blog | Lane Brown, LLC

With thousands of Americans using tanning beds every day, the increased risk of skin cancer and other injuries has prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to re-examine the dangers of tanning beds. Recently, the agency has begun pushing to reclassify sunlamp products, including tanning beds, as Class II medical devices.

Currently, tanning beds are categorized as “low risk” medical devices—the same category in which basic medical devices, such as bandages, are classified. Because of this product description, FDA review or regulation of tanning beds is almost non-existent.

Tanning Bed Reclassification

The FDA has proposed reassigning tanning beds to the “mid-risk” category. This would require tanning bed manufactures to do the following:

Conduct performance testing on the product
Establish that the tanning bed is mechanically safe
Establish that the lamp is electrically safe
Establish that the tanning bed software has been tested and verified
Show that the tanning bed is not harmful
Provide warning labels to ensure that the tanning bed is used and maintained in a safe manner
Warn consumers that repeated use of a tanning bed may cause skin cancer

A recently released study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine (AJPM) presented research that showed members of the tanning industry frequently ignore the safety regulations and codes that exist currently, putting unwitting consumers at risk of injury.

If you were injured in a tanning bed accident or some other serious accident caused by the carelessness or negligence of a property owner, an experienced Chicago premises liability attorney at Lane Brown may be able to help. Our knowledgeable attorneys will take the time to learn about your situation, answer your questions, and help you to understand your legal options. Call our office today at 312-332-1400 to arrange your free consultation. We are standing by to help.

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A recent Cook County case has held that a hospital has no responsibility to a patient for the negligence of a doctor on its staff where the fine-print consent form provided by the hospital stated that its physicians were not employees of the hospital. The patient had not read the form before signing it because, as he testified, he was in too much pain. In this case, the Appellate Court protected the hospital, even though its physicians negligently treated the patient, and allowing him to suffer a ruptured aneurysm because its consent form stated: “I have been informed and understand that physicians providing services to me at Ingalls, such as my personal physician, Emergency Department and Urgent Aid physicians, radiologists, pathologists, anesthesiologists, on-call physicians, consulting physicians, surgeons, and allied health care providers working with those physicians are not employees, agents or apparent agents of Ingalls but are independent medical practitioners who have been permitted to use Ingalls’ facilities for the care and treatment of their patients. I further understand that each physician will bill me separately for their services. Frezados v. Ingalls Memorial Hospital, 2013 IL App (1st) 121835 (June 5, 2013).

If you or a loved one has been injured by a doctor’s or hospital’s negligence, we may be able to help.

Please contact the attorneys of Lane Brown, LLC, or call us at 312-332-1400 to speak with us about your options. We can help. To learn more about Lane Brown, please visit our website at lanebrownlaw.com.

We found this video on a hospital website. We thought it was well done and will be adding it to our website. Considering that strokes kill almost 130,000 Americans a year (1 in every 19 deaths) and that strokes affect 795,000 people in the US every year….we thought it would be worthy of sharing. Not only will it be informative for the lay person, but it has a catchy tune.

If you or a family member suffers stroke-like symptoms….Remember to act FAST!

If you or a loved one has suffered serious injuries as a result of an improperly managed stroke, we may be able to help. Contact the attorneys at Lane Brown, LLC now.

Can you imagine taking a trip to the emergency room to have some tingling in your arm or leg checked out and leaving several days later after having that limb amputated? Now, imagine that this sudden amputation was due to your birth control pill. Medical evidence shows the popular birth control pills Yaz, Yasmin, Ocella, and Beyaz have been linked to severe blood clots, which can have devastating effects on the body.

Patients who suffered injuries due to their birth control medication reported feeling extreme pain in affected limbs as well as a barely-detectable pulse. In some circumstances, very little can be done to save the affected limb once symptoms progress to a noticeable stage. A Chicago injury lawyer shares some of the dangerous side effects of Yaz, Yasmin, and other birth control pills:

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) – A blood clot that forms in the veins deep within the body-typically within the legs
Limb Ischaemia– A sudden lack of blood flow to a limb, which gradually causes limb death
Stroke – A rapid loss of brain function due to disruption of the blood supply to the brain
Pulmonary Embolism (PE) – A blood clot in the lungs, commonly resulting from DVT in the legs or pelvis
Heart Attack – Occurs when a section of the heart muscle doesn’t receive the proper blood supply due to blockage
Leg Ulcers – May occur as a result of limb ischaemia and become severely infected or gangrenous

All of these birth control pill complications can be potentially deadly—especially because typical birth control users have no reason to suspect these injuries might occur. If you have suffered an injury due to birth control pills, a medical error, or some other serious accident, a Chicago medical malpractice attorney at Lane Brown can help. Our compassionate and skilled attorneys will take the time to understand your injury, answer your questions, and advise you on your next legal steps—all during a free case consultation. Contact our office today at 312-332-1400. Our attorneys are standing by to help.

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A Chicago medical malpractice lawyer recently learned of a cross infection scare at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, dental office. Cross infection, the transfer of infection from one patient to another, can occur when healthcare workers fail to follow proper sanitation procedures. The attorneys at Lane Brown wanted to offer some tips to help you avoid contracting an infection the next time you go to the dentist.

As patients, we know very little about what goes on behind the scenes at our dentist’s office. After all, we cannot see much aside from the waiting room, the exam room, and the path between the two. The issue of cross-contamination is an invisible risk—your safety is entirely up to the dental professionals that you choose to trust. However, you are not powerless. You can help prevent a Chicago Dental Office Injury from happening to you. Following are five tips to help you discover just how clean your dentist’s office is:

Look around the office – Is it clean and organized? A cluttered and disorganized office could be an indication of the dentist’s sanitation practices.
Watch for gloves – Gloves are the first defense against infection. Every dentist and hygienist should wear them, changing gloves between each patient. Were the gloves taken from a dispenser? What surfaces did they touch prior to your mouth?
Check out the dental instruments – Instruments should be sterilized before use. Were they taken from sealed bags, evidence of sterilization in an autoclave? Were they sitting on a sterile tray or a dirty countertop? Do not be afraid to ask about the sterilization process.
Ask about autoclave validation report –Periodically, a third party sends the dental practice a batch of difficult-to-kill bacteria. The dental staff sterilizes the bacteria in the autoclave and sends the sample back to the third party to verify that the autoclave is working properly. A good dentist should be willing to show you the test results.
Ask questions – Dentists with strong infection control protocols should be more than willing to answer any questions you have about their procedures.

If you contracted a serious infection or suffered some other injury after a visit to the dentist, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. An experienced Chicago medical malpractice attorney at Lane Brown will examine the facts of your case, answer your questions, and help you to understand your legal options. Give us a call today at 312-332-1400 to schedule your free consultation. We are standing by to help.

Recent research conducted by the Erie Insurance Group shows that drivers who are “lost in thought” are more dangerous than those talking or texting on their cell phones. In fact, drivers who daydream while behind the wheel are reportedly five times more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash than those distracted by cell phones and other electronic devices.

The study results were based on the 65,000 fatal vehicle accidents that occurred over the past two years. Distracted driving was the cause of approximately ten percent (6,500) of these deadly accidents.

According to reports filed by law enforcement officials concerning these fatal crashes, daydreaming was the primary factor behind 62 percent of these accidents, as compared to the 12 percent caused by cell phone use.

Following are some of the dangers of daydreaming while driving:

Running stop signs, yield signs, and red lights
Swerving between lanes
Failing to recognize sharp turns in the road
Being unprepared to suddenly stop when a car in front abruptly brakes

We have all been behind the wheel, thinking about responsibilities at home, work, or school. These distractions take our minds away from the road and other drivers, and put everyone at risk of serious injury or death. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car crash due to the negligence of another driver, a Chicago car wreck lawyer at Lane Brown, LLC may be able to help. Our skilled and compassionate attorneys will take the time to review your case, answer all of your questions, and help you to understand your legal options. Give us a call today at 312-332-1400 to schedule your free consultation. We will work tirelessly to help you obtain the compensation you deserve for your injuries.