In a typical week, you may visit a number of places of business for the purposes of shopping, eating at restaurants, attending appointments, and more. Chances are, you rarely think twice about your personal safety when visiting any of these places. However, it is possible to suffer a serious injury in a place of business, and in many of these cases, the business owner is at fault. If you have been injured, an attorney can help you file a claim in pursuit of fair compensation.

Filing a Claim on the Basis of Premises Liability

Illinois law holds that both residential and commercial property owners have a duty of care to keep their properties reasonably safe for lawful visitors, including customers and other guests. When a business owner fails to uphold this duty and someone is injured as a result, the injury victim can pursue compensation on the grounds of premises liability.

Based on recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are more fatal alcohol-related car accidents in the summer than in any other season. In part, this is due to the prevalence of drinking on summer holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Fourth of July weekend. In order to protect yourself and your family, you should consider taking extra precautions when driving during the summer, especially on weekends and holidays. You should also know where to turn for help if you are injured by a drunk driver.

Avoiding Accidents With Drunk Drivers in Illinois

For most people, avoiding driving altogether in the summer, or even just during a holiday weekend, is unrealistic and undesirable. However, it is worth considering your travel plans to see if you can stay off the road during some of the most dangerous times. For example, rather than going out to a bar or to a party for the Fourth of July and driving home late at night, you might consider celebrating at home.

“We are seeing an increased amount of traumatic brain injuries in our cases. The popular press is discussing this more and more in relation to professional football. We asked our research clerk, Hannah Grace, to firm up our research in this area and the following is an article by Hannah summarizing her findings. As a caution to the public nothing herein is intended as medical advice and anything anyone can rely upon medically. Consult your physician.” — Charles E. Adler

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is defined as a severe, violent strike to the head that causes the brain to bump against the inside of the skull.  The injury can range from mild to severe. The degree of trauma depends on different factors including the force of impact and nature of the accident. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the leading causes of TBIs are falls, blunt trauma, and motor vehicle accidents. Violence, sports injuries, and explosive blasts are also common in causing TBIs. Symptoms for both mild and severe TBI can include some of the same symptoms. Intellectual and communication problems are also known to develop after a TBI. In 2014 an average of 155 people died each day from injuries that included a TBI. Deaths that were related to TBI were the highest among people 75 and older.  Emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths relating to TBI’s increased 53% from 2006 to 2014. Different tests are used to diagnose a TBI.

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a commonly used test. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) measures a person’s ability to speak, open their eyes, and move. A score of 13 or higher represents a mild TBI, 9-12 indicates a moderate TBI, and 8 or below indicates a severe TBI. Different imaging tests are used to take photos of person’s brain. A computerized tomography (CT) scan can take x-rays to show bleeding in the brain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses magnets to produce more detailed images than a CT. There are both long term and immediate problems surrounding a TBI. Longer-term effects of TBI can cause problems with brain functions including issues with cognition, senses, communication, behavior, and emotions.

Accident victims should be mindful of post-collision head injuries like a skull fracture. The skull, commonly referred to as the cranial bone, protects the brain from injury. Skull fractures often cause swelling (edema), blood clots (subdural hematoma), and bleeding (hemorrhage), which create pressure on the brain tissue. Depending on the severity of head injury, brain damage is possible.

Seeking medical attention after a vehicle accident or another incident that may cause head injuries, like a slip and fall, can help reduce the risk of serious complications. A personal injury may also be able to help victims recover compensation when another party’s negligence led to the skull fracture.

Types of Skull Fractures

There are several types of fractures, including: