General | Lane Brown, LLC

Recent reports of carbon monoxide poisoning got me to look into ways that we can all be protected from this dangerous and often deadly menace. I found these simple steps and recommendations by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) which you can take to protect yourself from deadly carbon monoxide fumes:

Understanding the Risk

What is carbon monoxide?
CO, often called “the silent killer,” is a gas you cannot see, taste, or smell. It can be created when fossil fuels, such as kerosene, gasoline, coal, natural gas, propane, methane or wood do not burn properly.
Where does carbon monoxide come from?
CO poisoning can result from faulty furnaces or other heating appliances, portable generators, water heaters, clothes dryers or cars left running in garages.

What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?
Symptoms of CO poisoning include headache, nausea and drowsiness. Exposure to undetected high levels of carbon monoxide can be fatal.

Carbon Monoxide Alarm Installation

Choose a CO alarm that has the label of a recognized testing laboratory. Install and maintain CO alarms inside your home to provide early warning of carbon monoxide.
CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each separate sleeping area, on every level of the home, and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, have CO alarms that are interconnected throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement and mounting height.
Combination smoke-CO alarms must be installed in accordance with requirements for smoke alarms.
CO alarms are not substitutes for smoke alarms and vice versa. Know the difference between the sound of smoke alarms and the sound of CO alarms.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms: Testing and Replacement

Test CO alarms at least once a month and replace them if they fail to respond correctly when tested. The sensors in CO alarms have a limited life. Replace the CO alarm according to manufacturer’s instructions or when the end-of-life signal sounds.
Know the difference between the sound of the CO alarm and the smoke alarm, and their low-battery signals. If the audible low battery signal sounds, replace the batteries or replace the device. If the CO alarm still sounds, get to a fresh air location and call 9-1-1 or the fire department.
To keep CO alarms working well, follow manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning.

Carbon Monoxide Precautions

Have fuel-burning heating equipment (fireplaces, furnaces, water heaters, wood stoves, coal stoves, space heaters and portable heaters) and chimneys inspected by a professional every year.
Open the damper for proper ventilation before using a fireplace.
Never use your oven or stovetop to heat your home. The CO gas might kill people and pets.
When purchasing new heating and cooking equipment, select products tested and labeled by a recognized testing laboratory.
Make sure all fuel-burning vented equipment is vented to the outside to avoid CO poisoning. Keep the venting for exhaust clear and unblocked.
If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it. Never run a vehicle or other fueled engine or motor indoors, even if garage doors are open. Make sure the exhaust pipe of a running vehicle is not blocked with snow, ice or other materials.
The CO gas might kill people and pets.
Make sure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove and fireplace are clear of snow and other debris.
Only use barbecue grills outside, away from all doors, windows, vents and other building openings. Some grills can produce CO gas. Never use grills inside the home or the garage, even if the doors are open.
Use portable generators outdoors in well-ventilated areas away from all doors, windows, vents and other building openings to prevent exhaust fumes from entering the home.

If Your Carbon Monoxide Alarm Sounds

Immediately move to a fresh air location (outdoors or by an open window or door). Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for.
Call 9-1-1 or the fire department from a fresh air location (outdoors or by an open window). Remain at a fresh air location until emergency personnel arrive to assist you.

If you or a loved one has suffered injury as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, 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.

Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend Safely With These Easy Tips and Some Great Recipes!

While Memorial Day Weekend is greatly anticipated in Chicago as the beginning of barbecue season, a number of individuals and families each year end up spending the holiday weekend in the emergency room because of grill accidents and unsafe food handling. Whether you’re participating in one of the local barbecue competitions or just getting together with family in your backyard, make sure you kick off the summer right. Here are some fast and simple tips for safe barbecuing— and we’ve also included some delicious recipes from our team at Lane Brown, LLC to help you get started!

Grill Safety Should Be a Priority on Memorial Day Weekend

Burns and grilling mishaps can put a serious damper on summer fun, so the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association urges everyone to pay attention to safety when they barbecue. Here are some of their tips for grilling safely:

Read the owner’s manual for your grill.
Remember that grills are for outside use only and should be used in well-ventilated areas.
Make sure the grill is stable and won’t be accidentally tipped or knocked over—and never, ever move a grill while it is hot.
If using electrical accessories, make sure to follow codes and keep cords taped down or out of the way.
Use long-handled forks, tongs, and other utensils to help avoid hot grease and burns.
Use flame-resistant mitts and towels, and make sure your clothing doesn’t have loose fabric or ties that could accidentally catch fire.
Keep the flames under control, and keep an extinguisher nearby. If you won’t have access to a fire extinguisher, make sure you have water, baking soda, sand, or other materials that can help you put out an unexpected fire.
Never leave your grill unattended while in use.

Paying Attention to Basic Food Safety While You Picnic or Barbecue

Burns aren’t the only danger at the family picnic. Foodborne illness is also a major concern in warm weather, so you need to take steps to make sure no one gets sick. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers the following tips on keeping food safe before, during, and after your celebration:

Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling any food items.
Keep raw food and cooked food separate, and don’t reuse dishes or utensils that have come into contact with raw foods.
Marinate food in the fridge, not on the counter.
Cook food thoroughly, and use a meat thermometer to make sure it is cooked through.
Keep hot food hot and cold foods cold. Don’t just leave food sitting out for hours, especially on hot days.
Refrigerate or freeze leftover food as soon as possible.

Bonus Recipes for Our Readers: Try Some Marinated Flank Steak or BBQ Ribs on the Grill!

Once you’ve gotten safety in order, it’s time to start grilling! Are you looking for some recipes to try out this Memorial Day Weekend? Partner Mark Brown’s wife Traci has given up this awesome recipe for marinated flank steak:

Traci’s Mustard Marinated Flank Steak

Ingredients:

1 flank steak, 2–2½ pounds
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh herbs (Traci recommends parsley and basil!)

Directions:

Whisk together all the ingredients except steak. Place the steak in a container and pour the marinade over and under the meat until it’s completely submerged. Allow the meat to marinate overnight for best flavor. Also, to let the marinade really soak into the meat. you can lightly score the meat in a diagonal crisscross prior to marinating, if desired.

When ready to grill, take the meat out of the refrigerator and let sit for a half hour prior to grilling. Turn the grill to medium high and cook for five minutes per side for medium rare. Immediately following, place the steak on a clean plate and tightly seal it with aluminum foil for 10 minutes. Cut the steak on a diagonal with the grain. Enjoy!!

Are you excited about firing up the grill yet? Here’s another wonderful recipe—this time, for ribs—from our receptionist Carolyn Torres:

Tinsey Rose (a.k.a Carolyn Torres) BBQ Ribs

Cut your slab of ribs in half.

Clean the meat and lay it out on the counter. With a sharp knife, slice multiple cuts across all of the bones, on both the top and bottom. Season your slabs top and bottom with seasoning salt, onion powder, and black pepper.

In a large pot, add enough cooking oil to just cover the bottom of the pot. Add the meat and just enough water to cover the slabs.

Cut up an entire onion and add to water. Boil for 30 to 45 minutes. Remove ribs and put on grill.

Add a half bottle of regular barbecue sauce to the broth to thicken up the sauce a little. Add a tad of vinegar and brown sugar to broth.

Use the broth along with your favorite beer to “baby” the ribs on both sides as they cook. As ribs are just about done, cut slab into servings of two rib bones each.

Add more barbecue sauce to your broth mix until thickened and douse the ribs on both sides. Watch carefully so the ribs won’t burn! Remove ribs and ENJOY!

Let us know if you decide try out some of our favorite recipes!

Do you have your own tips for safe barbecuing? Do you have a favorite picnic recipe you can’t wait to share with us and our readers? Leave us a comment below, or get the conversation started by connecting with Lane Brown, LLC on Facebook.

A Hidden Camera Was Found in a Funeral Home Bathroom. Chicago Police Continue to Investigate.

On Monday March 24, 2014, the Chicago Police Department received a call from employees at the Smith and Thomas Funeral Home on West Madison. The employees said that a hidden camera was found in a single-stall unisex bathroom primarily used by funeral home employees. The police responded to the call and reportedly found the camera in the wall of the bathroom, to the left of the toilet at ground level. At the time, the owner of the funeral home told the media that an internal investigation would be conducted. The Chicago Police were also carrying out an investigation.

An Update on Both Investigations

On Thursday April 3, 2014, the Chicago Police were back at the West Side location of the Smith and Thomas Funeral Home for several hours, and they allegedly removed more items from the facility. WGN reported that the camera found in the employee bathroom on March 24 may have been connected to something else in the building.

The brother of the funeral home’s owner told the media that the internal investigation by the funeral home is ongoing and that family members are in the process of questioning employees.

We Are Conducting Our Own Investigation

Current and former employees of Smith and Thomas Funeral Homes have retained our firm to represent them in this workplace privacy case. We are conducting our own investigation and will do everything in our power to obtain justice for these employees.

Please follow us on Facebook and sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date on this important topic.

It can be disconcerting to know that you are being watched. You may be doing your job well, but still feel uncomfortable at the thought of people watching you. In some cases, there may be little, if anything, that you can do about it. Employers have a legitimate interest in keeping tabs on their workers. They have a legitimate interest in making sure that you, and all of the other employees, are doing the jobs you are paid to do.

Your Employer’s Rights May Not Be Unlimited

Despite your employer’s interest in watching what is happening, that right may not be unlimited. For example, your employer may not have a legitimate interest in placing cameras in workplace bathroom stalls, showers, or locker rooms. Cameras that are used to watch you in intimate settings where you have the right to expect privacy may violate your rights.

You Shouldn’t Have to Accept It

If you believe that a camera has been used to watch you in a workplace bathroom, it is important to stand up for your rights. That is what some brave employees of the Smith and Thomas Funeral Home are doing now. After discovering a hidden camera in a unisex bathroom primarily used by employees, one worker contacted the Chicago Police Department, and others contacted the lawyers at Lane Brown, LLC. Currently, we are working hard to protect their rights.

To learn more about this important case of employees’ right to privacy in Chicago, please visit the links shown on this page and check our website regularly for updates.

Few places in society suggest a greater need for privacy than a restroom. While we may anticipate that cameras might be in use in public spaces, who among us would expect cameras to be placed inside a bathroom? The answer is likely no one, and the thought is truly unsettling. When using the bathroom, we are all entitled to the privacy that we deserve.

In a shocking discovery, employees at local funeral home Smith and Thomas, located on the West Side of Chicago at 5708 W. Madison, uncovered a hidden camera in the employee restroom. The police were called to investigate on Monday, March 24th, arriving at approximately 5 p.m. A funeral home employee revealed that the camera was located in the unisex bathroom used by employees of the funeral home. It had been placed on the ground level, to the left of the toilet, and behind a wall. The employee rightfully feels as though her privacy has been egregiously violated.

According to the owner of the business, the company is conducting an internal investigation. Employees are being questioned about the hidden camera. The owner did not release any further comment on the investigation.

Smith and Thomas Funeral Homes promotes a wide range of video and social media services to its clients. The business offers customers the ability to broadcast funeral services via webcam and create up-to-date video tributes to their loved ones. Smith and Thomas also advertises itself as “The people that care.” Unfortunately, it is clear that someone at Smith and Thomas does not care enough to ensure that its camera capabilities are utilized responsibly and respectfully.

The attorneys at Lane Brown, LLC, are fighting to protect the rights of the victims of this horrific breach of privacy, and have been retained to represent a number of current and former employees of this funeral home, as well as members of the public whose privacy may have also been violated. We are outraged and dismayed to hear about this unsettling event, and are determined and looking forward to prosecuting those who are responsible and obtaining justice for those affected by this violation.

We will be sharing breaking news about this case as details become available, so please continue to check back for more information, and follow us on social media.

Please contact us at 312-332-1400 to discuss this case with our attorneys.

Have you ever wondered what personal injury attorneys do in their spare time? Watching sports, spending time with family and friends, and traveling are commonly found on many “spare time to-do lists.” However, if we, as attorneys, work as hard as you do, then you might understand how “spare time” can often seem like a rare commodity.

At Lane Brown, one thing that every one of our attorneys has in common is the fact that we all enjoy teaching; specifically, teaching other attorneys throughout Illinois and the rest of the country.

William Arthur Ward once made a well-known quote about teaching that inspires us. It goes, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” With the experience we’ve gained and the success that we’ve had over several decades in the legal profession, it’s our desire to pass this on to other attorneys who are looking to grow and develop their skills in order to best serve their clients. We hope that this statement can be true of us!

What Are Our Attorneys Teaching the Legal Community?

Fred Lane and Scott Lane are the co-directors of Fred Lane’s Illinois State Bar Association’s Trial Technique Institute. This year-long course helps to further train attorneys on the various aspects of trial work. Scott is also an adjunct professor at the Loyola University at Chicago School of Law, and assists in coaching their trial teams. Recently, Scott and Fred spoke on Opening Statements and Direct Examination of Witnesses.
Steve Lane was recently on the faculty of a Chicago Bar Association program on Voir-Dire (Jury Selection), representing the Plaintiffs’ Attorney perspective, and spoke at the Illinois State Bar Association’s Lawyers Post-Graduate Clinics on Direct Examination and other trial techniques.
Mark Brown recently spoke at a CBA program geared toward law students from 14 regional law schools. Mark spoke on the topic of serving in a career dedicated to representing victims of personal injury and medical malpractice.

We hope to continue our efforts to make our civil justice system better—and one which will touch the lives and protect our communities and families.

Do you have experience with our firm? We’d love your positive feedback, or suggestions on how we can better serve you—our clients. Please feel free to share your comments.