Illinois Injury Lawyer Blog

Thirty-seven people were injured by fireworks Friday night when Fourth of July fireworks misfired and sent a fireball into the crowd of onlookers. Twelve people who were injured there were taken to a local hospital and treated for their injuries. All were released by the end of the weekend. Apparently the incident occurred after 13 racks of firework tubes misfired during the finale of the show. The cause is not yet known, but remains under investigation, once that is determined there is a possibility that personal injury lawsuits will be filed. While the injuries in this case were all minor, the accident shows the dangers of fireworks. To read more, click here.

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Posted In: Burn Injury

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In 1998, the Division of Fire Prevention compiled at list regarding firework associated injuries in Illinois. The list was compiled from data at more than 200 area hospitals for a four-week time period surrounding the Fourth of July regarding patients who suffered injuries after a firework accident. That year, there were 172 firework related injuries. The largest number of injuries affected fingers at 23%. Firecrackers accounted the largest amount of injuries at 34 incidents, which was 20%. The leading type of injury were burn injuries, which accounted for nearly half of all the injuries. Some other types of injuries were lacerations, abrasions, fractures, loss of sight, dismemberment, hearing loss, and fatalities, with 6 people dying from their fireworks related injuries. Be safe this Fourth of July and watch a public display of fireworks.

To see more of the compiled data, click here.

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Posted In: Burn Injury , Fire Safety , Injuries to Minors and Children

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In 2007 in Illinois, 125 people received medical care at hospitals for injuries caused by fireworks. Mostly, teenagers and children were injured by fireworks. To blame for the injuries could be novelty fireworks, like snakes and sparklers, which parents often give to children assuming they are safe. However, these fireworks can be equally as dangerous as the fireworks that are illegal in Illinois. Sparklers burn at temperatures up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit and 23 percent of emergency visits related to fireworks were attributed to innocent sparklers. Aside from the injuries that sparklers can cause, they can also ignite fires. Last year, fireworks caused almost 100 fires across Illinois, which in turn caused injury to five firefighters and resulted in over $1 million in property loss. The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to go to a public display.

To read more about the dangers of fireworks, click here.

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Posted In: Burn Injury , Fire Safety

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Another CTA accident occurred in Chicago, Illinois where a car crashed into a CTA “L” platform. The car exploded and the woman suffered severe burn injuries and was not able to survive the car accident. Two other men who were in the car accident suffered serious injuries and were taken to the hospital. CTA accidents have occurred in large numbers in recent weeks. Previously a car hitting an “L” platform caused personal injuries and death to a woman who was near a Chicago, Illinois Red Line station. To read the story and see a map of where the accident occurred, click here.

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Posted In: Automobile Accidents , Burn Injury , Motor Vehicle Accidents , Public Transit , Train Accidents

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A product recall is in place after personal injuries and property damage have been sustained by drivers of Chrystler Minivans. Car accidents have occurred where the car’s seat heaters have become so hot as to not only cause burn injuries but to also cause fires. A product liability lawsuit is in place between Chrystler and Magna the manufacturer of the seat heaters. Meanwhile injured consumers are turning to the courts to receive compensation for burn injuries and minor personal injuries they have sustained. To see the full story and check out which car models have product recalls click here.

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Posted In: Burn Injury , Motor Vehicle Accidents , Products liability

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Wednesday morning 2 Illinois Department of Transportation workers died while painting a bridge in Elgin. The workers’ truck came into contact with a power-line and by the time firefighters arrived on the scene the truck was encased in flames. Both men were so severely burned that they were pronounced dead on the scene. It is as of yet unknown what caused the truck to hit the power-line, but human error or product liability are some potential issues. Later that same day, one IDOT worked died and another was injured in a car accident on one of Chicago, Illinois’ highways. It is not clear yet whether any workers' compensation claims, personal injury lawsuits, or wrongful death lawsuits will be filed in connection with the two construction accidents.

Read more here.

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Posted In: Automobile Accidents , Burn Injury , Construction Injury , Electrical Safety , Fire Safety , Products liability , Workers' Compensation , Wrongful Death

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An accidental airplane crash occurred just minutes ago. The large airliner crash held nearly 115 passengers. It is unlikely that any passengers will survive the plane accident. If any passenger is lucky to do so they will most likely suffer burn injuries or personal injuries to a drastic extent given observations of a plane in flames. One small boy suffering from burn personal injuries was rushed to the hospital, he is thought to be the only plane crash survivor. No news yet on if any plane crash lawsuits will be filed against potential defendant plane manufacturer Boeing. To see the breaking news on this story and an image on this potential aviation lawsuit click here.

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Posted In: Aviation , Burn Injury , Injuries to Minors and Children

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http://www.illinoisinjurylawyerblog.com/burn_injury/A ComEd worker was burned in an electrical explosion in the 5100 block of West Roosevelt Road, in an area of the North Lawndale neighborhood that borders Cicero. The employee was in a manhole when the piece of equipment he was working on malfunctioned, resulting in an electrical discharge that burned his skin. The Chicago Fire Department took the burn victim to Mt. Sanai Hospital, but he was later transferred to the burn unit at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he remains in critical condition. There is no word yet whether anyone was at fault for the accident or whether the victim or his family have decided to file a personal injury lawsuit in the matter.

For the complete article click here

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Posted In: Burn Injury

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The 22 victims of the Cook County office building fire from 2003 have settled their personal injury lawsuit against the City of Chicago, Cook County, and the building’s management. The $100 million dollar settlement for this personal injury lawsuit will compensate the victims who were injured when the high rise building fire broke out; most were caught in the stairwells and suffered from the smoke.

See the news story here.

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Posted In: Burn Injury , Fire Safety , Illinois statues and Chicago Municipal Codes , Smoke Detectors , Wrongful Death

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A 12-hour-old baby recently sustained severe burn injuries to his face resulting either from the use of a defective product or medical malpractice. An oxygen hood the baby was wearing on his face caught fire and the infant is in critical condition, in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator. It is too soon to tell if the parents will file a personal injury lawsuit claiming product liability or whether the accident occurred due to human error, implying medical malpractice. Hospital fires occur from 50 to 100 times a year during surgeries in the United States, often causing serious burn injuries and are sometimes fatal.

Click here for the full article

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Posted In: Burn Injury , Fire Safety , Injuries to Minors and Children , Products liability

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The Home Shopping Network (HSN) ignored allegations of product liability when burn injuries resulted from the sale of pressure cookers on the channel. The cable shopping network, received at least 25 reports of a malfunctioning pressure cooker sold on the channel beginning in 2001. The network, however, failed to report the injuries to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) thus breaking a US Federal law requiring manufacturers, distributors and retailers to report claims of dangerous products. HSN eventually reported the incidents and claims in 2005, four years after the first complaints. The lids on the Welbilt pressure cookers opened prematurely, inflicting burn injuries on at least 37 customers. HSN has been fined $875,000 and has issued a recall of the product.

Click here for the full article

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Posted In: Burn Injury , Products liability

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At a news conference this morning, the lawfirm of Levin & Perconti announced that a Cook County judge has accepted a $6 million settlement figure in the Rogers Park fire that was one of the deadliest fires in recent Chicago history. Yadira Ramirez spoke on behalf of her family and the emotional struggles that they have been going through since she lost five siblings in a single blaze. In tears, Ms. Ramirez explained, “Every time we see a family, we remember everything.”

The fire also took the life of a sixth child, the only daughter of Maria Ramos. The wrongful death lawsuit against the owner of the low-income building claimed that the building had faulty smoke detectors that did not sound when the fire started. The source of the fire is believed to have been a candle. The Ramirez family could not afford to pay their electric bill and was using candles to light their apartment at night.

Click here for the full article.

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Posted In: Building safety , Burn Injury , Fire Safety , Injuries to Minors and Children , Smoke Detectors , Wrongful Death

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A press conference has been scheduled to formally announce the settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit filed after a Rogers Park fire killed six children ranging from three to fourteen years of age. The fire broke out in one of the several low-income buildings owned by Cornerstone Residential, LLC. The building did not have working smoke detectors.

The conference is scheduled for 10:30 am on November 13, 2007, at Levin & Perconti, the law firm that represented the victim’s families.

Click here for the full article.

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Posted In: Building safety , Burn Injury , Electrical Safety , Fire Safety , Illinois statues and Chicago Municipal Codes , Injuries to Minors and Children , Smoke Detectors , Wrongful Death

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Five workers were recently killed at a hydroelectric plant when a fire erupted. The men died of smoke inhalation. The contractor, RPI Coating, had been fined 90 times since 1988, with fines totaling $135,569. The company had also been fined numerous times, for hundreds of thousands of dollars, for violating hazardous waste rules. The plant is owned by Xcel Energy, and some people have been questioning the company's decision to hire RPI despite the numerous fines and citations relating to safety. The men that died in the fire range from 18-years-old to 52-years-old. Numerous other workers were injured in the fire. No personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits have been filed as of yet.

Click here for the full article

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Posted In: Burn Injury , Construction Injury , Electrical Safety , Fire Safety , Wrongful Death

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A $960,000 personal injury settlement was made on the behalf of an 88-year-old man who was severely burned in his shower. The man was showering when the water became extremely hot - 180 degrees - causing him to fall in the tub. The man was bed-ridden for months to treat burns on his arms, legs, abdomen and groin. The owners of the building, the plumbers who installed the thermostat and the agency that supplied the nurse who was supposed to be helping the man bathe were all payees on the settlement.

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Posted In: Building safety , Burn Injury , Land Owner liability

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A Midwest man has filed a personal injury lawsuit against the makers of Brut and the Wal-Mart from which he bought the Brut deodorant and lotion after he was burned on thirty percent of his body. The 81 year old man was camping with his family. After washing and shaving in a bathhouse in the morning, the man put on Brut lotion on his face, neck, and hands. He also sprayed on Brut deodorant. The man then went to start cooking breakfast in a campground fire pit. It was at that time, while attempting to start the campfire, that the man’s face, neck, and chest burst into flames. The lawsuit claims that the products were defective because they were unreasonably dangerous. "Our view is there is no warning that after you apply it, you remain flammable for some period of time," said the man’s attorney. "You aren't thinking, 'I'm still flammable."'

Click here for the full article.

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Posted In: Burn Injury , Products liability

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Ninety burn injury survivors between the ages of 8 and 16 attended Chicago area YMCA Camp Duncan for the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance’s Camp I Am Me. Children who are forced to wear pants instead of shorts or swim with a shirt on can feel comfortable with their scars. Counselors say that the burn injury survivors grow and mature at camp. It costs $1000 to send children to the camp, but all of the burn survivors attend at no cost to their families. Donations can be sent to the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance, P.O. Box 911, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056.

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Posted In: Burn Injury , Current Issues

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The Illinois 1st District Appellate Court vacated a direct verdict for GM and remanded the matter for trial, finding that the plaintiff did present enough evidence of a design defect to warrant product liability. In 1999, the plaintiff sustained a severe burn injury after the rear seat of his van exploded into flames after trying to start the van for 10 minutes. At trial in the Cook County Circuit Court, the plaintiff alleged that the design defect rendered the van a fire hazard, but the jury found in favor of GM. The appeals court, however, ruled that GM should have tested the van in order to detect the defect and prevent automobile accidents, and the fact that the victim repeatedly tried to start the van was an act an ordinary consumer would perform without “expect[ing] the interior of the van to ignite.” The plaintiff’s expert presented sufficient evidence to support that specific industry standards of care were not met for the particular defects he identified.

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Posted In: Automobile Accidents , Burn Injury , Fire Safety , Machinery , Motor Vehicle Accidents , Products liability

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