blog | Lane Brown, LLC

Who Are All These People Contacting You After Your Truck Accident?

You’ve been hit by an 18-wheeler, tractor-trailer, or commercial truck. While you’re at home recovering from your injuries—or even while you’re still in the hospital receiving treatment for the accident—you start getting all kinds of phone calls from different people who want to “help” you with your potential insurance claim or “just get a little information.” They may even contact your spouse or other family members, especially if you’ve been very badly hurt. But who are all these people—and what do they want?

Numerous Insurance Adjusters and Company Representatives May Try to Contact Your Family After You’ve Been Hurt

Victims of major truck accidents are often completely unaware that the trucking companies and insurance companies involved in the accident immediately spring into action to manage—and minimize—your injury claim. As these companies prepare to defend against any potential claim of negligence, victims might be contacted by insurance adjusters from:

The trucking company’s insurance company
The commercial driver’s insurance company
Insurance companies for other driver who were also involved in the wreck

In some cases, you or your family may even be contacted by company attorneys or representatives of the trucking company. However, no matter who contacts you about a truck-accident claim, remember that anything you say could be used to minimize your claim later on—so it’s important to know your rights.

If you are being contacted by insurance adjusters and aren’t sure what to do, don’t hesitate to contact our law office at 312-332-1400 for immediate help—or even just take a moment to learn more about your rights by reading through a free and informative copy of our book, The 8 Steps to Follow After Your Illinois Car Accident.

A Few Ideas to Help You Adjust to the Time Change and Avoid Driving Drowsy

When you’re tired, it’s hard to do anything effectively—and that includes driving.

Recent research suggests that the switch to Daylight Savings Time each year may contribute to an increase in fatal car accidents for nearly a week after clocks “spring forward,” and part of the problem may be drowsy drivers who have effectively lost an hour of sleep. However, you don’t have to let the time change take you by surprise. Before you get behind the wheel on Monday morning, try a few of these ideas for adjusting to Daylight Savings Time:

Try going to bed a little earlier. You know that you’ll be “losing” an hour of sleep, so plan ahead to make sure that you’ve had enough rest to drive safely—both in the morning and on the drive home in the dark later that evening.
Practice good sleep hygiene. Making sure that you’re getting regular, healthy sleep can help you adjust more quickly to changes in routine.
Get some sunlight as soon as you get up. Light is your body’s signal to “wake up,” so make sure that you get some sunlight or turn on a bright light as soon as you get up on Sunday.
Give caffeine time to work. A cup of coffee can take 30 minutes to have an effect on alertness, so grabbing that extra cup right before you run out the door may not help you adjust to the earlier morning.

Even though you may try your best to plan ahead and stay safe on the road, accidents still can and do happen. If you have already been hurt in a wreck with a drowsy or distracted driver, don’t hesitate to contact our legal team at 312-332-1400 with your questions.

You Should Know About Any Adults Who Have Contact With Your Child at Daycare

Do you know everyone who interacts with your children while they’re away at daycare?

It may come as a surprise, but many recorded cases of child sexual abuse in daycares involve other adults who aren’t part of the direct childcare staff. Although you may know the teachers and caregivers who are there when you drop your kids of in the morning or pick them up in the evening, it’s important to be aware of any and all adults who have contact with your child during the day or may be on the premises. This might include:

Administrators and office staff
Assistant and substitute teachers
Bus drivers
Janitors and maintenance staff
Kitchen staff
In-house nurse or medical staff
Counselors or youth ministers
Specialty teachers and regular guest presenters
Relatives or friends of the staff

Make it a point to talk with the administrators or daycare owners about each and every person who may have contact with your child, and consider dropping by unannounced from time to time to make sure you can observe what you’ve been told about supervision and safety. This may be an especially important step to take if you child is enrolled in an in-home or unlicensed daycare, where supervision and security may be more relaxed. Protecting your child from sexual abuse means being proactive, and you can take steps to make sure the adults who interact with your child are safe, screened, and supervised.

If you suspect that your child may have been sexually abused by an adult at daycare, don’t wait any longer to get answers. Our experienced legal team is standing by at 312-332-1400 to help with your concerns.

Medical Orders Play a Big Part in Victims’ Claims for Lost Wages After a Truck Accident

Although records from your workplace and other evidence of your wages are key parts of the documentation needed to prove a claim for lost wages after a truck accident, don’t overlook the importance of your doctor. As you follow orders and get the treatment you need for your injuries, make sure you are communicating with your physician about your limitations and your ability to work.

While insurance companies, attorneys, your co-workers and boss, and even your friends and family may have opinions about when you should return to work or the kinds of activities you can participate, the truth is that it really comes down to you and your doctor. Medical documentation not only helps to establish your accident-related injuries, it helps to show when and why you were away from work. Your doctor is the person who makes recommendations about whether you should try to work during your recovery, when you might be able to return, and what your long-term limitations may be—and all of this documentation can help you support your claim that you lost wage income because you were hurt.

Your health and wellbeing should be the priority after you’ve been hurt in an accident with a commercial truck, but the future of your financial wellbeing matters, too. Be honest with your doctor about your limitations, and don’t be afraid to ask a doctor or an attorney about how to document the time you take off work due to an accident.

Do you have questions about proving lost wages after a truck accident? Contact our law office directly at 312-332-1400 to speak with an experienced attorney about your situation and concerns today.

Teachers and Staff Must Report Child Sexual Abuse That Happens at School

Many people who work with children in schools and day care centers know that they are required to report any suspicions of child sexual abuse to the authorities or their employers. They’ve generally received some training in spotting the signs of all kinds of abuse in children and how to report the signs appropriately, and this can help uncover instances of child abuse in the home or family—but what happens when the abuse happens on school grounds or with a staff member?

Although many types of school employees are “mandatory reporters” for child sexual abuse, there can be a lot of problems with reporting suspicions of sexual abuse by a teacher, coach, or even principal. Training may not always address how to handle reporting when a coworker or supervisor is suspected of abuse, and some schools don’t have appropriate policies in place to handle allegations and complaints that are reported.

Schools have a duty to provide a safe environment for children, and that duty includes taking appropriate measures to:

Train staff to recognize the signs of child sexual abuse.
Include training on what to do when a staff member is suspected of abuse.
Put policies in place to prevent potential abuse by teachers and staff.
Include additional staff members, such as bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and others, in sexual-abuse training.
Track, analyze, and follow up on reports of suspected abuse by school personnel.

If you suspect that your child may have been abused by a teacher or staff member at school, don’t wait any longer to get answers. Our experienced legal team is standing by at 312-332-1400 to help you with your concerns.

Unsafe Behaviors by Truckers Behind the Wheel Can Be Even More Dangerous When Combined

We recently talked about how alcohol and drug use by truckers can cause serious accidents, but it’s not always a clear-cut case of impairment. In many cases, the most dangerous driving impairment is engaging in a combination of unsafe behaviors and substances, such as:

Drugs. Both medication prescribed by a doctor and illegal drugs can have an effect on driving, especially when a truck driver is already impaired. Some drugs can also react with other medications the driver is taking and cause an allergic reaction that factors into an accident.
Alcohol. Alcohol can slow reaction times and increase the effects of many other prescription and non-prescription medications. Even if the driver normally takes the medication with no ill effects, the addition of even a small amount of alcohol can make the driver excessively drowsy.
Fatigue. Tired, groggy drivers are more likely to make mistakes behind the wheel, and it can be a dangerous factor on top of drug or alcohol impairment. Fatigue and pressure to adhere to tight delivery schedules can also lead to drivers using medication to stay awake longer, which can wear off quickly and leave drivers more prone to nodding off behind the wheel.
Distraction. Fiddling with the radio, texting, talking on the phone, or engaging in other distracted-driving behaviors is already known to be unsafe, and it can be an even bigger problem when a driver’s reaction time is slowed by drugs, alcohol, or fatigue.

For more tips, information, and help for victims of truck accidents, contact our law office at 312-332-1400 or connect with us on Facebook.