Recent Blog Posts
Severe Burns in a Car Accident: When Can I Sue?
Burns are some of the most painful injuries you can experience. Even if you are not in direct contact with flames, the heat from a fire can burn your skin. You can sustain significant airway and lung damage from breathing the hot air and smoke. Burns can happen in many ways, but being trapped in a burning car after a crash is among the scariest.
If you were burned in a car accident, your related expenses are likely staggering. The physical, emotional, and mental pain and suffering are probably also devastating. You may be entitled to compensation, and our determined Winnebago County, IL catastrophic injuries attorneys will fight to see you get it.
How Can a Car Crash Cause Burns?
Every collision is different. Almost any crash can potentially end in a fire. Severe impacts can damage fuel tanks and lines, and a single spark can lead to an explosion. Faulty wiring can cause a crash and increase the likelihood of a fire. Mechanic’s errors when making repairs can also cause explosions or fires. However, if an explosion or fire starts, it can be deadly to those inside the vehicle.
Can You Recover Damages If Your Baby Was Hurt in Utero?
Most people have the utmost faith in doctors. When you go to a physician with an illness or injury, you are putting your life in his or her hands. Going to an obstetrician for a pregnancy means you also trust that your baby’s health will be protected.
Obstetricians usually go through 12-16 years of education and training. With that much preparation, you expect your OB to recognize and treat any medical issues correctly. Sadly, a fetus can be harmed by medical negligence during pregnancy. Birth injuries, lifelong conditions, and even death can result. If medical negligence harmed your infant, our Rockford, IL medical malpractice attorneys can help you hold the at-fault party or parties accountable.
What Are Some Common Serious Problems During Pregnancy?
Mothers and their babies can suffer from some conditions, no matter how attentive their doctor is. However, failing to recognize them promptly and treat them correctly can be harmful or even fatal to a fetus.
Can I Sue if My Doctor Messed Up My Hip or Knee Replacement?
Sudden injuries, arthritis, and normal wear and tear through usage as we age can damage knees and hips. Since the 1960s, joint replacement surgeries have become increasingly successful and widespread. Recent figures from the American College of Rheumatology show that approximately 544,000 hip replacements and 790,000 total knee replacements are performed annually in the U.S. Orthopedic surgeons typically perform these surgeries, with education and training usually taking 13-14 years.
With that much extensive training, you expect that your surgeon will not make mistakes. However, medical negligence is all too common, even among orthopedic surgeons. Hip and knee replacement medical malpractice cases are some of the most frequently pursued. If you were harmed by a botched knee or hip replacement surgery, or if these surgeries claimed the life of a loved one, our skilled Winnebago County, IL medical malpractice attorneys can help you collect the compensation you deserve.
What to Do After Losing a Loved One in a Fatal Car Accident
There were 299,133 motor vehicle crashes in Illinois in 2023. Those accidents injured 96,419 people and killed 1,240. That means over three people lost their lives each day. We hope you never have to experience the devastation of losing a loved one in a car crash. However, it could happen, and you need to know what to do. Our determined Rockford, IL wrongful death attorneys can help you get justice by forcing the at-fault party to pay you the compensation you deserve.
What Can Cause Fatal Car Accidents?
Some crashes are unavoidable. For example, a deer can run onto the road directly in front of you, leaving you unable to avoid hitting it. An estimated 94 percent of accidents, however, are caused by negligent driver errors. Recognition errors, which include distractions, inattention, and inadequate surveillance, are the most common critical driver mistakes, accounting for 41 percent.
An Early Discharge from the Hospital Could Lead to Future Problems
Anyone who has spent time in a hospital can attest to the relief they felt when they were discharged and allowed to go home. Even those staying in a hospital for a short time can quickly start to feel homesick and grow tired of the bustle and noise of a busy hospital. Although they can be uncomfortable, hospital stays are often a requirement for patients needing round-the-clock care for more serious illnesses and injuries.
Early hospital discharge can lead to worsened medical conditions and unnecessary pain and suffering. Those that result in injuries to the patient can often open the door to medical and hospital malpractice claims. If a premature hospital discharge harmed you, our skilled Rockford, IL medical malpractice attorneys will investigate, gather evidence, and pursue maximum compensation on your behalf.
Can a Motorcycle Rider Without a Helmet Still Sue After a Crash?
According to Statista data from 2022, there were an estimated 291.539 motorcycles registered in Illinois. That same year, there were 2,395 motorcyclists injured and 145 killed in Illinois crashes. Although the 2023 Illinois motorcycle crashes produced only 2,373 injuries, the number of deaths rose to 168.
Motorcycle accidents affect many lives. Riders can be badly hurt, especially if they are not wearing helmets. Some people mistakenly believe that injured bikers cannot file a compensation claim unless they were wearing a helmet, but that is not necessarily true. To find out if you qualify to file a claim, your best bet is to call our office and speak with one of our knowledgeable Rockford, IL motorcycle accident attorneys.
Can You Sue After an Embolism Causes Paralysis or Death?
Doctors must complete a bachelor’s degree, finish medical school, then complete a residency program. Depending on whether the physician chooses a specialty, the schooling and training usually take several years. Residencies for internal and family medicine take around three years, while cardiac surgery and neurosurgery training can last as long as a decade. With all that education and training, we expect doctors to provide high standards of care.
Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms affect around 900,000 Americans annually, with as many as 100,000 dying as a result. Cerebral embolisms, while rarer, can cause strokes, brain damage, paralysis, and death. Many embolisms are preventable through appropriate medical treatment, and others can be treated effectively after they develop. When medical negligence is a factor in the harm a patient sustains from an embolism, a skilled Rockford, IL medical malpractice attorney can help you collect the maximum compensation you deserve.
What Happens When Doctors Remove the Wrong Organ or Limb?
Approximately 50 million surgical procedures are performed annually in the U.S. While most doctors are committed to the careful practice of medicine according to the highest standard of care, doctors are human and can make mistakes. Sometimes these are genuine mistakes of fact, while other errors are the result of careless mistakes, faulty hospital record-keeping, or practicing under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
One of the most serious kinds of medical malpractice happens when a surgeon removes the wrong organ or limb, or mistakenly removes an organ or limb that should not have been removed. As difficult as it may be to believe that such a thing could happen, these types of surgical mistakes are not infrequent. Cases like this can result in severe life-long injuries and changes to patient quality of life, including the need for ongoing medical care or job loss. If you believe that a surgeon wrongfully operated on you, it is important to take action right away by consulting with an experienced Rockford, IL medical malpractice attorney.
Fetal Meconium Aspiration Can Be Fatal
In the womb, unborn babies float in amniotic fluid. This fluid contains nutrients, helps the fetus’s lungs develop, assists with temperature regulation, and cushions the baby to protect against injury. Although fetuses urinate in the womb, they usually do not defecate. Meconium, a baby’s first stool, usually passes in a bowel movement within a few hours of birth. However, some fetuses do pass meconium into the amniotic fluid before birth.
When a baby inhales a mixture of amniotic fluid and meconium, whether before birth or during labor and delivery, meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) can occur. Physicians should be aware of this possibility and be prepared to administer various treatments for the condition. When MAS is not diagnosed or properly treated, the infant can suffer long-term or permanent harm; it can even be fatal. Proving that medical negligence caused your baby’s MAS can be challenging, but you could receive much-deserved compensation for multiple damages. You need an experienced Rockford, IL birth injury lawyer with focused knowledge about MAS to help you get optimal results.
If a Doctor Causes Nerve Damage in Surgery, Can I Sue?
Did you know the human body contains more than 7 trillion nerves? From controlling muscles and body functions to sensing things like temperatures, pain, and pressure, each nerve has a function. Whether discussing a major nerve bundle or a tiny peripheral nerve, any nerve damage can have profound consequences.
While nerve injuries often result from trauma like sports injuries or car accidents, surgeons can also cause nerve damage that significantly affects the patient’s life. If you suffered a nerve injury from a preventable surgical error, you may have a valid medical malpractice claim. Partnering with an experienced Winnebago, IL medical malpractice attorney can maximize your compensation.
What Are Motor, Sensory, and Autonomous Nerves?
Consider that the central nervous system, which consists of the spinal cord and brain, sends and receives messages constantly. Outgoing messages, transmitted through motor nerves, give instructions, such as to move your arm or keep it still. Incoming messages are sent from sensory nerves to inform the central nervous system of current conditions and stimuli, such as pain, heat, or vision. Autonomous nerves control involuntary bodily functions, including digestion, blood pressure, breathing, and other unconscious processes.