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I have a couple of kids who are old enough to know better now, but when they were young they’d put anything and everything in their mouths.

My kids were normal babies.  It makes sense that young ones are curious about the world and want to feel and taste things.  Sometimes it’s gross, but it does make sense.

Because kids are curious, some will even eat paint chips that have peeled off of the wall or other places. It’s not healthy for them and it it’s an old building with lead paint, it’s really dangerous.

We’ve been involved in numerous lawsuits in the last few years as a result of kids who have ingested lead paint.  Most of these cases are from living in older buildings in Chicago, but we will pursue these cases anywhere in Illinois.  There is never a fee unless we are successful.  Older buildings are usually the culprit because lead based paint was banned in the United States in 1978 so newer dwellings don’t have this risk.

Lead poisoning is easily diagnosed by a blood test and happens after a child is displaying symptoms which can include headaches, personality changes, a metal taste in their mouth, balance issues and digestive problems.  It can take weeks or months for symptoms to show up and they can actually come and go.

In the worst case scenarios a child can have excessive vomiting, seizures, end up in a coma and in rare instances lead poisoning can result in death.  Other problems can include learning disabilities, stunting of growth and loss of hearing.  Bottom line is that it’s important to get medical attention as soon as possible.  The good news is that lead can be removed from the body in most instances.

While medical attention of course comes first, getting legal help is important too.  That is the only way to prevent these injuries from happening to others in the future and of course it can get the victim compensation for their pain and suffering as well as payment of their medical bills which can be excessive depending on how severe the problem is.

If you have questions about whether or not you have a lead poisoning lawsuit, we’d be happy to talk to you.  All calls are free and confidential and there is never a fee unless we win the case.

Medical malpractice lawsuits can be tough cases, but when a doctor or other health care professional seriously injures a patient, we believe in doing everything we can to hold that person or entity responsible. As a client, there is much that is in your hands, especially at the start of a case. It is up to you to help your attorney gather all the relevant information – information that will help prove, and win, your case.

We are surprised at the number of cases that fizzle out because of a delay in getting medical records, for example. Until the medical records of the patient are gathered and reviewed, there isn’t much an attorney can do to investigate and build your case.

If you, or a loved one, have been injured as a result of medical malpractice, legal strategy probably isn’t the first thing on your mind. Nor should it be. But quick action on the front end of a case helps preserve important evidence. Your lawyer will do most of the work, of course, but your chances of success are better if you think of it as a team effort.

Another tough issue is getting an autopsy if there has been a death. Like medical records, an autopsy report is crucial to a medical malpractice case. If you can’t prove the cause of death, then you will have trouble showing that it was the defendant’s fault.

If you suspect you might have a medical malpractice case, talk to an experienced attorney as soon as possible. These cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, which means that your lawyer only earns a fee if you win or settle your case. There’s nothing to lose by looking into it, especially since delay can hurt you. A consultation is confidential and shouldn’t cost anything.

Next, if you intend to pursue your case, don’t lose momentum. Request your medical records from any relevant providers. It can take six months to prepare a medical malpractice case, so the sooner you do this the better. Your attorney should then consult with a medical expert who will determine whether you have a good case for malpractice.

These are all tough decisions to make, especially if you are injured or caring for a sick spouse or child at the same time, or if you have recently lost a loved one. The compensation you seek in a medical malpractice lawsuit is based on how your life has been affected by the alleged malpractice. It’s meant to help you pay medical bills, get financial support for loss of income and additional compensation for future losses.

These cases can be tough to win, but if you put off the initial work required, it will be even tougher. You don’t have to do it alone. Your attorney is there to support you. If you have questions about a potential medical malpractice case, give us a call and we can help you get started.

If you are looking for information on wrongful death lawsuits, then you probably suspect that negligence was to blame for the death of a loved one. You might be able to sue on behalf of your family member who passed away, forcing the defendant to pay for their wrongdoing.

We know it’s a very difficult time to get through, yet any lawyer will tell you that you should start the legal process sooner rather than later, if possible. And if you are going to file a lawsuit, there are some things you can do right away to give your case a good chance of success. One of these things is getting an autopsy.

We’re sure it’s not at the top of your list, but getting an autopsy can be extremely important, especially for medical malpractice cases. In any wrongful death lawsuit, you’ll not only have to prove that the defendant was negligent, but you’ll have to prove that their negligence caused the death of your loved one. So being able to prove the cause of death is extremely important.

The decision to request an autopsy is an emotional and uncomfortable one to make. And unfortunately, it’s one that needs to be made fairly quickly. In cases of medical malpractice, the health care provider might tell you that an autopsy is unnecessary because they already know the cause of death. Or maybe the cause of death seems clear to you, as well. But it might not be the whole story.

Not getting an autopsy doesn’t always end your chances of having a good case, but many times it does. Without clear proof of cause of death, it’s hard to prove the defendant was at fault. If you have questions or need guidance, give us a call. We’ll talk to anyone for free about any Illinois legal issue, including the importance of requesting an autopsy if you have a potential wrongful death case.

How would you react if a commuter jet crashed every week and killed everyone on board? You would be outraged, and so would the entire country. This is essentially what’s happening with the rising number of trucking accidents across the United States, but not many people are talking about it.

Fatal truck accidents are happening at a rate of 11 times a day, killing roughly 4000 people a year. There are advocacy groups out there, representing the families of those killed, but it’s not something the general public hears about all that often. The accidents and resulting deaths are spread out geographically, so you’re not likely to know about them unless there’s a news report about a specific accident in your area.

Common culprits in these accidents seem to be unqualified or over-tired drivers, and old trucks in unsafe condition. Lobbyists, of course, argue that other motorists and not the truck drivers are to blame for the majority of the accidents; many disagree. But regardless of blame, people are dying as the result of the growing demand within the trucking industry.

All drivers have to follow the basic rules of the road, but truckers are required to follow additional regulations that were specifically made with trucking safety in mind. It’s a pretty long list and includes laws about how long truck drivers can be on the road at a time and what they have to do to inspect their trucks and make sure their vehicles are properly maintained at all times.

When someone is seriously injured or killed in an accident with a truck, they or their family members might have a lawsuit against the driver or trucking company. In general, a lawsuit is appropriate when the accident was the fault of the driver or due to unsafe practices within the company.

It’s important to gather evidence quickly in these cases, as they are usually more complicated than accidents involving two passenger vehicles. Most trucks have a computer on board, and obtaining the data from the electronic systems is important. Next, there are other records to gather, including maintenance history, driver history, etc. All of this is used to determine the cause of the accident and pinpoint who was at fault. And most importantly, evidence needs to be preserved immediately. There are Illinois injury attorneys who have experience in these cases and know how to do a thorough investigation and make a strong case, and they know how to act fast.

There are thousands of personal injury attorneys in Illinois, but they aren’t all equal. We recommend hiring someone with significant experience – and success – in trucking cases. If you have what lawyers call a “good” case, meaning fault is fairly clear and damages are significant, then you might have a lot of lawyers eager to take on your case. It’s still important to choose wisely in order to give your case the best chance at a successful outcome.

In addition to experience, you want your law firm to have resources. Accident investigations, especially ones that get off the ground right away, cost a lot of money. Your lawyer should front these costs, but they can only do this if they have the money. You don’t want your lawyer skimping on your case because they can’t afford an aggressive approach.

So, beware of ambulance chasers or others who see dollar signs but don’t know what they’re doing. In our opinion, there are only a handful of Illinois law firms we’d recommend for a trucking accident. These are firms and attorneys we would hire ourselves if we were in a similar position. If you’d like our take on your situation, give us a call.

I had a very nice call with a gentleman who was looking for a Chicago medical malpractice lawyer who would not charge a fee unless they win the case.  I explained to him right away that nobody charges a fee in those cases and if they do want you to contribute money for expenses then you should run away.  But that’s not what this post is about.

Our conversation continued and I learned that his friend had their colon nicked during a colonoscopy and sustained a decent amount of damage.  Apparently they had called a couple of lawyers and the case was turned down.  My caller was confused because it was his perception that if you have a decent injury, a nice plaintiff and a good law firm in your corner, most juries would side for them instead of a large corporate hospital or doctor.

This is a lie that has been created by people why want to impose damage caps in medical malpractice lawsuits.  The truth is that Cook County, where Chicago is located, is the most plaintiff friendly county in the entire state.  Yet in cases that go to trial, plaintiffs win just over 20% of the time.  As a result, lawyers are very selective about the cases they are willing to take on.  It’s true that many cases settle, but if you go to trial and lose, that’s usually around $100,000.00 out of your pocket as a law firm.

In some smaller counties in Illinois, there has literally never been a jury verdict against a doctor.  Ever.  In many of these locations the people that get called to be on the jury end up knowing the doctor and fear (wrongly) that if they find against him/her, even in the most egregious of cases, the doctor will skip town and they won’t have any medical providers.

Insurance companies want you to believe that a bunch of frivolous lawsuits are hurting the medical profession, but I’ve yet to see an example of a bogus malpractice lawsuit that settled or went to trial.  No credible attorney would file those cases because it’s so expensive to get to trial.  In fact, many examples of actual malpractice get ignored because the ultimate damages don’t justify the cost of bringing a lawsuit.  In other words, if I value your case somewhere between $200,000-$300,000, I’d have to be willing to spend around half the case value just to win and there’s no guarantee I’ll win.

What you end up finding is that cases are usually only brought for matters that have terrible negligence and huge damages.  If a doctor makes a mistake that kills a 90 year old woman, the defense will (disgustingly I might add) be that she didn’t have long to live anyway, so even if our hospital screwed up, the case has no value.  And regrettably that argument usually works.

So what you find is that there are really only a handful of malpractice law firms in Chicago that have a track record of consistently bringing and winning these cases.  Small firms may say that they do it, but truthfully they can’t keep up with the costs.  Firms outside of Chicago tend to only dabble in these cases because it’s so hard to win them.  As a result, if you do see a trial verdict in a place like Peoria, Rockford, Urbana, etc. don’t be surprised to find that the firm that handled the case is actually from the Windy City.

I’m not for frivolous lawsuits and every day I tell people that they don’t have a case and explain why I feel that way.  But I am in favor of good people with good cases having access to justice.  And the truth, no matter what lies you’ve been fed, is that it’s very hard to win a med mal lawsuit.