blog | Lane Brown, LLC

Are you one of the thousands of truck drivers employed by one of 100+ trucking companies throughout Illinois? Ever hear the phrase “In it for the long haul?” It’s been used in reference to personal relationships, jobs, education, and a host of other applications. As the phrase implies, distance and hard work are both factors in the endeavor, no matter what it is. This is quite literally part of the job description for a long haul truck driver.

In mid-2013, new federal regulations within the trucking industry were enacted in an effort to help prevent serious truck accidents and injuries. These laws put restrictions on when long haul truck drivers can work, how long they can drive in a single trip, and when they must take their breaks. For drivers traveling back-and-forth across the country each week, the job can be very fulfilling—yet still exhausting. But, could there be a downside to these new restrictions that could also put truck drivers, and other motorists on the road, in danger?

The Negative Impact of Long Haul Truck Driving

The new federal regulations actually may be putting more semi-trucks on the road during rush hour. This is because drivers are limited in how long they can drive at night. These laws that affect when drivers can work may actually force them to take breaks when they aren’t tired, and drive when they are!
There are numerous serious health risks that can be attributed to long haul truck driving. These can include: heart disease, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer in the stomach, prostrate, lungs, and bladder. Truck drivers with compromised health are at a higher risk of getting into a serious accident on the road.
The nature of long haul truck driving can take a toll on the body. Chronic stress, inconsistent schedules, excess workloads, extreme time deadlines, and demanding physical labor can impact a driver’s physical, emotional, and mental health.

Fatigued, physically ill, overworked, and distracted long haul truck drivers can easily cause serious truck accidents in a split second, all because the odds are stacked against them from the start.

Want more information about long haul truck driving accidents? Give Lane Brown a call today. We’re conveniently located in Chicago, but proudly serve victims throughout Illinois. Help is a phone call away.

Residential neighborhoods outside of a downtown setting are an ideal place for many individuals to live in. You may be one of these people. Sidewalks, bright streetlights, large yards, and tree-lined streets draw families with children, empty nesters looking for a quieter place to live, or even the individual looking for the benefits of city living with a small-town feel.

If you’ve noticed, there typically aren’t stoplights in residential neighborhoods to control traffic. Usually these intersections feature stop signs or yield signs to indicate right-of-way for motorists. Usually, in residential neighborhoods, there isn’t a need for traffic lights to direct traffic safely. However, more than 700,000 stops sign-related car accidents still happen each year across the country. In many situations, these accidents can be avoided when motorists exercise a little extra caution on the road.

Remembering S.T.O.P. Could Help You Avoid a Car Accident

S – Safe Distance. Keep a safe distance between your car and any car in front of you when approaching a stop sign intersection. A good rule is to always look for the rear wheels of the car in front of you. If you can’t see them, you’re too close!
T – The Painted Line Matters. Look for a painted line at the intersection. This line is meant to serve as a guide for drivers. If you stop at or before this line, you should ensure that the front end of your vehicle does not protrude into the intersection. Otherwise, your efforts to stop might be too late when cross traffic comes your way.
O – Oncoming Traffic. Oncoming cross traffic can be hidden or difficult to see because other objects obstruct your view. For intersections that are only a two-way stop, ease into the intersection slowly to give yourself extra time to respond to traffic you might not see immediately.
P – Pause a few seconds. A significant number of stop sign crashes are rear-end collisions. Avoid a car crash by waiting a few seconds if there’s a car in front of you at the stop sign. Don’t move forward the second that they do. They may still stop before fully entering the intersection.

Our parents and teachers taught us that name-calling and other forms of verbal teasing can’t really hurt us. I can’t possibly give an accurate count of the number of times I was told that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”

That old adage is now being called into question by new research from UCLA. Dr. Naomi Eisenberger has found that social rejection and physical pain are intrinsically linked in the brain, so much so that a lack of the former can impact the latter.

How is it that social rejection could affect physical pain? In an experiment published in the 2006 issue of the journal Pain, Eisenberger used 75 subjects to explore perceptions of physical pain in the context of social situations. First, the researchers identified each person’s unique pain threshold by transmitting varying levels of heat to the forearm. The participants graded pain levels until they reached “very unpleasant.” This provided a baseline for the participants’ “normal” pain thresholds under normal conditions.

The test subjects then played a game of ball-tossing with 3 characters on a computer. One character represented the participant, who was told by the researchers that the other two characters were played by real people. (Actually, the other characters were computer-controlled.) The participant was either a) socially included by having the ball tossed to the participant, or excluded, in which case the ball was never tossed to the participant. In the final 30 seconds of the game, a new heat stimulus was applied and subjects again rated the level of pain they felt.

The excluded group participants reported 67% more social distress on average, which was not particularly surprising. What was more of a surprise was that the same people who reported great social distress from the game also reported higher pain ratings at the end of the game—showing a link between social and physical pain.

The findings by Dr. Eisenberger were supported by other studies which demonstrate a connection between emotional and physical pain. Many functional MRI (fMRI) studies, which measure functional brain activity through visualization of blood flow, have confirmed that emotional and physical pain both activate the brain’s dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Still other studies note that people who suffer from physical conditions such as chronic pain are more likely to have emotional anxiety and feel social rejection more deeply.

People who have suffered traumatic injuries often suffer obvious physical disabilities, pain and disfigurement. The suffering they experience is less obvious to others, but is no less real to the individuals who’ve been injured and their families.Those individuals have been thrown into a new way of living. Their home, work and recreational lives may have been turned upside down, and they frequently reach a point where they feel that they have been left alone to deal with thier very personal pain and fears. They can feel isolated and rejected by those who had been around them when they were well, but seem to have left their lives once injury has kept them from being a full participant in society’s living. And now, we know, and have scientific proof, of the sad fact that isolation, the stigma of rejection and emotional distress we knew was there can actually worsen the physical pain suffered by the injured person. An awful cycling of physical and emotional pain that can be crippling.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious and disabling injury because of someone else’s fault, you may be able to take actions to help find your way through the difficult times ahead. At Lane Brown, LLC, our attorneys have spent decades helping people cope with the devastating impact that serious injuries can have. Please contact the attorneys of Lane Brown, LLC, or call us at 312-332-1400 to speak with us about your options. We can help. To learn more about Lane Brown, please visit our website at lanebrownlaw.com

Category: General

Labels: disabling injury pain trauma

If you’ve been the victim of a horrific event, like sexual abuse for instance, the experience can be life shattering. Learning to get through the day-to-day activities of life can be an overwhelming ordeal. If you are a family member watching your loved one go through this process, the experience can have its own effects on you, too.

It’s important to know that you don’t have to suffer in silence. Do not let any abuser or situation shame you into thinking your dignity, self-respect, and personal life are of little to no worth. You are not alone, and you are not responsible for the sexual crimes committed against you.

If you do choose to pursue legal action against your perpetrator, there are a few things to keep in mind that will help your sexual abuse attorney best serve you and your case:

Seek counseling first – A trained therapist or psychologist can help you come to grips with your victimization. This can help you communicate a clear, consistent account of your abuse. It will also help you learn to cope with the stress and emotions that may surface in the midst of a legal case.
Have clear communication with your attorney – This includes returning phone calls, keeping scheduled consultations, and speaking as honestly as you can about the abuse. Remember… we are on your side. We want to help you get the justice you deserve.
Keep records of any communication between you and your abuser – Saved emails, letters, text messages, pictures, or videos can help to corroborate your story in a situation that is typically viewed as “your story against theirs.” This will help your attorney structure a solid case against your abuser or the organization he/she works with.

As much as we would want to be able to serve every client that approaches us about a sexual abuse claim, the reality is, we cannot help every person in need. We primarily serve victims of childhood sexual abuse, and due to the nature of these cases, a statute of limitations in Illinois, and the intense nature of these cases, it’s important for victims to contact us in a timely manner. But also important to consider is the fact that victims need to understand the emotional effects that such legal action can have. Having external support—through counseling, family, or a support group—can help victims as they have to recount the events of their abuse.

If you have questions about childhood sexual abuse, and whether or not you might have a legal case against your perpetrator, please feel free to contact our compassionate, experienced, and professional attorneys at Lane Brown to schedule a free, confidential consultation today.

For victims of childhood sexual abuse, the experience can oftentimes be one that lasts for an extended amount of time. From the time that initial contact is made between an unsuspecting victim and the adult perpetrator, to the time that a victim can finally, and openly, admit that the abuse happened—life can change dramatically.

For those wrestling in the grips of such abuse, the feeling can be terrifying and unfathomable. If you are watching someone as they are living this out, the process could be unbearable to witness.

As personal injury attorneys here in Chicago, we serve victims who suffer a wide variety of injuries, most commonly physical, through a wide range of accidents. However, in the case of child sexual abuse, the injuries extend far past the physical. While many sexual abuse victims do experience physical trauma through these events, psychological trauma and emotional trauma can also result. These impact a victim’s whole life, whether it be through a change in family and social relationships, or even personal interests and hobbies. And so, the Downward Spiral Effect begins.

How Can Life Change After Sexual Abuse?

Problems at school – Your straight-A student may suddenly begin failing their classes, skipping school, or developing problems with teachers and peers. If your child is not given the right counseling or support needed to properly deal with sexual abuse trauma—like PTSD—this can progress to long term consequences. Your child’s plummeting grades and behavior could affect prospective college opportunities, or even his/her ability to graduate.
Social relationships suffer – Some of the side effects of PTSD are anxiety, aggressiveness, or irritability. These can affect every relationship your child has. If your child withdraws from his/her social circle of friends, or suddenly eliminates hobbies, sports, or activities of interest from his/her life, depression could result. Feelings of loneliness, lack of purpose, and a lack of self-worth are often major factors as to why young adolescents attempt, or succeed at, suicide.
Breakdown of communication at home – This can become a significant problem, because you, as a parent, can often be left powerless and without knowledge of the hurt and suffering your child is experiencing. In many cases, as adolescents plummet further down into a spiral of despair, anger, fear, or angst, their behavior at home can reflect that emotional trauma. Your child may become more destructive with property, may withdraw from normal family life, and become more defiant at home.

If you suspect that your child has been sexually abused, don’t give up hope. Your child may not talk about it right away. But, in time, through a relationship of trust, open communication, patience, and love, your loved one should eventually open up. Through your support and affirmation, your child or teen can gather the strength and courage to speak truthfully about the abuse and begin the healing process as he/she works to restore life to a “new normal.”

If you would like answers to some of the legal questions surrounding childhood sexual abuse, we may be able to help. Contact us today to schedule a no-cost, confidential, case evaluation.

One would think that a city struggling through financial hardship would take every precautionary measure possible to reduce unnecessary spending. In some cases, simple changes to policy can save a city thousands of dollars that could be put to use to help improve the community.

However, in Chicago’s case, one lack of policy will end up costing the city more than $16 million due to one man’s dangerous choice to drive a city sanitation truck while intoxicated.

On Monday, January 13, the City Council’s Finance Committee agreed to a multi-million dollar settlement to Jennifer Anton, one of three victims seriously injured in the May 2011 drunk driving accident caused by 61-year-old city worker Dwight Washington. The other two victims have already received their settlements awarded from jury verdicts. The combined total of all three awards topped the $16 million mark.

Why was a city worker picking up garbage allowed to drive a city truck while intoxicated?

Well, at the time of the accident, random alcohol and drug testing was only required for those city employees who held commercial driver’s licenses. But, since Street and Sanitation workers who are assigned to collect garbage and debris did not fall under this criterion, they were exempt from undergoing such testing. Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has since pushed for policy changes to be made in order to prevent such accidents from happening again.

Due to the new policy changes in place, Street and Sanitation Department drivers now must undergo the same random alcohol and drug testing as other positions within the city.

Apparently, this was not Washington’s first offense, either. About one year before the 2011 crash occurred, Washington was involved in another job-related accident that caused property damage. After that incident, he was apparently drug tested, and results came back negative. Washington was given an “oral reprimand” as a result.

Because of one man’s negligence, and a city’s insufficient safety policies for its workers, Jennifer Anton was critically injured while walking down the street with the 20-month-old child she was caring for. Fortunately, she was able to push the toddler out of the way in time. However, she was not so lucky. As a result, Anton suffered severe injuries below her waist. Virtually every bone on the lower half of her body was shattered, along with a fractured pelvis and hips. The skin tissue on her legs was also torn off due to the accident.

In all, seven individuals were injured to some degree on that fateful day. Hopefully, this costly choice will teach Washington, and the city of Chicago a valuable lesson about the roles they play in public safety. Policy and accountability matter!

If you have questions or comments about this case, or other drunk driving-related injuries, please contact us today to arrange a free, no obligation consultation. We want to hear from you!