blog | Lane Brown, LLC

Getting sick with food poisoning can be a terrible experience, leaving victims stuck in bed for a few days. Unfortunately, people do not always realize that they have food poisoning. Instead, they attribute the symptoms to the stomach flu or a “24-hour bug.” In severe cases, food poisoning can be quite dangerous or even deadly.

People most at risk of severe harm from food poisoning include infants, the elderly, and those with weak immune systems. Certain strains of bacterial food poisoning can be more dangerous for these individuals since their immune systems are not able to fight off infection as well as older children and young adults can.

Following are some of the common symptoms of food poisoning:

Fever
Nausea
Abdominal cramps
Diarrhea
Vision problems
Dehydration
Headaches

In severe cases of food poisoning, kidney failure can occur. Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition where the immune system attacks the body’s nerves, could also develop, potentially causing paralysis or death.

Following are some tips to help reduce your risk of food poisoning:

Make sure your food is cooked to proper temperature.
Be sure that kitchen knives and cutting surfaces are properly cleaned to avoid cross-contamination.
Check restaurant reviews and look for health inspection reports before going to a new restaurant. If you walk into a restaurant, and it appears dirty or unsanitary, walk out.
Pay attention to food recalls—never ingest any food that is on a recall list. If you own a recalled food item, return it to your grocery story immediately.

If you have suffered severe health problems due to food poisoning or some other serious accident, contact a Chicago product liability attorney at Lane Brown for legal help. We will take the time to examine all of the facts related to your case, answer your questions, and help you to understand your legal options. Give us a call today at 312-332-1400 to schedule your free case review. We are here to help.

A growing number of hospitals in Chicago and throughout the rest of the country have taken to advertising their emergency room wait times on television, billboards, phone apps, websites, Facebook, and Twitter. They hope to draw in patients who need medical care and do not know where to go.

Most people do not enjoy waiting. When a broken leg, nausea, or other severe malady accompanies that waiting, time can seem to stand still. Naturally, it makes sense for patients to look for a hospital that can get them in and out quickly, right? Well, the answer may be more complicated than that. There are both advantages and disadvantages to advertising short emergency room wait times.

Following are some of the advantages of advertising short emergency room wait times:

Short emergency room wait time goals are an attempt to ensure that patients are seen quickly and have the best possible experience while in the emergency room.
Short emergency room wait time goals can help ensure that hospital emergency room staff members are using their time efficiently.
Short emergency room wait time goals can help increase the volume of patients a hospital sees.

These benefits sound like positives for both patients and hospitals. However, there are also problems with advertising short emergency wait times. These disadvantages include the following:

Patients expecting short emergency room wait times can overcrowd hospitals. If this happens, hospitals may not have the staffing or physical space to stay true to that estimate.
Patients believe that emergency rooms work on a first come, first serve basis. However, this is not the case—the sickest patient always receives care first. You could walk into an empty waiting room with a headache, but if someone comes in after you with a broken leg, you may still have to wait.
Advertising short emergency room wait times serves as a method to woo patients to the hospital, but may leave them with false expectations concerning their emergency room experience.

Emergency room injuries happen every day. Diagnostic mistakes, improper patient intake, and patient file mix-ups, are just a few of the common hospital errors that can cause serious injuries. Emergency room overcrowding can increase the risk of a medical error.

If you think that you have been the victim of an emergency room accident or some other medical error, contact a Chicago medical malpractice attorney at Lane Brown, LLC today. We have the experience, commitment, and knowledge necessary to fight for the justice you deserve. Contact our office at 312-332-1400 to schedule your free consultation. We are standing by to help.

Food allergies can result in serious and even deadly injuries if ignored. Recently, as a result of a recent settlement between the federal Department of Justice and Lesley University in Massachusetts, students with serious food allergies may now qualify for accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. By applying ADA to food allergies, the Department of Justice has turned food into an access issue… access to an education in this case. This decision will likely impact both higher education as well as the primary and secondary levels. The Lesley University case involved a student who had celiac disease, and because of that, required a gluten-free diet. This was not available as part of the mandatory meal plan that the University required the student to participate in. The Department of Justice responded to a complaint from the student, entered into a settlement with the university in which Lesley University agreed to make dietary accommodations for students with special dietary needs. The implications of this settlement are likely to be far reaching and require significant changes for all levels of education in order to avoid charges of discrimination against students with special dietary needs.

Foods which are mislabeled, restaurants which ignore customers’ requests for food information because of allergies and other vendors may negligently cause catastrophic, and completely avoidable, injuries to consumers by failing to take known allergic sensitivities into account.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious injuries as a result of food product mislabeling or misrepresentations, you may be able to take action. 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.

When asked if they would consider driving at or above the adult legal limit of .08 for blood alcohol, teens almost always say they would not.

But when asked if they would consider texting or talking on the cell phone while driving, many honestly say they would. Studies indicating that the risk of an accident is similar for talking on a cell phone and driving at the .08 limit are eye-opening for many teens.

If you or a loved one has suffered personal injuries as a result of the negligence of a drunk driver or a distracted driver, you may be able to take action. 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.

A parking lot accident can be a frustrating experience. Car repairs, insurance claims, medical bills, and “whodunit” questions can be quite an inconvenience. Following are some practical tips from a Chicago car accident lawyer to make the experience easier:

Remain Calm – Do not argue with the other driver. You may say or do something that could jeopardize your rights. Simply exchange names, contact information, and insurance information. Then, call your insurance company to report the incident and find out what they want you to do.
Look for Witnesses – Look around to see if there were any eyewitnesses to the accident. Find out if they are willing to provide testimony as to exactly what happened.
Document the Accident – Do not move your car until you have collected evidence. Take pictures of the accident scene using a camera or your phone. The pictures should include skid marks, broken glass, vehicle damage, and car locations. If possible, take pictures of the other driver’s car and location after the accident.
Determine Fault – Try to determine who was at fault for the accident in a calm and objective manner. Do not declare fault at the scene of the accident. Let your insurance company deal with that.
Be Proactive – Avoid parking lot accidents by looking for parking spots that allow you to pull straight out, rather than having to back up to leave. Watch for wind gusts that cab catch your door, causing it to smash into another vehicle. Know the blind spots on your vehicle and take extra care to watch for objects in those areas.

If you have been injured in a parking lot accident, an experienced Chicago car accident attorney at Lane Brown can help. Our skilled car wreck lawyers regularly work to get car accident victims the justice they deserve. Give us a call today at 312-332-1400 to schedule your free case evaluation. We are here to help.

New litigation is emerging as a result of one of the nation’s most widely used drugs and number one cause of acute liver failure in the US: Tylenol. Evidence suggests that severe personal injuries involving acute liver failure, and in some cases death, can result from Tylenol ingestion. Tylenol, the common pain and fever reducing drug, is the brand name of the drug, acetaminophen. You can find acetaminophen in a wide range of products, both over-the-counter and prescription medications. Acetaminophen is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States.

The Food and Drug Administration advises users not to take more than 4,000 milligrams of acetaminophen per day. Officials caution that drug users mistakenly consume more than the recommended limit because they take two different medications containing acetaminophen without realizing it. This sometimes occurs because drug companies will use the abbreviation APAP for acetaminophen.

The following is a list of common drugs which contain acetaminophen. Be careful when taking more than one of these medications at a time, and always look at the drug information on the label.

•Acephen® Rectal Suppository
•Actifed®
•Anacin®
•Anacin®
•Anexsia®
•Apacet®
•Apara®
•Apra®
•Benadryl®
•Capital and Codeine®
•Cepacol®
•Co-Gesic
•Conacetol®
•Contac®
•Coricidin®
•Darvocet®
•Dayquil®
•Dimetapp®
•Dolono®
•Dristan®
•Endocet®
•Esgic-Plus®
•Excedrin®
•Feverall®
•Feverall® Rectal Suppository
•Fioricet®
•Fioricet with codeine®
•Formula 44®
•Genapap®
•Genebs®
•Gericet®
•Goody’s® Powders
•Halenol®
•Hycotab
•Hydrocet®
•Hydrocodone Bitartrate®
•Infantaire®
•Lopap®
•Lortab®
•Mapap®
•Mapap® Rectal Suppository
•Mardol®
•Masophen®
•Meda Cap®
•Midol®
•Neopap® Supprettes Rectal Suppository
•Norco ®
•Nyquil®
•Oxycet®
•Pain-Eze®
•Panadol®
•Panadol®
•Panex®
•Paramol®
•Pediapap®
•Percocet®
•Phenaphen®
•Phrenilin with Caffeine and Codeine®
•Q-Pap®
•Redutemp®
•Ridenol®
•Robitussin®
•Roxicet®
•Saint Joseph® Aspirin-Free
•Sedapap®
•Silapap®
•Singlet®
•Sinutab®
•S-T Febrol®
•Sudafed®
•Tactinal®
•Talacen
•Tapanol®
•Tempra®
•Theraflu®
•T-Panol®
•Triaminic®
•Tycolene®
•Tylenol with Codeine No. 3®
•Tylenol with Codeine No. 4®
•Tylenol®
•Tylophen®
•Tylox®
•Ultracet
•Uni-Ace®
•Uniserts® Rectal Suppository®
•Vanquish®
•Vicks®
•Vicodin®
•Vitapap®
•Zicam®
•Zydone®

If you or a loved one has suffered liver damage, liver failure, or other acute liver injury within a short time of using Tylenol or other medications containing acetominophen, you may be able to take action. 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, LLC, please visit our website at lanebrownlaw.com.