Cook County Wrongful Death Law Blog

Helping your aging parent transition to a fully assisted living facility can be an intensely emotional experience. Witnessing your loved one's emotions as he or she says goodbye to a long-loved home and coming to terms with the fact that independent living is no longer an option can evoke tears of sorrow along with feelings of worry, hoping you are making the right choices. You likely checked into various nursing homes in your area before determining which one was the best fit for your mother or father. 

Understanding that you wouldn't be able to be with your loved one 24/7, you knew you had to trust caregivers to provide quality care and compassionate attention to your family member and expected all staff members to act according to the utmost level of accepted safety standards. Sadly, nursing home abuse is problematic in Illinois and throughout the nation. Recognizing signs of abuse and knowing where to turn for help if a problem arises are critical factors of quality elder care.  

This blog recently discussed that hit-and-run accidents are on the rise. A fatal hit-and run accident in Chicago recently killed one man and injured four others. The 21-year old female driver of the vehicle that struck the victims was arrested following the accident. The woman was charged with one count of leaving the scene of a fatal car accident and four counts of leaving the scene of a car accident that resulted in serious injury.

According to authorities, the fatal hit-and-run accident occurred when a taxi broke down and the occupants of the vehicle began to walk up the off ramp. The 21-year old driver exiting the freeway hit the victims as they were walking up the off ramp. A 27-year old victim was killed in the accident and four others, ranging in age from 25 to 30, were taken to local hospitals with injuries that were described as non-life threatening. Police located the vehicle that was involved near the scene of the accident and a subsequent investigation identified the driver who was later arrested.

Victims of nursing home neglect and their families should be familiar with the legal resources available to them when an incident arises. A nursing home is appealing a $25,000 fine from the state of Illinois for an incident where the staff failed to notice a change in a patient's health and respond accordingly. The patient later died. An inspection report from the Illinois Department of Health reports that the victim was taken from the nursing home to an emergency room. The victim died four days after being taken to the emergency room with pneumonia and sepsis, which are both serious infections.

The victim suffered from dementia and severe cognitive deficits. He was reported lethargic during a meal days before he went to the emergency room. The patient's wife allegedly declined to have him sent to the hospital for testing. The victim displayed decreased activity and an increasingly altered mental state over the two days prior to being taken to the emergency room. The victim's wife had noticed him growing increasingly weak in the two weeks prior to being taken to the emergency room.

This blog recently discussed the importance of workers' compensation to victims of work-related accidents, which can include construction accidents. Workers injured on the job may be able to receive workers' compensation benefits for their medical expenses and lost earnings, which may help them and their family through a difficult time following a work-related injury or death.

While workers' compensation benefits are generally available as an alternative to a personal injury claim for damages, in some circumstances injured workers may be able to pursue a personal injury claim for damages following a construction accident. Damages that may be available through a personal injury claim include medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering. In circumstances when the negligence of a third party, such as a sub-contractor, caused the injuries suffered by the victim, a claim for damages may be possible.