Dog bites and animal attacks are more common than most people think. Often, the disfiguring injuries that result are never reported to animal control officials. Every year in the U.S., there are nearly 4.7 million dog bites, 800,000 of the attacks require medical attention. To compensate for the harm caused…
The time after a car accident can be stressful and frightening. Painful injuries and worries about keeping up with work and family are the biggest concerns. You may be in no position to speak to anyone – let alone the insurance adjuster for the at-fault driver. But the insurance company…
As winter approaches, snow, ice, and water are going to become hazards for pedestrians who can injure their neck and back. In Illinois, a slip & fall accident is an actionable claim against the property owner or manager depending on how the snow, ice, or water accumulated. If an accumulation…
The common fund doctrine serves to limit an insurance company’s recovery of insurance liens from a Plaintiff’s settlement. The common fund doctrine is an exception to the American rule on attorney’s fees. Typically, each party is responsible for their own attorney’s fees unless there is a statute or an agreement…
The Illinois Supreme Court recently clarified social host liability in Illinois in the decision of Bell v. Hutsell. The case explains how personal injury or negligence claims can arise in social host situations. These claims may include car accidents. Generally, a social host of a party where alcohol is served…
Most negligence cases require the Plaintiff to prove the same four elements; duty, breach, causation, and damages. Actual cause or cause in fact is the actual event that caused the harm. The harm would not have happened but for the actual cause event occurring. Proximate cause is also known as…
On November 23, Governor Quinn signed SB 1694. The new legislation allows access to a deceased family member’s medical records without the requirement of opening of an estate. SB 1694 will add 5/8-2001.5 to the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure entitled: “Authorization for release of a deceased patient’s records.” 735…
Illinois Traffic Crash Reports are made by the police when a vehicle is involved in a collision (See an example Illinois Traffic Crash Report here). They are used for vehicle crashes, vehicle collisions with a pedestrian, and vehicle collisions with a bicyclist. If police are called to the scene of…
When a Plaintiff settles his personal injury claim, he may also have one or more liens against the amount of the recovery. Healthcare liens against a settlement may be asserted by the medical providers who have treated and rehabilitated the Plaintiff after suffering an injury. These liens are covered by…
An uninsured/underinsured (UM/UIM) claim often arises after a car accident. If the person at-fault for the accident flees the scene and is unable to be located, or if the person at-fault does not have insurance or has inadequate insurance, an uninsured/underinsured claim (sometimes called, “UM/UIM”) should be brought immediately. UM/UIM…