An annual study conducted by the National Academy of Social Insurance revealed workers compensation cost and benefits took a sharp downturn during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, while reporting at the state level uncovered a stark contrast in results. Data compiled by the academy ran over a five-year period from 2016 to 2020 and highlighted trends and outcomes…
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Wednesday that it has launched a local emphasis program aiming to reduce the higher rates of injuries among the more than 90,000 food production workers in Illinois and Ohio. The program, which began Oct. 3, started with an initial outreach focused on more than 1,400 manufacturing facilities in Illinois and Ohio where year-round…
A patient is suing a Belleville hospital, claiming one of its doctors performed an unnecessary heart procedure and damaged an artery. Plaintiff Larry Crunk filed a lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against St. Elizabeth’s Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis and Paban Saha, M.D., citing medical malpractice. The lawsuit was filed…
A patient is suing medical centers and their staff for allegedly failing to diagnose a shoulder fracture before performing physical therapy. Plaintiff Karen Chatham filed a lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Fairview Heights Medical Group, doing business as BJC Medical Group of Illinois, Charles, Lehmann, M.D., Gregory Churchill, PA, Protestant Memorial Medical Center, Inc., doing business…
A woman is suing a dog owner after his unleashed pit bull allegedly attacked and injured her daughter. Plaintiffs Anessa Bell and her minor daughter M. Johnson filed the lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against defendant Aveon Jones, citing negligence. According to the lawsuit, Johnson was jumping on a trampoline in the front yard of her aunt’s home…
Mental health-related workers compensation claims continue to rise, many fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, relatively new presumption laws countrywide that broaden workers compensation eligibility for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental injuries, and greater awareness of mental health issues, experts say. Yet traditional mental injury claims can and are being defended, as legal experts report a rise in such claim…