Almost everyone has experienced the sensation of sleep deprivation at some point in their lives. Whether it is a new parent kept awake by a crying baby or an employee working a double shift, not getting enough sleep can be miserable. However, when the sleep deprived person is a doctor or surgeon, the effects of sleep deprivation can be catastrophic. Medical mistakes caused by sleep deprived medical professionals can lead to significant patient injuries and even death.

Medical Errors Caused by Doctor Fatigue

Studies show that doctors who have not slept are much more likely to make medical errors. One study found that junior doctors working a 34-hour shift were over 400 percent more likely to make a diagnostic mistake. Another study found that moderate sleep deprivation caused a 53 percent increase in serious medical errors while significant sleep deprivation caused a 97 percent increase in medical errors.

Inadequate sleep causes emotional dysregulation, diminished concentration, reduced attention, decreased vigilance, and impaired ability to perform cognitive tasks. Unfortunately, it is often the patients who suffer the most from doctors’ sleep deprivation. Doctors and surgeons who are too sleepy to perform their job correctly may ignore crucial patient symptoms, prescribe the wrong medication, or physically injure the patient during a procedure. The effects of medical errors can range from mild discomfort to life-threatening injuries.

Losing a family member in a pedestrian accident is one of the most shocking and devastating things a person can go through. The devastation cuts even deeper if the collision was caused by a driver’s negligent or reckless actions.

Individuals who have lost a loved one in a pedestrian crash may be able to file a wrongful death claim against the at-fault driver. A wrongful death claim cannot undo the grief and despair resulting from the death. However, a claim may accomplish two vitally important acts: Holding the driver accountable and recovering financial compensation for damages.

Wrongful Death Laws in Illinois

Illinois law states that a wrongful death is a death caused by the negligent or wrongful actions of another party. Negligent driving is an umbrella term that includes nearly countless actions. A driver may be considered negligent if he or she causes a fatal pedestrian accident due to:

Approximately two-thirds of U.S. adults are on one or more prescription medications. Statins, ACE inhibitors, beta-agonists, and opioids are some of the most commonly prescribed medications. When people are prescribed a medication from a doctor, they assume the medication is safe and effective. They assume that the pharmacy that provides the medication has carefully checked the medication and provided the correct drug in the correct dosage.

Unfortunately, prescription medication mistakes are not uncommon. One issue that leads to a surprising number of medication errors is sound-alike or look-alike medications.

Sound Alike Medications Can Lead to Deadly Mistakes

When an individual receives the wrong medication, they may not realize when they initially take the medication. It is only after they begin suffering from worsened symptoms, side effects, drug interactions, or other adverse consequences that they realize something is wrong.

One of the worst-case scenarios in a car crash is losing full use of your body. Paraplegia refers to paralysis of the legs and lower half of the body. Individuals with paraplegia are often unable to walk, run, or live their lives as they could before the paralysis. To say that paraplegia is life-changing is to massively understand the devastation it can cause.

If you or someone you care about suffered a car accident injury that led to paraplegia, you may be able to take legal action against the at-fault party. You may be entitled to financial compensation for damages.

Auto Accidents Leading to Paralysis

The forces placed on a human body during a serious car wreck can lead to catastrophic injuries. Usually, paraplegia is caused by injury to the brain or spinal cord. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reports that just under 40 percent of spinal injuries are caused by auto accidents.

Anesthesia has revolutionized modern medicine and made it possible for millions of people to undergo surgery pain-free. Unfortunately, anesthesia is also not without risk. Negligent medical providers who make anesthesia mistakes can cause devastating and fatal injuries. If you or someone you care about was harmed by an anesthesia mistake, you may be able to take legal action against the responsible party.

Medical Negligence During Surgery

Any surgical procedure carries some risk. However, competent medical providers can mitigate this risk to almost zero. Unfortunately, understaffing, inadequate training and education, poor communication, and simple carelessness increase the chances of surgical complications tremendously.

Anesthesia malpractice can occur for nearly countless reasons, including:

Although dogs get a bad rap for the dangerous injuries their bites can cause, they are far from being the only domestic critter whose bite can cause serious damage and even death to humans. Cat bites may not be as common as dog bites, but they can be just as damaging. Cats have harmful bacteria in their mouths and needle-sharp teeth that can deliver the bacteria to vulnerable body parts in just one quick bite. It is important to get cat bites checked and treated right away, and, if you or your child have been bitten by a cat, to speak with a personal injury professional who can help you determine whether you can hold the cat’s owner responsible for the personal injury and medical expenses. 

Cat Bite Infection Rates

Although domestic cats are usually vaccinated against serious diseases like rabies, studies suggest around 400,000 cat bites happen in the U.S. every year and around 50 percent of cat bites in children become infected. At first, an infected cat bite may only feel painful and appear red and swollen. If left untreated, however, the infection can spread and cause septicemia, or blood poisoning. Septicemia requires hospitalization and can even be fatal. 

What Germs Are in a Cat’s Mouth? 

Cats have a reputation for being clean animals, and perhaps compared to dogs that love to roll in smelly stuff, this is true. But cat mouths contain many types of bacteria that are dangerous to humans and which are easily trapped in a small puncture wound. These bacteria include, but are not limited to: 

In 2021, a study was published by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission declaring that injuries and deaths related to fireworks increased dramatically during the previous year. Because many municipalities canceled local fireworks shows due to the Covid-19 pandemic, more people used fireworks on their own, increasing the danger of an accidental or errant discharge resulting in a serious injury or death. 

To anyone who has never been injured by a firework, the idea that these fun sources of flashy entertainment could cause serious harm may seem laughable. After all, the vast majority of fireworks displays occur without ever causing harm. But at least 18 people died in 2020 from firework-related accidents and more than 15,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for their injuries. Even firecrackers and sparklers, which seem harmless and are used by children all over Illinois every year, are actually responsible for the majority of fireworks injuries treated in the emergency room. If you or someone you love has been seriously injured or killed by a firework and require expensive medical treatment, you may want to seek compensation. 

What Are Common Firework Injuries? 

Unfortunately, fireworks most often injure people in areas that are not easily healed. Face and hands are the most common locations that get hurt and include the following injuries: 

As schools let out for the summer, children all across Illinois will spend much more time swimming in public and private pools. For the most part, time spent swimming is a great way to keep kids occupied and with proper supervision, training, and equipment, swimming can be a safe activity. 

However, swimming pools in Illinois must strictly adhere to legal construction standards. The expense and labor involved in maintaining swimming pools mean cracks, uneven or slippery surfaces, and other hazards may go unaddressed. In turn, this exposes people - especially children - to the risk of slip-and-fall injuries that can be serious and even lethal. 

Common Swimming Pool Accidents

By far, the most common swimming pool injuries occur when bathers slip or trip and fall on surfaces that do not have proper anti-slip resistance or are uneven because of poor construction or maintenance. The location and speed of the slip can vary, and children who fall while running can suffer serious injuries and even death.

It seems like nearly every day there is a news headline describing the recall of a widely-distributed food. Reports of nameless people in distant cities falling seriously ill and even dying are sad to read but easy to forget. But when a food poisoning incident happens to someone you love - especially to your child - the consequences can be life-altering. 

Just last year, a government report alleged that major baby food companies had dangerous levels of heavy metals in their products. These chemicals and elements can have serious neurotoxic effects, especially on developing brains. Even when heavy metals are not present, other toxic substances like salmonella can make a child very sick and potentially threaten their life. If your child developed a food illness after eating baby food, an Illinois personal injury attorney may be able to help you recover damages. 

Heavy Metals in Baby Food Can Cause Developmental Problems 

Studies show that children who ingest toxic heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury can suffer serious, life-long neurological harm, including: 

Busy parents with hectic schedules must do extensive research to find the perfect Illinois daycare center for their child. Leaving your little one in the hands of a third party all day may be a harrowing experience for some parents, and it is one which takes a leap of faith in the skill and compassion of the daycare staff. 

Unfortunately, daycare staff do not always live up to the expectations parents have of them; worse, they sometimes abuse the children in their care. Any kind of daycare abuse is unacceptable. If your child has been abused in their childcare center and injured or even killed, know that you have options. 

Types of Daycare Abuse

It is often difficult for children to share or talk about daycare abuse, either because they are too young or are afraid of their teachers or caregivers. An estimated 60 percent of child sexual abuse victims never tell anyone. But where there is abuse, there are often subtle signs of abuse. These include, but are not limited to:

For most women in Illinois, the invention and widespread availability of birth control have made it much easier to make safe, informed decisions about when to start a family. For other women, birth control has meant finally being able to control painful, unpredictable menstruation cycles.

While birth control is well understood and its risks are low, it is not without risks altogether. Many women who use birth control have suffered from serious and even life-threatening health conditions, including heart attacks and pulmonary embolisms. If you started taking birth control and experienced an adverse health condition, you may want to speak with an Illinois birth control injuries lawyer. 

How Does Birth Control Work? 

Different birth control works in different ways. Birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives contain a small amount of human estrogen and progestin hormones. These hormones prevent a woman’s body from ovulating and also change the consistency of the cervical mucus so sperm cannot reach an egg as easily. Non-hormonal methods, such as a copper IUD, change the way sperm cells move so they cannot reach an egg to fertilize it. 

A couple of years ago, a prominent medical device company issued a massive recall of over 300,000 insulin pumps. The pumps had defective retainer rings which could break, causing the pump to dose insulin improperly and potentially send users into diabetic comas. The U.S. Food and Drug administration categorized this recall as a Class I recall, in which there is a reasonable probability that using the recalled defective medical product could result in serious injury or death. 

When situations like this occur, people can suffer catastrophic injuries and death through no fault of their own. The sudden loss or grievous injury of a spouse or a child can cause incalculable grief and suffering and survivors may rightfully wonder if there is anything they can do. If you or someone you love has been hurt because of a defective medical device, a personal injury attorney may be able to help you secure fair compensation. 

What Kinds of Medical Devices May Be Defective? 

Defective insulin pumps are only one kind of medical device that could cause serious injury or death. Pacemakers, hearing aids, prosthetics, implants, joint replacements, and more can be hazardous if they are not manufactured properly. Common injuries that result from defective medical devices include, but are not limited to: 

A few years ago, a story made national news headlines when a family driving together in their car realized that the foot pedal was jammed in the floor mat. Tragically, the entire family died as the car accelerated unstoppably and crashed. Following an investigation, the manufacturer recalled nearly four million vehicles to replace the accelerator pedals. 

While the vast majority of car accidents are caused by human error, accidents involving manufacturer’s defects do happen and the results can be life-changing, if not deadly. Serious accidents can be caused by defective vehicle equipment and when these accidents result in catastrophic injury or death, it is important to hold the responsible party to account. If you have been injured in an Illinois car crash because of a defective automobile part, speak with a product injury attorney as soon as possible. 

Common Car Part Defects

While accidents involving defective car parts vary in intensity, causes, and outcomes, there are many common sources of manufacturer’s defects that can cause or worsen a crash. Some of the most common sources of defective car parts include: 

Illinois’ flat landscape and beautiful scenery make it an ideal location for bicyclists who ride their bike for commuting or recreational purposes. And while Illinois is making great strides in bicycle safety lanes and trying to increase motor vehicle operators’ awareness of bikes on the road, great risks still exist to bicyclists. Bicycles are much smaller and lighter than motor vehicles, making them hard to see and susceptible to serious injury and death in even minor car accidents. If you have been injured by a car or truck while riding your bike in Rockford, a personal injury attorney can help you decide whether you want to pursue a lawsuit. 

Common Bicycle-Motor Vehicle Accident Injuries

Life-threatening injuries and death are regrettably common in accidents involving bicycles and motor vehicles. Frequent injuries include, but are not limited to: 

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Neck and spinal cord injuries
• Broken bones and fractures
• Internal bleeding, bruising, and hemorrhaging 
• Road rash 

Recovering from these injuries can take months or years and extensive surgeries, physical therapy, and other expensive medical treatment. Successful lawsuits often deliver compensation for loss of mobility, pain and suffering, lost wages, medical expenses, and decreased life quality. While money cannot give you back your health, it can make managing life after a serious accident a little easier. 

While dog attacks are relatively rare, they can be a scary and dangerous experience, especially for young children. Dogs are often much larger and stronger than a child, and because of their similar height, children are at greater risk of sustaining serious and even life-threatening head and neck injuries in a dog attack. Winnebago County does not have any restrictions against owning pit bulls, but parents of young children should know that pit bulls are, statistically speaking, the most dangerous breed of dog when it comes to dog attacks on children and exercise particular caution around an unfamiliar pit bull. If your child has been attacked by a pit bull or any breed of dog and sustained injuries, you may be able to sue the owner to recover the cost of your child’s medical expenses and emotional trauma.  

Are Dog Owners Responsible for Injuries Caused By Their Dogs? 

As with most legal issues, the answer is, “It depends.” If a child wandered onto someone else’s property and accidentally or intentionally provoked a dog attack, the dog owner is probably not liable for any injuries the child sustained. However, if a dog is allowed to wander off private property and it attacks a child at a park or on your family’s property, the owner will likely be responsible. Likewise, if you are invited to a friend’s house and their dog attacks your child unprovoked, especially if the dog has a history of aggression or biting people, your friend may be responsible. 

What is Considered a Vicious Dog?  

Children are often bitten by dogs because they tend not to understand a dog’s warning signs. A child’s behavior that seems playful or harmless to an adult human may seem irritating or threatening to a dog; pulling a dog’s tail or ears, chasing a dog, or taking something from a dog’s mouth may all provoke an attack. A dog who has attacked a child when the child was abusing, assaulting, or physically threatening the dog will likely not be considered vicious and the owner will not be held responsible for the attack. However, if a dog has a history of attacking people unprovoked and the owner does not take the necessary steps to confine a vicious animal, he or she may be held responsible for that dog’s actions. 

As our parents and loved ones grow older, moving independently and making everyday decisions about finances or healthcare can become extremely difficult. Physical illness, intellectual degeneration, and other ailments of aging can make caring for a family member at home impossible and the decision to place someone in a nursing home, while difficult, may be the best option. 

We should all be able to trust a nursing home to provide the best care for our aging parents. Unfortunately, understaffing, poor training, and efforts to cut corners all happen sometimes in nursing homes. When nursing home abuse and neglect takes place, residents can suffer - and one of the first signs that residents are getting inadequate care is the appearance of bedsores. 

What Causes Bedsores? 

Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers, are injuries that appear when skin is damaged because of prolonged pressure on one or more areas of the body. Bedsores are particularly prone to developing on protruding areas like hips, ankles, heels, the back of the head, and the tailbone when someone has difficulty moving and spends most of their time in bed or in a chair. 

Parents who live in Winnebago County, Illinois, send their children all over the state and country to attend college. As university attendance levels continue to rise and more young adults seek to obtain a higher education, exposure to certain behaviors and risks also increases. One well-known risk of university attendance is the binge drinking that often occurs at campus parties. 

Unfortunately, binge drinking is often a mandatory part of joining a fraternity or sorority, and young adults with little experience can suffer serious injuries and even death in campus hazing incidents or university house parties. If your child was attending college and was injured, assaulted, or killed after being provided alcohol by another adult, you may be able to take legal action. 

Common Injuries From College Binge Drinking 

Research suggests that college students drink substantially more than their peers who do not attend college. Binge drinking, or drinking to the point of getting drunk, is especially common at universities with fraternities, sororities, and prominent sporting programs. Binge drinking places young students, who are often without parental supervision for the first time in their lives, at significant risk of catastrophic injury, including: 

After a family has made the difficult, often heartbreaking decision to move a loved one into an Illinois nursing home, the family members of the nursing home resident may continue to face additional stress because they worry their loved one is not being properly cared for. Stories of nursing home neglect and abuse are widespread, and, unfortunately, incidents are common. Although accidents and injuries tend to happen more often to elderly people, if your loved one has suffered a broken bone or fracture in their nursing home, you may rightfully wonder if it was an accident or whether something like neglect or even physical abuse is going on. 

What Causes Broken Bones and Fractures in Nursing Home Residents? 

In addition to the clear dangers of physical abuse, more mundane behavior on the part of nursing home staff and supervisors may be responsible for residents’ injuries. Nursing home residents often suffer from weakness, frailty, and difficulty with independent movement. This places them at increased risk of falling and getting injured, especially if nursing home staff are not properly monitoring residents and offering support when necessary. Even minor accidents can result in serious injuries, and not every injury is a consequence of nursing home neglect. However, many behaviors can contribute to an increased rate of resident injuries, including: 

• Cluttered, unclean, or uneven walkways

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Drug companies in the United States often have significant incentives to market drugs without making potential users aware of the complete list of possible side effects. Because new drugs can be lucrative and often promise significant results, drug manufacturers may not do the necessary research to discover dangerous side effects or may attempt to hide them. Even drugs approved by the Federal Drug Administration frequently have serious side effects that are not discovered until after they are widely available. Other times, patients are victimized by drugs that are wrongly prescribed or administered. If you have suffered an injury because of a defective drug, consider speaking with an experienced Illinois drug injuries attorney. 

Defective Drugs Can Cause Serious, Long-Lasting Injuries 

When patients take drugs, they expect them to help manage injuries, pain, or other suffering. Unfortunately, however, sometimes defective drugs can worsen symptoms or present new ones. While side effects can vary widely, common serious side effects of defective drugs include: 

• Birth defects

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Those who seek the aid of emergency room staff are in need of urgent, competent treatment from doctors and nurses who take the utmost care to ensure a patient gets treated and diagnosed according to the standard of care. 

Unfortunately, medical practitioners do not always meet their duty in this regard, and patients often suffer tremendously when an illness is misdiagnosed or poorly treated because of an emergency room mistake. Because emergency rooms are often hectic places with stressed, overworked staff who do not have ongoing relationships with patients, failure to diagnose and improper treatment may be more common than in traditional doctors’ offices. In some cases, this may rise to the level of medical malpractice. 

Common Emergency Room Errors

Medical mistakes have been pinpointed as the third leading cause of death in the United States, and research suggests that errors in emergency rooms are particularly common and occur in nearly every aspect of emergency care. Because staff are often switching between patients and changing shifts, small mistakes can quickly be exacerbated by poor communication or incorrect information. Other common mistakes include: