Seidman, Margulis, & Fairman Blog

Firm News | December 20, 2013

Anyone with small children appreciates the constant battle to keep them safe. An ordinary house is suddenly transformed into a maze of hazards when you have a child. Products that are intended for children must be carefully scrutinized to determine if they are safe. A recent safety study has found that one type of product has been involved in a frightening number of injuries in recent years. Injuries involving high chairs rose 22 percent from 2003 to 2010. Many of those injuries were suffered by children who were less than one year old.

In 2010, 10,930 injuries were recorded involving high chairs and booster chairs and children under the age of 3. The most common type of injury was a fall from a child who had been standing in or climbing the chair. The authors of the study concluded that the problem was that high chair restraints were either ineffective at stopping children or they were not being used correctly by parents.

Firm News | December 20, 2013

Semi-trucks can weigh 80,000 pounds or more. They are much heavier than a typical passenger car and can cause major damages and serious injuries when involved in an accident. In many cases, they even cause fatalities. Fortunately, all six people involved in a Chicago truck accident are expected to survive.

The crash occurred on the Chicago Skyway on the afternoon of Dec. 11. The Skyway is a toll bridge that is nearly eight miles long and connects Indiana to Chicago. According to the Chicago Fire Department, the accident was caused when a semi-truck rear-ended another vehicle. The crash involved three vehicles, including two semi-trucks. An SUV was wedged under one of the trucks. All of the vehicles were traveling on the South Side of Chicago.

Firm News | December 11, 2013

Most oral surgeries are routine procedures that result in minor side effects. Not many Illinois residents expect to suffer a heart attack and brain damage as a result. However, this was the case for a Chicago man, a Vietnam vet, who now suffers lifelong medical conditions due to negligence of the medical staff.

In 2007, the man had oral surgery performed at Hines V.A. Hospital. According to the claim, the hospital staff did not properly prepare the man’s heart or monitor its condition during the surgery, and he subsequently had a heart attack. The man now suffers from brain damage as a result of the hospital’s negligence.

Firm News | December 4, 2013

Drinking and driving is a serious offense. Add bribery to the mix and you’ve got a serious criminal situation. This recently happened to an East Chicago man who walked away from a car accident after driving drunk and then bribed a police officer to perform the Breathalyzer test for him.

The car accident occurred on the morning of Nov. 22. The crash damaged both cars involved. Police got the man’s ID and noticed he smelled strongly of alcohol. While talking with the other driver, police noticed that the man had left the accident scene.

Firm News | November 27, 2013

Many Illinois residents undergo major surgical procedures without any issues. Although there is some risk involved in any invasive procedure, very few people expect to suffer metal poisoning and other serious medical conditions. A Pennsylvania woman suffered that fate after a metal hip implant became defective and caused metal particles to enter her body, causing pain.

The allegedly defective products in question were ASR Acetabular system hip replacement devices manufactured by DePuy. The woman received the implant in 2007 and just under six years later – in February 2013 – began to experience pain in her right leg. Lab work showed that her cobalt and chromium levels were high.

Firm News | November 20, 2013

Speed limits are ignored by many motorists, but they are created for the safety of everyone who travels the roadways. The faster a person drives, the longer it takes for them to stop. That’s why it’s important to not get too close to the vehicle in front of you. One Illinois driver recently rear-ended a vehicle, causing that vehicle to rear-end the one in front. Several people were injured.

The three-car accident occurred on the evening of Nov. 15 on Illinois 13 in Williamson County. There was traffic in the eastbound lanes when a 34-year-old man rear-ended a car driven by a 41-year-old woman. Her car then hit the car in front of her, driven by a 38-year-old woman.

Firm News | October 23, 2013

To most Illinois parents, the most awful thing that could happen to them would be to have their child die. The grief caused by such a tragedy would be made worse if the death could have been prevented. The estate of an infant who died is suing a Kentucky hospital after the doctor allegedly failed to monitor the boy after suffering from respiratory failure. The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that the doctor suffocated the boy due to an improperly placed tube.

The infant died in 2010. According to the lawsuit, the doctor was negligent because he failed to remain with the boy and monitor him after inserting an endotracheal tube. In May 2013, it was found that the doctor did not display the skills and care of a competent emergency room physician. His negligence was found to be the contributing factor in the infant’s death.