blog | Lane Brown, LLC

A parking lot accident can be a frustrating experience. Car repairs, insurance claims, medical bills, and “whodunit” questions can be quite an inconvenience. Following are some practical tips from a Chicago car accident lawyer to make the experience easier:

Remain Calm – Do not argue with the other driver. You may say or do something that could jeopardize your rights. Simply exchange names, contact information, and insurance information. Then, call your insurance company to report the incident and find out what they want you to do.
Look for Witnesses – Look around to see if there were any eyewitnesses to the accident. Find out if they are willing to provide testimony as to exactly what happened.
Document the Accident – Do not move your car until you have collected evidence. Take pictures of the accident scene using a camera or your phone. The pictures should include skid marks, broken glass, vehicle damage, and car locations. If possible, take pictures of the other driver’s car and location after the accident.
Determine Fault – Try to determine who was at fault for the accident in a calm and objective manner. Do not declare fault at the scene of the accident. Let your insurance company deal with that.
Be Proactive – Avoid parking lot accidents by looking for parking spots that allow you to pull straight out, rather than having to back up to leave. Watch for wind gusts that cab catch your door, causing it to smash into another vehicle. Know the blind spots on your vehicle and take extra care to watch for objects in those areas.

If you have been injured in a parking lot accident, an experienced Chicago car accident attorney at Lane Brown can help. Our skilled car wreck lawyers regularly work to get car accident victims the justice they deserve. Give us a call today at 312-332-1400 to schedule your free case evaluation. We are here to help.

New litigation is emerging as a result of one of the nation’s most widely used drugs and number one cause of acute liver failure in the US: Tylenol. Evidence suggests that severe personal injuries involving acute liver failure, and in some cases death, can result from Tylenol ingestion. Tylenol, the common pain and fever reducing drug, is the brand name of the drug, acetaminophen. You can find acetaminophen in a wide range of products, both over-the-counter and prescription medications. Acetaminophen is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States.

The Food and Drug Administration advises users not to take more than 4,000 milligrams of acetaminophen per day. Officials caution that drug users mistakenly consume more than the recommended limit because they take two different medications containing acetaminophen without realizing it. This sometimes occurs because drug companies will use the abbreviation APAP for acetaminophen.

The following is a list of common drugs which contain acetaminophen. Be careful when taking more than one of these medications at a time, and always look at the drug information on the label.

•Acephen® Rectal Suppository
•Actifed®
•Anacin®
•Anacin®
•Anexsia®
•Apacet®
•Apara®
•Apra®
•Benadryl®
•Capital and Codeine®
•Cepacol®
•Co-Gesic
•Conacetol®
•Contac®
•Coricidin®
•Darvocet®
•Dayquil®
•Dimetapp®
•Dolono®
•Dristan®
•Endocet®
•Esgic-Plus®
•Excedrin®
•Feverall®
•Feverall® Rectal Suppository
•Fioricet®
•Fioricet with codeine®
•Formula 44®
•Genapap®
•Genebs®
•Gericet®
•Goody’s® Powders
•Halenol®
•Hycotab
•Hydrocet®
•Hydrocodone Bitartrate®
•Infantaire®
•Lopap®
•Lortab®
•Mapap®
•Mapap® Rectal Suppository
•Mardol®
•Masophen®
•Meda Cap®
•Midol®
•Neopap® Supprettes Rectal Suppository
•Norco ®
•Nyquil®
•Oxycet®
•Pain-Eze®
•Panadol®
•Panadol®
•Panex®
•Paramol®
•Pediapap®
•Percocet®
•Phenaphen®
•Phrenilin with Caffeine and Codeine®
•Q-Pap®
•Redutemp®
•Ridenol®
•Robitussin®
•Roxicet®
•Saint Joseph® Aspirin-Free
•Sedapap®
•Silapap®
•Singlet®
•Sinutab®
•S-T Febrol®
•Sudafed®
•Tactinal®
•Talacen
•Tapanol®
•Tempra®
•Theraflu®
•T-Panol®
•Triaminic®
•Tycolene®
•Tylenol with Codeine No. 3®
•Tylenol with Codeine No. 4®
•Tylenol®
•Tylophen®
•Tylox®
•Ultracet
•Uni-Ace®
•Uniserts® Rectal Suppository®
•Vanquish®
•Vicks®
•Vicodin®
•Vitapap®
•Zicam®
•Zydone®

If you or a loved one has suffered liver damage, liver failure, or other acute liver injury within a short time of using Tylenol or other medications containing acetominophen, you may be able to take action. 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, LLC, please visit our website at lanebrownlaw.com.

After a 7-year court case in Illinois, a Will County judge has entered an order which allows the release of over 7,000 internal documents from the Diocese of Joliet to the public . The plaintiff in the case was abused as an 8-year-old boy during the sacrament of first confession. Bishop Daniel Conlon, bishop of the Joliet Diocese, acknowledged the child abuse although the priest continues to deny the allegations. The documents show that every bishop serving in the Diocese of Joliet from the 1950’s through the 1990’s knew that priests were sexually abusing children.

Victims of Child Sex Abuse by Priests Have Rights. Let Our Chicago Law Firm Help You.

If you or a loved one has suffered sexual abuse by a member of the clergy or other authority, you may be able to take action. Our team of attorneys has experience handling cases of this nature and recognize the importance of confidentiality. Contact our Chicago child sex abuse lawyers at Lane Brown, LLC, by calling toll free 1-312-332-1400 for a free and private consultation to discuss your legal options.

Almost everyone experiences a slip and fall accident at some point. We all have clumsy moments, tripping over something or falling down when we are not paying attention to where we are walking. Most of the time, we escape with a minor bump or scrape and a bruised ego. However, when it comes to senior citizens, a Chicago slip and fall accident may prove devastating and costly. Following are the costs associated with a slip and fall accident for a senior citizen:

Financial Costs – Medical costs can pile up for an elderly individual, injured in a Chicago slip and fall accident. Doctor visits, hospital bills, ongoing rehabilitation costs, and medication can become very expensive.
Medical Consequences – Slip and fall accidents can cause serious injuries. Hip fractures are the most common and are often accompanied by medical complications like blood clots, infection, and pneumonia. Other serious injuries that may result from a slip and fall accident are broken bones, traumatic brain injury, and internal organ damage.
Loss of Independence – After a Chicago slip and fall injury, many seniors are no longer able to live independently. Some may require the services of a home health aide to provide medical care and help them perform daily activities. Others may need to move to an assisted-living facility or nursing home. This loss of independence can have a significant emotional and psychological impact on an elderly individual.

If you or a loved one suffered a slip and fall injury due to the carelessness or negligence of another party, a Chicago premises liability attorney at Lane Brown, LLC can help. Our skilled and compassionate attorneys will take the time to understand 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 case review. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

One Boston hospital recently made headlines by doing something almost completely unheard of in the medical community. The hospital began publishing a monthly employee newsletter, openly discussing medical errors made by staff members and telling the stories of these cases from the patient’s perspective.

The goal of the newsletter is to help employees understand the significant impact these medical errors have on patients and the hospital, and to encourage discussion among the staff about possible solutions to the problems. In addition, the hospital administration wants to prevent mistakes from being repeated.

This type of openness is extremely rare in healthcare, for many reasons. Primarily though, employees and their employers fear the consequences of publically reporting medical errors. However, this silence is costly in the following ways:

Two-way communication between staff members and administration may be lacking. While medical mistakes may be reported, employees rarely learn about changes they can make to prevent the error from recurring.
Statistics are not personal. When medical staff learns about actual patient experiences, medical mistakes become more real.
When hospital staff members do not report medical errors because they fear punishment, needed changes to hospital policies, procedures, and patient care do not happen.

If you, or someone you love, were the victim of a medical error and suffered severe injuries as a result, you may be entitled to a cash settlement. Only an experienced Chicago medical malpractice attorney, like those at Lane Brown can help determine if you were a victim of medical negligence. Call our office today at 312-332-1400 to schedule your free consultation. We are standing by to help.

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Teenage car crashes are the number one killer of youth across America. Too often, teen drivers cause serious accidents due to inexperience with complex driving situations. Graduated driver’s license laws are in place in many areas of the country to help reduce these risks and to provide teen drivers with the driving experience they need to become safe, responsible drivers.

Most states have enacted graduated driver’s license laws, but specifics vary across the states. Illinois’ graduated driver’s license laws break down driving privileges for teens into three phases in order to allow them to learn safe driving skills under the supervision of responsible adult drivers. Following is a general description of Illinois’ three-phase graduated driving laws:

Driving Permit Phase (age 15)

Teenage drivers must have a driver’s permit for at least nine months prior to obtaining a driver’s license at age 16.
Teenage drivers must complete a specified number of driving hours with an adult or parent over the age of 21 who has a valid driver’s license.
Teenage drivers with a permit cannot legally drive without a parent or other adult driver over the age of 21 in the front seat.
Teenage drivers with a permit are restricted from nighttime driving.
Teenage drivers with a permit may not use a cell phone except in an emergency.

Initial License Phase (age 16-17)

Parent or legal guardian must certify that the teen met all of the driving requirements during the permit phase.
Teen must have completed an approved driver’s education course.
Teenage drivers are restricted from nighttime driving.
For the first 12 months, teenage drivers may not carry more than one passenger under the age of 20. This restriction does not apply to siblings, stepsiblings, or children of the driver.
Teenage drivers may not use a cell phone except in an emergency.

Full Licensing Phase (ages 18-20)

Age related restrictions are dropped, except for the statewide cell phone laws for drivers under the age of 19.

Parents and teenage drivers should know about the following laws:

Parents have complete access to their teenager’s driving records.
Any teenager caught violating alcohol laws will automatically lose their license for a specified amount of time, based on the circumstances. In addition, they could face additional fines and legal consequences.
Teenagers convicted of street racing could have their driver’s license revoked. In addition, authorities may legally impound the car for up to five days.

Graduated driving laws help keep the roads safer for everyone by gradually introducing driving responsibilities to teenage drivers. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident due to the negligence or carelessness of another driver, a Chicago car accident lawyer at Lane Brown can help. We will take the time to review your case, answer your questions, and help you to understand your legal options. Contact us at 312-332-1400 to set up a free appointment.

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