Articles Posted in Premises Liability

The Chicago injury lawyers at Abels & Annes wish each of you a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July weekend. In preventing injuries over the holiday, we encourage you to leave the fireworks displays to the professionals, drink responsibly and don’t drink and drive, practice safe boating and driving habits and speak with your teenagers about staying safe and making good decisions.

Drink Responsibly and Don’t Drink and Drive
As our Chicago accident lawyers report frequently, drunk driving is responsible for one-third of Chicago car accidents as well as accidents in Cook County and throughout Illinois. Nationwide, someone dies every 45 minutes in a car accident involving a drunk driver. In Illinois, 434 of 1,043 fatalities involved alcohol in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Safe Boating

The U.S. Coast Guard reported 4,789 accidents killed 709 boaters and injured more than 3,300 in 2008. The leading causes of boating accidents include careless and reckless operation, operator inattention, no proper lookout, operator inexperience and passenger/skier behavior. Alcohol use is a factor in nearly 1 in 5 boating fatalities. In 2008, a total of 119 Illinois boating accidents were reported, killing 19 boaters and injuring 79.

Visit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for more information on safe boating and boater education.

Teen Driving Safety
We offer a host of safe teen driving information, both here and on our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog. Please take the time to speak with your teenagers about the importance of making good driving decisions this summer.Fireworks Injuries
The safest way to enjoy fireworks this weekend is by leaving the displays to the professionals. Fireworks injuries are not an abstract concept — they are a tragically regular occurrence during the New Year’s and Fourth of July Holidays.

-In 2006, 11 people were killed and more than 9,200 were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

-More than two-thirds of fireworks injuries occur around the Fourth of July.

-One-third of those injured were children under 15. Young people under 20 sustained nearly half of all fireworks injuries.

-The most frequent injuries reported involved the hands (2,300), eyes (1,500) and the head, face and ears (1,400).

-More than half of all injuries involve burns. Other common injuries include contusions, lacerations and foreign objects in the eyes.

-Fireworks injuries are associated with blindness, third-degree burns and permanent scarring. Life-threatening residential and motor-vehicle fires are also reported.-Firecrackers caused the greatest number of injuries (1,300) followed by sparklers (1,000) and rockets (800).

-More than one-third of fireworks related deaths involve professional devices that are illegally sold to consumers.

-Common causes of fireworks injuries include availability of high-grade fireworks to the consumers, being too close to fireworks, operator error and lack of coordination, child curiosity and experimenting with homemade devices.
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Black Friday will begin the holiday shopping madness. Enjoy yourself but keep safety in mind.

The Chicago car accident lawyers and the personal injury attorneys at Abels & Annes wish everyone a happy holiday and safe shopping. But with more than half of annual retail sales expected between now and the end of the year, heavy traffic, big crowds, overstocked stores and poorly lit or maintained parking lots all present risk of serious injury.

Malls, store owners and retail outlets have a duty to provide a safe environment. Store events deliberately promoted to draw large crowds can pose a danger to customers seriously injured by falling merchandise, dark or faulty stairwells and parking lots, as well as other hazards, including pedestrian accidents and car accidents occurring in parking lots.

In fact, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration has issued guidelines for businesses dealing with large crowds during the holidays.

“Crowd-related injuries during special retail sales and promotional events have increased during recent years,” said Jordan Barab, acting assistant secretary for OSHA. “Many of these incidents could be prevented, and this fact sheet provides retail employers with guidelines for avoiding injuries during the holiday shopping season.”

The Illinois Attorney General has released the 2009 Safe Shopping Guide, which includes 121 recalled children’s products.

And keeping safety in mind while in parking lots can go a long way toward keeping you and your family safe this holiday season.

-Drive defensively -Turn on headlights for safety -Park in a well-lit area -Turn off the radio -Get off the phone -Drive slowly -Take a second look behind you before backing -Watch for pedestrians, kids, parents with strollers -Be alert for other hazards, like rolling carts -Park at the end of an aisle -Park properly centered in your space -Pull through into the abutting open space -Park next to a nice car -Pay attention when walking -Put your cart away -Pay attention to stop signs and obey all traffic signs Continue reading