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Bloomington IL Personal Injury Law Blog

Illinois car wreck: 77-year-old pedestrian struck in crosswalk

Damaged car parts left at the scene of a car crash helped Illinois police from Highland Park solve a recent hit-and-run accident. The car wreck occurred on the first Thursday in May at a local intersection. A 77-year-old pedestrian was severely injured in the incident, and authorities noted that her recovery was projected to be long and difficult.

A 73-year-old woman has been accused of causing the crash and now faces criminal charges. Police say the woman fled the scene of the crash, leaving authorities with the task of tracking her down. Investigators used the parts from the car left at the crash site to try and determine the make and model of the vehicle involved. Fortunately, the woman had apparently taken the car to a local body shop. Once police concluded they had found the right vehicle, they located the woman at a rental car facility close to the body shop.

Illinois medical malpractice: License of neurosurgeon suspended

Some people believe that where there's smoke, there is fire. A neurosurgeon already on probation by one state's medical board has had his license to practice medicine in Illinois suspended. It is said that he has faced approximately 50 separate medical malpractice lawsuits over the years.

Back in 2010, the doctor was placed on probation by another state's medical board. That consent agreement grew out of complaints that the surgeon performed operations that exceeded the needs of his patients. In agreeing to the terms of his probation, the doctor promised to advise the board of any operations where the result was considered untoward or there were any complications deemed serious.

Illinois wrong way car accident seriously hurts Naperville woman

When we drive on an Illinois highway, we expect that others in the roadway are going to follow the rules of the road and the traffic laws. In fact, many of us are more worried about the vehicles coming up from behind to pass us than we are about the ones on the other side of the road. Unfortunately, though, a wrong way car accident is often lethal, owing to the fact that it is usually totally unexpected until it's too late to do anything. Moreover, many of them are head-on collisions, adding to the gruesome potential for serious injury or even death.

A recent wrong way car accident on Illinois 47 underscores the point. The initial evidence suggests that a pickup driver traveling north fell asleep at the wheel. Whether it was that or another reason, his vehicle crossed into the southbound lane of travel and collided with a car operated by a 46-year-old Naperville woman. Her 19-year-old daughter was also in the vehicle.

FDA targeting energy drinks as a potentially defective product

Our Illinois readers may remember that, last Nov. 2, we wrote about some of the potential products liability issues surrounding the energy drink named Monster ("Monster Energy a defective product? Parents say yes, sue"). Recently, the federal Food and Drug Administration has stepped up its efforts to regulate energy drinks in general and the stimulant dimethylamylamine (DMAA) in particular. It has been found that DMAA, when combined with caffeine creates a risk of seizures, hearty conditions and even death. This potentially defective product is particularly dangerous to teenagers and young adults, and that is precisely the target markets of the companies marketing energy drink products.

The FDA is looking to put the brakes on DMAA. However, the legal process to prevent sale of the product is cumbersome and time consuming. In the meantime, reports of serious medical problems attributed to consumption of energy drinks have been documented. In fact, it is said that emergency room visits for related health problems have mushroomed to 20,000 annually, the result of an industry that has grown to some $12.5 billion a year.

Illinois woman killed in an accident: Driver charged with DUI

An Illinois wife and mother lost her life in a motor vehicle accident in Chicago recently. The mother of four, 52 years old, was on her way to work when her minivan became disabled on South Lake Shore Drive. With no breakdown lane available, she pulled over into the right lane of the roadway and enabled her hazard lights. Tragically, she was talking on her cellphone with her daughter at the moment that she was killed in an accident.

The woman's daughter heard the fatal accident take place as she spoke with her mother. She rushed to the scene of the collision only to be informed her mother had already been rushed to the hospital. In a coma for three days, the mother ultimately succumbed to her injuries. In addition to her husband and daughter, she is also survived by three sons.

Illinois medical malpractice settlement over stillbirth: 575k

A mother who lost her baby during childbirth has successfully concluded a negligence claim against the doctor who treated her as well as a healthcare center in southern Illinois. The medical malpractice claim was brought by the mother individually and as the administrator of her deceased child's estate. The doctor treated the mother during her pregnancy.

The basis of the medical negligence claim is that the doctor deviated from the standard of reasonable medical care by not appropriately treating the mother's diabetes. The details of the claimed failure to address the woman's diabetic condition during pregnancy were not further described. The pregnancy ended in the 38th week with the stillbirth of her son.

Illinois woman in car wreck arrested on outstanding warrant

Illinois authorities in Springfield have indicated that distracted driving may have been the cause of a recent 4-vehicle car accident in the city. There is, however, more to the story. A 36-year-old local woman was arrested after the car wreck. Apparently, she had failed to appear in court on a prior charge of driving on a suspended license. A warrant from Macoupin County was the basis of that allegation.

The crash was attributed to the woman chatting with a passenger in her vehicle as she moved into a left-hand turn lane at just about 8 a.m. Apparently distracted by her conversation, she is said to have rear ended a pickup truck. The pickup, in turn, crashed into the vehicle in front of it, and that vehicle crashed into a fourth vehicle. The pickup driver, a 54-year-old woman, suffered personal injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital in the city. The nature and extent of her injuries was not further reported.

Illinois jazz singer's boyfriend killed in an accident by O'Hare

The lack of a criminal record, combined with a refusal to submit to a breath test, did not deter Illinois law enforcement from arresting a 21-year-old woman in connection with a recent fatal crash. The boyfriend of a noted international jazz singer was killed in an accident deemed to have been caused by the young woman. She has been formally charged with the felony offense of aggravated DUI involving a fatality, along with a number of motor vehicle violations.

The tragic collision occurred near O'Hare International Airport. The victim, said to be 49 years old, was planning a ski trip to Colorado and was on his way to visit a friend when he ran out of gas. As he waited for his friend to come by with gasoline for his vehicle, the accused woman struck him near his car. Illinois authorities say that she was attempting to pass another vehicle when she moved onto the road shoulder, first striking the victim's car and then the victim. He was propelled some 30 feet from the point of impact and was declared dead at the scene of the accident.

Drug company settles defective product gallbladder lawsuits

Bayer, the giant international drug company, has agreed to a $24 million settlement covering lawsuits filed in three state jurisdictions and a federal district court in Illinois. The plaintiffs claimed that oral contraceptives made by the company caused injuries to their gallbladders, some of which had to be removed. Yasmin as well as a sister drug named Yaz are the pills at the center of the litigation. The defective product claim is said to cover approximately 8,000 lawsuits.

The settlement is contingent on at least 90 percent of the class agreeing to its terms. Failing that, the drug company can reject it. Those plaintiffs who suffered injuries to their gallbladder will receive $2,000, while those who underwent surgery to remove their gallbladder will receive $3,000.

4 Illinois teens killed in an accident: Wrongful death claims?

Three recent fatal car accidents took the lives of 15 teenagers in three different states. One happened in Illinois. In the age group from 15 through 24 nationally, approximately 25 percent of those that died in 2010 were killed in an accident involving a motor vehicle. That is higher than other causes of death for this age group - including suicide, homicide and poisoning.

The Illinois crash occurred in Will County in March. The bodies of four teenagers were discovered in a car that had gone off a bridge and landed in a creek bed. The partially submerged car and the deceased teens were discovered about 7:30 a.m. Authorities believe the car flew through a barrier on the bridge and crashed into a creek below. The matter continues under investigation, and few other details were included in a news report.

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James P. Ginzkey, Trial Attorney

221 E. Washington Street
Bloomington, IL 61701-4038

Phone: 309-807-2546
Toll-Free: 877-471-2804
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