Monthly Archives

March 2023

Woman sues construction company after allegedly tripping over debris

By Personal Injury No Comments

A woman has filed a lawsuit against a construction company after she allegedly fell and injured herself in the parking lot. Plaintiff Carolyn Hale filed the lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against Helmkamp Construction Company, citing negligence and carelessness. According to the lawsuit, on March 30, 2021, Hale was a patron at the defendant’s office building. Hale claims…

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Union Pacific Railroad employee sues over alleged workplace injuries

By Personal Injury No Comments

A Union Pacific Railroad Company employee has filed a lawsuit claiming that he was injured on the job due to negligence. Plaintiff David A. Link filed the lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against defendant Union Pacific Railroad Company, citing negligence in violation of the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. According to the lawsuit, Link was employed by Union Pacific…

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Appeals court grants disability award to ailing firefighter who suffered stroke

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

An appeals court in Illinois on Wednesday granted a disability award to a firefighter who suffered a stroke but may have had pre-existing conditions. A City of East Peoria for more than 20 years, Charles Melton in 2020 applied for an occupational disease disability pension, alleging a “work-related stroke brought on by exposure as a firefighter” and that he was…

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Steady drop in comp surgeries, increase in mental health visits: Study

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Since 2014, the percentage of indemnity claims involving a major surgery in the first two years has declined one percentage point per year, falling from 28% of the 2014 claims to 23% of the 2019 claims, according to a study released Monday by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute. The study tracked treatment patterns in the California workers comp system for…

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Climate change creates heightened workers comp exposures

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Climate change has hit states’ workers compensation systems, as more severe weather patterns, wildfires and other incidents have resulted in lost worker hours and had detrimental effects on mental health, among other things, a panel of experts said. After a disaster, employers must manage recovery efforts that are outside their usual operations, and employees can face more hazardous environments at…

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Motorist seeks $1 million after uninsured motorist caused collision, fled the scene

By Personal Injury No Comments

A driver claims that American Family Mutual Insurance Company has refused to honor her insurance policy claim after she was rear ended by an uninsured motorist. Plaintiff Suzanne K. Alt filed the lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Adreien K. Modglin and American Family Mutual Insurance Company, citing negligence and breach of contract. According to the lawsuit,…

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O’Fallon tenant sues landlord over alleged injuries from faulty shower door

By Personal Injury No Comments

An O’Fallon renter is suing her landlord, alleging a malfunctioning shower door fell on her and caused her to sustain severe injuries. Plaintiff Pauline Brown filed the lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Christine Enterprises, Inc. & Schuler Family Trust, citing negligence. According to the lawsuit, Brown was a resident at an O’Fallon rental property that was…

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Pandemic heightened concerns on food industry injuries

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Research released last month shows that food industry worker injury and fatality rates increased at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, triggering regulators to focus on historical problems in food production safety. While pandemic-related pressures on food manufacturing and distribution caused injury rates and fatalities to rise problems existed before COVID-19 hit, the authors of the six-year study said. The…

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Physician consolidation driving up comp costs: Study

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Vertical integration in medicine is driving up patient care pricing in workers compensation, and provider consolidation is not necessarily translating to improvements in patient outcomes, according to research from the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The study released Thursday, Impact of Medical Provider Consolidation on Workers’ Compensation Payments, examined the impact of provider vertical integration on comp payments, showing how doctor…

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Student’s mother files suit after he broke his thumb in a school locker room

By Personal Injury No Comments

A student’s mother filed a negligence lawsuit against the Belle Valley School District #119 and its employees after her son broke his thumb in the school’s locker room. Plaintiff Kaniesha Bennett, on behalf of her minor child Malik Simms, filed the lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against the Belle Valley School District #119, superintendent R. Dane Gale,…

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