blog | Lane Brown, LLC

It is hard to find any good that comes from a horrific truck crash. Someone is suffering—whether the accident involves a celebrity on the New Jersey Turnpike or your loved one on the Chicago Skyway. Someone is in pain or has been killed because a truck driver was too tried to drive safely.

There May be a Way to Prevent Drowsy Driving Truck Accidents

The technology exists to equip each tractor-trailer with an onboard electronic logging device. This device, which would be similar to the black box found on an airplane, would record the hours driven. Those who support this use of technology argue that it would make trucking companies keep accurate logs and encourage compliance with federal hours-of-service regulations.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) supports onboard electronic logging devices for large trucks. However, there are no regulations in place that require the use of these instruments.

Perhaps, serious truck crashes that gain national attention such as the one that hurt Tracy Morgan on the New Jersey Turnpike last month can help raise awareness and rally those interested in improving truck safety throughout the country.

Have you been hurt, or have you lost a loved one, on I-90, I-94, or another Chicago-area road? What have you done to help prevent future crashes? Please leave a comment in the space below and let others know how they can get involved in the fight to keep our roads safe and please contact your Illinois Representatives and Senators to let them know of your concerns.

Illinois law requires many people to report suspected sexual abuse of children to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the following people are mandatory reporters in the state of Illinois:

Physicians, residents, interns, hospital administrators and personnel, surgeons, dentists, dental hygienists, osteopaths, chiropractors, podiatric physicians, physician assistants, or substance abuse treatment personnel
Funeral home directors or employees, coroners, or medical examiners
Emergency medical technicians, acupuncturists, or crisis line or hotline personnel
School personnel, including administrators and employees, educational advocates, or truant officers
Personnel of institutions of higher education
Members of a school board or the Chicago Board of Education
Members of the governing body of a private school
Social workers, social services administrators, or domestic violence program personnel
Nurses, genetic counselors, respiratory care practitioners, advanced practice nurses, or home health aides
Directors or staff assistants of nursery schools or child care centers, recreational or athletic programs, or facility personnel
Early intervention providers, as defined in the Early Intervention Services System Act
Law enforcement officers or probation officers
Licensed professional counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, or their assistants
Field personnel of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Juvenile Justice, Public Health, Human Services, Corrections, Human Rights, or Children and Family Services
Supervisors and administrators of general assistance under the Illinois Public Aid Code
Animal control officers or Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare field investigators
Foster parents, homemakers, or child care workers
Members of the clergy
Commercial film and photographic print processors or computer technicians

Additionally, Illinois law encourages anyone who has reasonable cause to believe that abuse has occurred to report the abuse.

Yet, according to the DCFS, many cases of child sexual abuse go unreported, even with these reporting laws.

Don’t Let This Happen to Your Child or a Child You Know

If you have reason to suspect that child sex abuse has occurred, report it and let the professionals investigate what happened. Let the child get the help she needs to recover, and let justice be served.

If you have a child, or know a child, who goes to church in Des Plaines, plays sports in Arlington Heights, is involved in scouting in Berwyn, goes to school in Chicago, or is otherwise out of his parent’s care, please share this post on Facebook. Help raise awareness about the Illinois reporting law so that more people speak up on behalf of all of our children.

Category: Child Sex Abuse

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Fourth of July Safety Tips: How to Avoid Common Injuries

It’s a day of celebration. It may be one of the days that you look forward to all year. You are ready to get outside and enjoy the Fourth of July on Lake Michigan with your friends, at a backyard barbeque with your family in Skokie, or at a block party near your Oak Brook home.

You should get out and celebrate this important American holiday that marks our nation’s independence. However, it is important that you do so in a way that won’t limit your personal independence by leaving you seriously injured.

Four Tips for Staying Safe on Independence Day

As you get ready to celebrate, please:

Supervise your children. Not only can swimming and fireworks be dangerous, but so too can the heat. Make sure that everyone stays well hydrated, stays away from spoiled food, and is supervised in the water and around fireworks.
Stay sober. Do not drive a car, boat, or other vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Grill safely. Hot grills can be dangerous. Make sure that precautions are taken to keep the person grilling and all those around him safe. It is also important to have a plan in place in case there is an explosion or a fire.
Be mindful of your pet and other dogs in the area. Fireworks, heat, and parties can be stressful for animals. Be aware that a dog may bite when it is anxious and avoid getting too close to a potentially dangerous animal.

These actions may prevent some serious Fourth of July accidents in the Chicago area, but it is important to remember that serious accidents are sometimes unavoidable.

What to Do If a Fourth of July Accident Leaves You Hurt

If you have been injured in an Independence Day accident on the road, at someone else’s house, at an amusement park or other public place, or because of a defective product, it is important to take the actions necessary to maintain your independence. More specifically, it is important to see a doctor and to consult with a lawyer as soon as possible.

Please share this blog post on Facebook so that your loved ones can take the necessary steps to prevent a tragic Fourth of July accident this year and in years to come.

Category: Catastrophic Injury

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Who Is at Fault if a Truck Overturns on a Chicago Highway?

On June 9, 2014, a tanker truck overturned on the New Jersey Turnpike leaving one person dead and several other people injured. The cause of the wreck was under investigation in the days immediately following the crash. While the cause was unknown, a few things are clear:

Investigators will work hard to determine the true cause of the overturned truck accident.
One person’s life was cut short and that person’s family was left grieving.
Other people were hurt in the crash.

Overturned Truck Wrecks Happen for Different Reasons

We won’t speculate on the cause of the June 9 tanker truck crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. However, when a client comes to us after being hurt or losing a loved one in an overturned truck wreck on I-88, I-90, I-94, or another road, we work hard to find out what caused the crash. We may investigate, for example, whether:

A mechanical problem caused the accident.
The driver made a mistake such as speeding or braking too quickly.
The truck was improperly loaded.
Other factors led to the accident.

You can be confident that we will find out the cause of the crash.

You Can Be Confident That We Will Fight for Justice

We work hard to get truck accident victims the recoveries they deserve whether it was the trucker, trucking company, mechanic, or manufacturer who caused the crash. For more information about the investigation of your own accident, please fill out our online contact form or contact us directly to schedule a free initial consultation.

Category: Truck Accidents

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Getting Your Life Back After a Car Accident Amputation Injury

Even in your most horrific nightmares, the car accident that you were actually involved in on the Stevenson Expressway, Edens Expressway, or another Illinois road was not something you could have imagined. The days and weeks following the crash were, understandably, full of pain and grief. The loss of an arm, hand or finger, or a leg, foot, or toe is physically and emotionally catastrophic. However, as you grieve, it is also important that you work toward rebuilding your life.

Three Things You Can Do to Reclaim Control of Your Life

Right after the accident, your life was full of surgeries and doctor’s appointments. Your medical needs are ongoing, but you want your life to be about more than going back and forth to the doctor’s office. It is possible for you to regain control of the quality of your life again by:

Being aggressive with your medical care. Get the care, rehabilitation therapies, and medical devices that you need.
Defining your goals. Decide what you want to do with the rest of your life and come up with a plan to make that happen.
Accepting help when necessary and being independent when possible. Remember that you don’t have to do all of this alone, but that you may be more independent than you think.

It is possible for your future to be filled with happiness and joy.

It Will Take Some Effort, But it Will Be Done

If someone else’s negligence caused you to lose your limb, you deserve the help of an experienced lawyer while you fight for your fair and just recovery. Don’t settle for less than your case is worth. Instead, understand your rights and possible recovery before you talk to an insurer about your case. Please watch our free videos and read the links in the related links box on this page to learn more today.

Category: Amputation Injuries

Video Monitors Could Help Reduce Truck Accident Fatalities

As a commuter from Naperville, a Chicago resident who regularly navigates the Loop, or a visitor arriving at O’Hare and traveling to the city on the Kennedy Expressway, you may be all too aware of the dangers posed by large trucks on the crowded streets of Chicago.

What if there was a way to save more than 800 lives a year, prevent 39,000 injuries, and eliminate about 35 percent of truck crashes caused by truckers?

What if There Was a Way to Keep Us All Safer?

New research from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that installing video monitors on large trucks and buses could help significantly reduce the number of accidents caused by truckers. The idea is that the video monitor would capture the behavior of the trucker. If the trucker’s behavior was seen as risky by the safety managers who analyzed it, the trucker would receive training or coaching, as needed, to help change the behavior. It is estimated that the video monitors would cost $50-$75 per month per vehicle.

Not Everyone Agrees With This Idea

A representative of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association does not believe that video monitors would make much of a difference. He allegedly argues that the monitors do not capture all of the relevant information and that safety training should occur before a driver goes out on the road.

Have you, or someone you loved, been hurt in a Chicago-area truck crash? Do you support the idea of video monitors? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment on this blog and let us know what you think.