liquor to the intoxicated person. However, the amount recoverable in damages is capped. That amount is adjusted annually in accordance with a consumer price index.State Comptroller Dan Hynes, whose...
- Barry Doyle | January 30, 2007 10:18 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeA Florida woman died recently of a massive overdose of dilantin while she was hospitalized. The attending physician ordered 800 milligrams of the drug, but a nurse gave her 8000 milligrams instead. Two to five grams is considered a fatal dosage.Heart failure was a cause of the patient's death. According to the Institute of Medicine, this was one of the estimated 400,000 patient deaths...
- Barry Doyle | January 30, 2007 8:00 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseA Montana nursing home resident died last week after being burned in a fire at the nursing home. The fire was apparently caused by the use of cigarettes near oxygen equipment.The woman suffered second and third degree burns and died the following day.Oxygen equipment creates a special risk of fires when cigarettes or other open flames are nearby. The oxygen from the equipment can create a...
- Barry Doyle | January 29, 2007 5:00 PM |
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Workplace InjuriesOSHA fined a Boston-area masonry contractor $119,000 for safety violations involved in an April accident. The contractor's employees were dismantling the scaffold and in doing so, they removed the braces that anchored the scaffold to the building. Without anything to anchor or stabilize it, the scaffold collapsed, resulting in the deaths of two workers and one passer-by.The fines were based on...
- Barry Doyle | January 28, 2007 7:30 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)The CTA has moved to fire five employees it found to be responsible for the July Blue Line derailment. The fired workers were responsible for inspecting the tracks but failed to notice the deteriorated condition of the track plates. The deterioration of the track plates led to the derailment.More than 100 people have filed suit against the CTA for the derailment. Many people suffered smoke...
- Barry Doyle | January 27, 2007 10:00 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseA Kansas City nursing home was fined $10,000 by state regulators after a resident died in her bed at the facility. The facility was using bed rails to allevaite the risk of falling. Unfortunately, the resident became trappedin between her mattress and the bed rails and died.The medical examiner ruled that the cause of death was positional asphyxiation.Bed rails seem like a natural way to...
- Barry Doyle | January 26, 2007 6:00 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesA Massachusetts contractor was fined $40,000 by OSHA after an inspector saw two workers on a steeply-pitched roof without fall protection in place. The amount of the fine was increased due to the company having been fined for similar violations on two other job sites in 2005.In 2004, there were 1,224 fatalities involving construction workers. 36% of those work-related deaths were due to...
- Barry Doyle | January 25, 2007 8:00 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)A Wisconsin student was injured, but fortunately not seriously, when he was bitten by a pit bull during gym class at school. The dog had latched onto the child's arm, prompting a police officer assigned to the school to shoot and kill the dog.County officials stated that when a pit bull bites and latches on, the pit bull is an attack mode.This news story demonstrates one of the traits about pit...
- Barry Doyle | January 24, 2007 10:54 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseThe McHenry County State's Attorney obtained a court order to exhume at least three bodies of deceased residents of a local nursing home. This is part of an ongoing investigation into allegations that a member of the nursing staff deliberately killed residents of the facility.The residents were allegedly killed with a fatal overdose of morphine.Normally, the law holds employers responsible for...
- Barry Doyle | January 24, 2007 8:00 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsA CTA bus was involved in a multi-vehicle accident Saturday morning. The accident occurred near the intersection of 67th and Jeffrey on the south side of Chicago. In addition to the bus, there were as many as four other vehicles involved in the collision.Eight people were taken to area hospitals. Two of the people were reported to be in critical condition.Anyone injured as a passenger on a...
- Barry Doyle | January 23, 2007 7:30 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesA Tazewell County man died in a recent trench collapse accident. He was helping a neighbor dig an eight-foot deep trench in his backyard for a septic system at the time of accident.The local coroner determined that the cause of the man's death was asphyxiation brought on by the pressure of the earth from the cave-in.One of the less easily recognized dangers of a trench collapse is suffocation. ...
- Barry Doyle | January 21, 2007 5:00 PM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseAn Illinois nursing home resident was seriously burned in a smoking accident at the facility. One of the resident's diagnoses was dementia which had worsened in the months before the fire. Staff members from the nursing home were aware that he was smoking unsupervised in his room, but there was no care plan in place to address dangers associated with his smoking. In fact, a member of the...
- Barry Doyle | January 21, 2007 8:30 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsA Rockford-area family has filed suit against the Winnebago County sheriff and one of its deputies after two family members died and one was injured when their vehicle was struck by a squad car driven by the deputy. According to the black box in the deputy's vehicle, he was traveling at 103 miles per hour immediately before impact.A part of the suit will claim wrongful death on behalf of the...
- Barry Doyle | January 20, 2007 9:00 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)A 10 year old Texas girl has died after being mauled by a pit bull. The dog had escaped the yard where it was kept by jumping a fence. In addition to attacking the girl, the dog also bit two men who tried to rescue the dog.The girl died from blood loss resulting from puncture wounds to the neck.Victims of dog attacks in Illinois have two main avenues of recovery: (1) a statutory claim under...
- Barry Doyle | January 19, 2007 7:00 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsA Rockford-area girl who was involved in a head-on collision and survived is encouraging others to wear seat belts. She regularly speaks to high-school groups to share her tale. She has been recognized for her efforts with awards from the governor and the National Transportation Safety Highway Administration.She attributes wearing her seat belt to allowing her to live even though the accident...
- Barry Doyle | January 18, 2007 7:00 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeA Cleveland-area child died after receiving an improperly-mixed medication as part of her chemotherapy regimen. The actual dose was mixed by a pharmacy technician. The error was uncovered as part of an investigation which followed the child's death.The work of the pharmacy technician was being supervised by a licensed pharmacist. However, he failed to discover the medication error before...
- Barry Doyle | January 17, 2007 7:00 PM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseA Chicago nursing home was fined $27,500 after a resident committed suicide by overdosing on medications. The resident, suffering from cancer, had attempted suicide once before by overdosing on medication before his admission to the nursing home and had told staff members after his admission that he intended to kill himself. IDPH found that the nursing home failed to carry out a proper plan...
- Barry Doyle | January 17, 2007 8:00 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesA Texas construction worker had to be air-lifted from the scene of the accident after he was injured at work. He was working on a scaffold when he received a shock from nearby power lines and fell 40 feet to the ground.The worker suffered severe burns as a result of being shocked.This accident raises a number of safety issues. It is fairly well-known that high-voltage electricity can arc from...
- Barry Doyle | January 16, 2007 8:00 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)There was a Christmas-time accident on an escalator at the Macy's store in New York City. The child and his parents were going down an escalator when another passenger fell, knocking the boy over and causing him to get his thumb stuck in the escalator. He now faces the possibility of having his thumb amputated.It was the second accident in recent months at the store. In October, a girl...
- Barry Doyle | January 15, 2007 7:30 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseA Sterling, Illinois nursing home was fined by the Illinois Department of Public Health after a resident died following a fall at the facility. The IDPH found that the nursing home failed to have an adequate fall prevention plan in place for the resident.After being taken to the hospital after the fall, a CT scan showed a subdural hematoma. The resident died shortly after arriving at the...
- Barry Doyle | January 14, 2007 9:00 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsIn December, a tractor trailer crossed over the center line on Route 176 in McHenry and hit six vehicles. Following the accident, a variety of illegal drugs were discovered during a search of the tractor cab. Prosecutors are now considering upgrading the criminal charges against the truck driver.The accident resulted in one fatality.Under Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations, where there...
- Barry Doyle | January 13, 2007 9:00 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)A guest at an Arkansas motel was found dead in her room. An investigation into the cause of her death showed that she died due to carbon monoxide entering into her room due to a leak in a pipe which was a part of a natural gas heater.Besides the one fatality, two other guests were hospitalized for treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning.Motels are responisble for maintaining their premises in...
- Barry Doyle | January 12, 2007 7:00 PM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseA nursing home in Palos Heights was fined after a resident was given medications which were ordered for another resident. The resident, who has a documented history of confusion, answered "yes" when the nurse asked him if he the resident for whom the medications were ordered. After this, she continued to give him the other resident's medications for the rest of the shift and did not discover...
- Barry Doyle | January 12, 2007 6:00 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesA truck driver died in a recent construction accident when he was struck by a load from a crane. The truck driver had just delivered a portion of a large conveyor belt system to an airport in San Jose. The machinery was being moved by crane from the trailer to the building where it would be installed when the load swayed.The truck driver was killed instantly when he was pinned in between his...
- Barry Doyle | January 11, 2007 8:00 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsA 16 year old girl was killed after she was ejected from her vehicle after she left the road. The investigation into the circumstances of the accident showed that before the accident, she had been provided alcohol by an adult who was employed as a police officer.The girl was intoxicated at the time of collision.Until recently, private individuals who provided alcohol to anyone, even those under...
- Barry Doyle | January 10, 2007 7:45 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsAn accident in Boone County, Indiana has left an Illinois man dead. The man was killed after he slowed for traffic which was backed due up to an accident ahead. A tractor-trailer was behind him and failed to slow with traffic and rear ended him.The impact caused his vehicle to leave the road and strike a concrete median, killing him.Accidents such as this demonstrate the tremendous power of...
- Barry Doyle | January 09, 2007 9:51 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbusePolice and the medical examiner are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a 71 year old man. The man, a resident of an Oak Lawn nursing home, died after being transferred from the nursing home to Christ Hospital.Officials stated that neglect appeared to be a factor in the man's death.I am presently representing the family of another former resident of the facility which is...
- Barry Doyle | January 09, 2007 6:00 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesAn Iowa crane operator was recently killed in an accident on a construction site. At the time of the accident, he was operating a crane which moving a large aggregate hopper. The crane tipped over and pinned him in between the cab of the crane and an electrical transformer.An OSHA investigation was underway to determine the cause of the accident. Construction safety standards require that...
- Barry Doyle | January 08, 2007 6:00 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)A Florida man was seriously injured when he fell into an open manhole on a city street. The manhole cover is very heavy and requires a special tool to remove it. He was not rescued until a passer-by noticed the open hole several hours later.As a result of the fall, he lost consciousness. When he awoke, he found that he could not feel his legs. He is now paralyzed from the waist down. ...
- Barry Doyle | January 07, 2007 2:48 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsAn intersection collision in Centralia resulted in injuries to the driver and passenger of one of the vehicles involved. The intersection was controlled by a traffic light. The driver of one of the vehicles involved claimed that his brakes failed, and as a result, he entered the intersection on a red light. He received a traffic ticket for disobeying a traffic control device.The driver and...
- Barry Doyle | January 07, 2007 6:00 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)Two pit bulls attacked a woman as she took her dog for a walk. Initially the pit bulls, which were running loose, attacked the woman's dog. When she tried to defend her dog, the pit bulls turned on her, knocking her to the ground and biting her repeatedly. She was saved only when neighbors were able to pull the pit bulls away.During the attack, one of the pit bulls ripped off the middle...
- Barry Doyle | January 06, 2007 6:00 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesA Pennsylvania construction worker was injured when the trench in which he was working collapsed while he was still inside it. The crew with whom he was working was installing a pipe which was being run into a school. The worker suffered a fractured leg and was listed in critical condition.An OSHA investigation was underway to determine the cause of the collapse and whether citations will be...
- Barry Doyle | January 05, 2007 6:30 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsA collision between a CTA bus and a car resulted in injuries to six people. The accident occurred when the car moved into the lane occupied by the bus. The bus hit the car, causing the car to spin out of control and the bus to leave the roadway, where it hit a pole.Three of the injured people were passengers on the bus. The two passengers and the driver of the car were also hurt. One of the...
- Barry Doyle | January 04, 2007 7:00 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsA teen riding his bike home from work was struck by a hit-and-run driver on New Year's Eve. The driver fled the scene, but police are confident that they will eventually be able to identify the driver based on paint which was transferred onto the bicycle as well as paint chips left behind at the scene.The injured bicyclist suffered multiple traumatic injuries, including a fractured skull and...
- Barry Doyle | January 03, 2007 11:00 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)Many of the large homeowner's insurance carriers are either refusing coverage or increasing premiums for homeowners who have dogs that are of certain breeds. The reason for this is the frequency and cost of dog bite claims which happen more frequently with those breeds of dogs.Insurance companies view the following breeds of dogs as likely to attack: pit bulls, rottweilers, akitas, German...
- Barry Doyle | January 02, 2007 6:00 PM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseThe administrator a Pittsburgh-area nursing home faces trial on criminal charges relating to a 2001 incident in which a resident with Alzheimer's was trapped outside on an enclosed patio overnight and froze to death. Once the resident's body was discovered, staff members were ordered to bring the remains inside and efforts were made to cover up the true cause of the resident's death.The...