When it comes to workplace injury claims filed, “overall it’s gotten better,” but preventable illnesses and injuries are still costing employers billions of dollars, and employees their lives. So said Lisa Weis, compliance assistance specialist with the Cleveland office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA. Weis addressed 230 members of the Mahoning Valley Safety Council at its…
The Illinois Senate has approved restrictions on insurance companies writing workers’ compensation policies. The plan that passed 34-21 on April 17 is identical to one Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed last year. The Republican has complained for years that workers’ compensation costs prevent economic growth. Democrats point out they restricted payouts and rules on worker injuries in 2011 but insurance companies…
This week (April 8-14) is National Dog Bite Prevention Week®, and with an estimated 89.7 million dogs living in U.S. households, accidents are bound to happen. Most dogs will never bite, but it is important to remember that any dog CAN bite regardless of breed or type. In 2017, State Farm paid $132 million as a result of 3,600 dog-related…
Eau Claire, Wis.-based Menards is suing a Georgia company for personal injury claims tied to moving walkways installed in some of the home improvement chain’s stores. Menards filed the lawsuit last week in Eau Claire County Court, alleging that ThyssenKrupp Elevator Corp. didn’t live up to its warranty and other parts of a contract to install the walkways intended to…
A 29-year-old man in Illinois faces several charges, including driving under the influence, after he allegedly crashed a vehicle early Monday morning and abandoned the scene, leaving his girlfriend “semi-unconscious” in the front passenger seat, police said Wednesday. Emil Nichitoi, according to the Des Plaines Police Department, was allegedly driving the vehicle around 2:20 a.m. when he crashed into a…
Nearly two-thirds of the injuries and illnesses that occurred among Illinois miners from 2001 to 2013 were not reported to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, a recent study shows. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago cross-referenced MSHA Part 50 reports of injuries and illnesses to corresponding cases with the state’s Workers’ Compensation Commission. The WCC database showed…
An arbitrator has ordered the village of Niles to pay over $30,000 to settle a worker’s compensation claim for a police officer whose patrol car was rear-ended in 2016. Niles police Officer Rodney Whiteman sustained injuries when his squad car was struck, said Daniel Egan, an attorney with the Chicago-based law firm Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie and Lowry, which represented the…
As the number of new asbestos lawsuits declined nationally, activity in Illinois’ three hotbeds for asbestos litigation showed few signs of ebbing in 2017, even though the distribution of filing activity has shifted slightly. Recently, Washington, D.C.-based consulting group KCIC released an analysis of U.S. asbestos exposure case filings, showing in 2017 total new asbestos exposure-related lawsuits dropped another 7.5…
Ten U.S. senators are asking Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and other companies developing self-driving cars whether they are using or planning to use contracts with consumers that would limit their ability to sue in the case of a crash. The letter headed by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., comes as concerns are growing on Capitol Hill about autonomous vehicles…
The next civil trial of a Munster cardiologist accused of performing unnecessary surgeries is scheduled to begin April 9. Dr. Arvind Gandhi stands accused by hundreds of patients of implanting unnecessary heart devices. The first such trial ended earlier this month in Gandhi’s favor. The plaintiff for the next trial, Gloria Sargent, went to see Gandhi in June 2006 for…
