Though e-cigarettes are being marketed as a safer alternative to tobacco smoking, design flaws in the products can cause severe injuries or even kill their users, an attorney representing several plaintiffs in personal-injury cases said. E-cigarettes and vaping devices often contain substandard lithium-ion batteries rejected by major battery manufacturers, attorney Chris Stoy, a partner in the Fort Worth law firm…
Several House Republicans have voiced their opposition to a recently passed bill that amends the state’s Worker’s Compensation Act. Senate Bill 1596 passed the House on March 14 after receiving 70 Yes votes and 40 No votes. The bill had previously passed in the Senate on March 6 with 41 Yes votes and 16 No votes. It was sponsored in…
A circuit court referred a case for consideration to the Illinois Supreme Court to decide if a workers compensation settlement can be exempt in a bankruptcy proceeding. In Re Elena Hernandez, three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago certified the question on Monday of whether the Illinois Workers Compensation Act can exempt the proceeds of…
The Indiana Court of Appeals granted summary judgment in favor of the city of Indianapolis and Indy Parks and Recreation department after determining that the city was not liable for injuries sustained by a mountain biker as he was riding on a city-owned trail. In July 2011, Richard Kaler and his girlfriend were riding a mountain bike trail at Town…
Mediation programs in two states are bringing together opioid-addicted workers and workers compensation insurers to create plans to get these workers off drugs. In February, the New Hampshire Department of Labor launched the Opioid Pilot Mediation Program, which will provide an opportunity for insurers and opioid-dependent workers whose cases have been settled in the workers comp system to come together…
Illnesses and injuries associated with working in Illinois mines are substantially underreported to the federal agency tasked with tracking these events, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration requires reporting of injuries and illness sustained while working in mines in the U.S. But according…
The Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that will remove any period of repose for the filing of workers compensation claims relating to occupational disease, essentially exposing employers in the state to unlimited liability for these claims. S.B. 1596, which passed 70-40-1 along party lines, amends the state’s Workers Compensation Act and Workers Occupational Diseases Act to provide…
Arlington Heights approved a workers’ compensation settlement for a police officer who is still employed with the police department, marking the second payout to the worker in recent years. Trustees approved at the March 4 meeting paying $45,963 to police Officer Nancy Hundrieser to settle a workers’ compensation claim filed last year for an injury that reportedly happened Dec. 15,…
Six states have sued the Trump administration over the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s plan to roll back its electronic record-keeping rule. Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey and New York challenged the “illegal and unjustified attempt to roll back (the regulation’s) requirements for the public reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses — information that allows states to better…
A school bus collided with a garbage truck in Indiana on Wednesday, seriously injuring one student and leaving 20 people hurt, authorities said. Preliminary information indicates that 18 students, the bus driver and the driver of the garbage truck were injured in the crash, said Indiana State Police Sgt. Stephen Wheeles. Aerial photos from the scene show the front of…
