blog | Lane Brown, LLC

Drowsy driving is a serious problem that rivals driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In fact, the National Sleep Foundation reports that 60 percent of American motorists admit to having driven while fatigued in the past, and 37 percent of drivers admit to having fallen asleep while driving in the past twelve months. The first step in preventing dangerous drowsy driving accidents is to recognize the symptoms of drowsy driving.

Seven Signs a Driver Shouldn’t Be Behind the Wheel

How tired is too tired to drive? Motorists should stop and rest if they are:

Having difficulty focusing or keeping their eyes open
Daydreaming
Missing exits or traffic signs
Not remembering the last few miles of travel
Exhibiting physical signs of fatigue such as yawning, rubbing their eyes, or having trouble keeping their heads up
Feeling restless or cranky
Having trouble staying in their lanes

Coffee, open windows, and loud music are no substitution for sleep and rest. Instead, tired drivers should stop driving until they are rested. Otherwise, they could cause a serious crash, a devastating injury, or a death on I-94, I-55 or another Chicago-area road.

Educate Others About the Dangers

We want you and your loved ones to stay safe. Please share this blog post on Facebook to help educate others about the signs of drowsy driving. Additionally, we invite you to download our FREE auto accident app for your cellphone so that you know what to do if you are ever involved in an accident.

Your child is suffering from the horrific acts of child sex abuse committed by a priest in Chicago, a teacher in Glenview, a youth group advisor in Arlington Heights, or another trusted adult in the Chicago area. The damage has been done. You would like to go back and prevent your child from ever experiencing the physical and psychological pain of sexual abuse, but you know you can’t. Instead, you have to focus your efforts on your child’s recovery.

You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

But you do need to know where to get help. Every child and every family is different, but you should consider the following resources as you begin the difficult path to recovery:

Pediatrician
Child psychologist or counselor
Friends
Family members
Research organizations
Professional organizations
Public awareness organizations

Additionally, you might find useful information in research journals and university courses. Publichealth.org provides links to many different types of organizations and journals that could be useful to parents of sexual abuse victims.

You may not need all of the resources listed above. What works for some parents of child sex abuse victims may not work for other parents. However, it is important to know about as many resources as possible so that you can find the help that you need for your child, for you, and for your entire family.

Have you found any organizations or support systems that were helpful to you or your child after a sexual abuse incident? Please leave a comment and share the information with other Chicago-area parents who may be facing similar ordeals. And if you have any questions about your child’s legal recovery, do not hesitate to contact our office directly.

As you sit by your loved one’s bedside, it can be hard to predict all of the possible costs of a brain injury. It is difficult to imagine all of the emotional, physical, and financial repercussions of a doctor’s negligence. However, it is also important to plan for the future after a medical malpractice incident changes the course of your life.

The Costs You Could Incur

Every individual is unique and so too is every brain injury; it is not possible for us to provide you with the specific cost of your loved one’s brain injury in a blog post. However, we can encourage you to think about the following costs:

Medical costs. Your loved one’s ongoing medical care may be expensive. Hospital stays in Chicago, rehabilitation therapies, nursing home costs, in-home health care, and other costs can add up very quickly.
Lost income. If your loved one can no longer earn the money he earned prior to his accident, that is a significant cost to your family.
Emotional suffering. There is no price that can be put on the emotional suffering that your loved one has to endure because of the negligence of a doctor or hospital.
Physical pain. The pain can be excruciating and limit what your loved one can do after a brain injury.
Out-of-pocket costs. The costs of household help in your Chicago-area home can be expensive.
Other damages. Think about all of your costs, and talk to your lawyer about how to recover for them.

We can also encourage you to find out how to recover for these costs and make a fair recovery.

Get Started Today

Don’t let these costs add up without getting the relief that you deserve. Instead, learn how you can take care of your loved one, yourself, and your family by reading our FREE book, What to Do If You’ve Been Hurt by Your Doctors or Hospital.

You know that the crash that just occurred on the Eisenhower Expressway, the Edens Expressway, or another Chicago road was bad. The truck that hit you was big, and the force was significant. The wreckage is substantial, and you are left stunned and scared. You hit your head, but you do not yet know how badly you are hurt.

Not All Brain Injuries Are the Same

Several different types of brain injuries can occur after a serious accident. The specific type of brain injury depends on the force of the impact. Following are four of the most common:

Concussion. A concussion, which can occur as a result of a blow to the head, violent shaking, or force from a whiplash injury, is the most common type of brain injury. It may result in lifelong injuries if it is not properly treated.
Contusion. A contusion is bleeding on the brain caused by a direct blow to the head. Some contusions have to be surgically removed.
Diffuse Axonal. The rotational force of a car accident can cause the skull to move while the brain stays in place. The result may be a tearing in the brain that causes significant brain damage, a coma, or death.
Penetration Injury. As the name suggests, a penetration injury occurs when an object goes through the skull and into the brain. The damage that is done, and whether an individual survives, depends on what part of the brain is damaged.

No matter which diagnosis you receive, it is important to know that your treatment and your recovery will be unique.

You Deserve to Be Fairly Compensated

If a trucker or trucking company caused your injury, it is important to understand how to make a fair recovery. Please start an online chat with us now for more information.

Recently, an 18-month-old child was run over by a lawn mower at a home daycare in Wichita, Kansas. The child was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition; her leg injury was so severe that she may face a below-knee amputation. She was later transferred to a Kansas City hospital in hopes that doctors there could save her leg.

Here’s What We Know Now

While few details have been released about this tragic lawn mower accident, it is important for all parents and caregivers of young children to know the truth about lawn mower accidents. Before you mow the lawn again, please know that:

More than half of traumatic amputation injuries in children occur because of lawn mower accidents.
About 80,000 people, including more than 9,000 people under age 20, are hurt in lawn mower accidents every year.
Lawn mower operators are often not at fault for lawn mower accidents that involve children. Instead, there may be a design defect or manufacturing problem with a lawn mower that results in a serious accident. To compound the problem, children may not recognize the inherent risks of lawn mowers because of their experience with realistic-looking lawn mower toys that are marketed to children.

If your child is a victim of a lawn mower accident, you can find out more about his legal rights by starting a live chat or connecting with us using our online contact form.

Please Help Raise Awareness Among Your Family and Friends

We do not want what happened to this toddler in Wichita to happen to any other child. Please help keep your loved ones safe by talking to your friends and family about the potential dangers of lawn mower accidents and by sharing this blog on Facebook or Twitter.

The thought is horrifying. Someone whom you trusted to work at your business and to be around children is committing child sex abuse. As an employer, it is important that you know exactly what to do to protect the children who may be hurt, to prevent the employee from doing any further damage, and to protect yourself from potential liability.

What to Do Right Now

If you think a child is currently being abused or is in imminent danger of being abused, call 911 immediately. The police need to be notified right away, and they may need to come to your school in Chicago, daycare in Arlington Heights, or other Cook County business to provide immediate protection for the child, or children, who are being hurt.

If, however, you have reason to believe that a child has been abused but there is no immediate danger, you should:

Contact the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)
Call the parents of the child or children who may have been abused

Additionally, you should begin your own internal investigation. However, it is important that you also report the suspected incidents to the state. Doing your own internal investigation does not relieve you of that responsibility.

What If It Was Your Own Child?

What would you do if your own child was abused? The answer to that question should guide your actions. Additionally, you should know how to answer that question if a parent asks it of you. You could, for example, encourage a parent to watch our free videos and read our free articles for important information about how to help his child recover.