blog | Lane Brown, LLC

Sexual Abusers Who Target Minors Manipulate the Trust of Adults and Children

Although a lot of people believe they can spot a sexual abuser or “just know” that someone is a potential threat to children, the truth is that many sexual abusers are seemingly normal people who are much-loved or well-respected members of the community. In fact, many predators and abusers rely on building a sense of trust and authority with a family before abusing a child, and families can be shocked to find out the truth—even to the point of disbelieving a child’s allegations.

Sexual abusers may try to manipulate a community’s trust and gain unsupervised access to a child by:

Relying on a position of authority in an organization or community
Offering to help out at childcare facilities or volunteer time at children’s programs
Building a sense of rapport or trust with parents
Showering a child with special gifts and attention

Although you may have met and liked the teachers, priests, volunteers, and other care providers who interact with your child, you can’t always rely on how a person appears or your “gut feeling” about him or her. Instead, you should insist on knowing how organizations screen and supervise the people who interact with vulnerable children and make sure that appropriate steps have been taken to keep your child safe.

If you believe your child may have been sexually abused by a trusted authority figure, we understand you may be overwhelmed—but you are not helpless. Get answers and learn more about your family’s rights by contacting our law office at 312-332-1400 for help.

Children Are Vulnerable to Long-Term Physical and Emotional Difficulties After a Truck Wreck

A child’s mind and body are still developing, so an impact with a heavy commercial truck at a young age can have a long-term effect on his or her wellbeing. While the injuries are not always visible or obvious immediately after the wreck, a serious collision can leave “hidden” injuries that can cause problems as a child ages. This includes both:

Physical injuries. While a child’s body is more flexible than an adult’s body, it is also smaller and still developing. While children may be resilient in some respects, the impact of a truck accident can cause damage to bones, muscles, organs, and nerves in ways that aren’t easily detected or repaired. The effect an injury may have on a child’s physical health over time can be unpredictable, even when injuries seem relatively minor at first.
Emotional injuries. Being hit by an 18-wheeler is a terrifying experience for anyone, but it can be especially traumatic for children. The trauma of the accident, adjustment to their own injuries, and coming to terms with the injuries of family members can be very hard on kids—and these kinds of emotional injuries can persist long after physical injuries have healed.

Your family’s health is always your priority. Don’t hesitate to talk to your child’s doctor about follow-up care and immediately report any changes or concerns as your child recovers. If your family needs additional support and answers about your rights after a collision with tractor-trailer or commercial truck, you can also reach out to our experienced legal team at 312-332-1400 or toll-free at 312-332-1400.

Being Honest Can Help You Recover After a Serious Car Accident

If you have been fighting with another driver’s insurance company for payment of your medical bills and other expenses, you may be tempted to bend the truth a little—but don’t give in. Honesty is always the best policy in an injury claim, and that means being:

Honest about what happened. Do your best to recall the facts about what happened. If you think there may be details that could hurt your injury claim or paint you in a bad light, talk about your concerns with an experienced accident attorney.
Honest about your recovery. If you aren’t recovering as quickly as you like, you still need to be honest with your doctor, your family, and your attorney. Covering up difficulties or hiding facts about your recovery won’t help you get the treatment you need—or the compensation you deserve.
Honest about your chances of success. If you don’t have the evidence that you need to hold the other driver responsible, or if negligence didn’t play a part in your car accident, then you need to get the honest truth about whether or not you have a claim. This is why it is so important to review your case with your own attorney. Otherwise, you could be putting yourself and your family through a long, losing battle with the insurance company.

Lying—or even “bending” the truth—can wreck your injury claim and leave you with no options for recovery. However, while you should always be truthful about an accident and your injuries, insurance companies have a lot to lose and are notorious for twisting victims’ honest words and minimizing their claims.

If you have questions or need to discuss your concerns about an injury claim related to a serious traffic accident, reach out to our law office today at 312-332-1400.

Child Sexual Abuse Can Occur Online or Through a Smartphone

In today’s world, an overwhelming number of teenagers have personal cell phones or smartphones, and it’s even common for much younger children to have phones or tablets of their own.

Children have online access at home, at school, and on the go—and it’s incredibly difficult for parents to monitor every second their children spend typing, texting, searching, and communicating online. However, child sexual abusers have used the advances in technology to get closer to potential victims, and every parent should be aware of the risks. Here are some of the most common forms of sexual abuse that happen through the technology we all depend on:

“Sexting” or engaging in sexual roleplaying with a child or teen over the phone
Sending messages of an inappropriate sexual nature through social media, instant messengers, and other online forums
Engaging in sexual behavior on a webcam or live-streaming service while a child watches
Asking a child to undress or engage in sexual behavior on camera
Asking a child for sexual photographs or sending sexual photographs to a child
Sending inappropriate links or encouraging a child to look at online pornography sites, photographs, or videos
Purchasing gifts for the child through online “wish lists” in exchange for sexual behavior
Making sexual comments about a child’s photographs that are posted online

While good supervision and use of parental controls can help limit a child’s risk when using the phone or accessing the Internet, it’s difficult to monitor everything or know what to do if you suspect there is a problem. If you have questions about potential child sexual abuse, take steps to start getting answers today by reaching out to our office at 312-332-1400 or using the live chat service on this page.

Recovering Compensation for Emotional Injuries Means Documenting Your Symptoms and Care

It isn’t easy to put a price on the emotional pain and psychological symptoms that you and your family members experience after you’ve been hurt in a major wreck. Unlike purely physical injuries, you probably won’t receive an itemized bill that reflects the real “costs” of depression, anxiety, or even the daily difficulties and suffering that you go through as part of your recovery from an accident.

While it is possible in many cases to recover compensation for emotional suffering and psychological care, you will have to carefully document your experiences in order to “prove” that you should be compensated by the other driver’s insurance company. Here a few tips to help you get the “whole picture” of your recovery on record:

Talk to your doctor. If you don’t let anyone know about the troubles you’ve been having, then you can’t get the care you deserve. Don’t be afraid to open up to your doctor if you are struggling with sadness, grief, sleeplessness, anger, nightmares, or other emotional changes that affect the quality of your life and the people around you—or seek help from a qualified mental health professional.
Keep a journal. Along with keeping your doctor informed, you can also try keeping a daily journal that includes details about how you’re feeling, your emotional state, and how your injuries are affecting your day-to-day activities.
Let your attorney know. Although it can be hard to talk about the way an injury is affecting you emotionally or psychologically, it’s important to let your attorney know that you are struggling. He or she can then help you take important steps to legally document your pain and suffering and get the help you need during your recovery.

Are you having trouble making sense of everything you need to file a successful injury claim against another driver? Don’t hesitate to contact our law office at 312-332-1400 for help—or even just take a moment to learn more by reading through a free copy of our book, The 8 Steps to Follow After Your Illinois Car Accident.

Three Things You Shouldn’t Give to the Trucking Company’s Insurance Adjuster

Before you understand your rights as the victim of a truck accident, it’s easy to make serious mistakes that might threaten your ability to recover financial compensation for what happened. If you have recently been hurt, here are three things you should avoid giving the insurance company until you’ve had a chance to talk with your own attorney:

A written statement. Outside of the initial police report, you should be wary of filling out or signing any documents you receive from the trucking company or its insurer. The written statements you submit can be twisted out of context and used to minimize your claim, so it’s important to look over each and every document you receive with an attorney of your choice.
A recorded statement. You may be asked to give a statement about the accident and your injuries—whether over the phone or in person—that will be recorded. You should never do this without understanding your rights and talking to an attorney first, and in most cases, these statements aren’t even necessary to resolve your claim.
Access to your medical records. The insurance company may ask you to sign a form that releases all your medical records to them for the purposes of resolving your claim. While that may seem innocent and reasonable enough, you should realize that the insurance company almost never needs access to your entire medical record. Instead, you can work with your legal representative to make sure that your medical privacy is protected and only relevant records are released.

Do you have questions about what to do after becoming the victim of a negligent truck driver? Don’t hesitate to contact our law office at 312-332-1400 for help—or even just request a free copy of our book, The 8 Steps to Follow After Your Illinois Car Accident.