Work Injuries

Chicago Work Injury Attorneys reach $50,000 settlement

January 8, 2010 | By Dave Abels

Chicago injury lawyers from Abels & Annes, working with co-counsel, have reached a $50,000 settlement for an Illinois resident who was injured on the job.

Our client was injured on November 11, 2007 while use a hoe to mix concrete. She was employed at Tyson Fresh Meats in Western Illinois.

After the accident she had severe neck pain. Our client starting treating with orthopaedic physicians in Moline, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. Due to her complaints, doctors ordered an MRI which revealed the petitioner sustained herniated discs in her cervical spine. She had to undergo surgery to relieve the pain.

Nearly 8,000 Illinois construction zone accidents injured 1,985 and claimed 31 lives last year

December 24, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A total of 7,813 Chicago construction zone accidents and accidents in work zones throughout Illinois killed 31 people and injured 1,985, according to the release of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s annual crash statistics report.

The Chicago car accident lawyers at Abels & Annes want to remind motorists to use caution when traveling in work zones.

For Illinois construction workers injured on the job, a Chicago construction accident attorney or an Illinois workers’ compensation attorney may also be able to assist in securing compensation for your injuries.

The state reported Illinois construction zone accidents occurred almost exclusively in urban areas, which accounted for 7,360 of the 7,813 accidents. The most accidents (3,827) occurred on the Interstate, followed by 1,511 on city streets and 1,217 on state routes.

IDOT’s site for work zone safety reports an average of more than 7,000 crashes a year. Motorists face a minimum $375 fine for violating the 45mph speed limit in work zones. Hitting a construction worker carries a penalty of 14 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

The state offers the following tips to motorists to avoid Illinois construction zone car accidents:

-Understand where a work zone begins and ends and reduce speed accordingly.
-Slow down whether or not workers are present. Speeding penalties apply whether or not workers are present.
-The law requires motorists to move over to the next available lane or slow down when approaching emergency or highway maintenance vehicles with flashing lights.
-Don’t tailgate. One of the most common Illinois work zone accidents is a rear-end collision. Additionally, traffic in work zones frequently makes sudden stops.
-Expect the unexpected. Traffic patterns change frequently. Workers are often present. Lanes may be uneven or unmarked.
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Chicago work injury lawyer settles workers’ compensation claim for South Side resident

December 10, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Chicago injury attorneys from Abels & Annes have reached a workers’ compensation settlement for a South Side woman who was injured at work in May of 2007. She is employed with the Anixster Center, a company that works with people with disabilities.

She was hurt while trying to help staff control an upset patient who has learning disabilities. After the incident she had pain in her neck and low back for several days. She sought treatment after the accident at St. Margaret Hospital in Hammond, Indiana.

After the ER, her pain did not resolve and she treated at the Orthopaedic & Occupational Rehabilitation Center and with a local orthopaedic medical doctor. An MRI was taken that showed she sustained injuries to both her cervical and lumbar spine. Our client underwent a regiment of physical therapy and her pain resolved over time. She did not undergo surgery.

Trucker killed by flying debris following Illinois factory explosion

December 9, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A trucker more than a quarter mile from an Illinois factory explosion was killed by flying debris Monday afternoon.

The NDK America Plant, which manufactures crystals used in liquid-crystal displays, was designed to break apart during an explosion, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the explosion and whether other parts of the building could pose a danger following the fatal Illinois factory accident.

Chicago Work Comp Lawyers reach $195,000 settlement

September 10, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Chicago personal injury lawyers from Abels & Annes, working with co-counsel, have reached a $195,000 settlement for a local resident who was injured on the job.

Our client was injured on May 27, 2008 while trying to stop a refrigerator from falling at work. He was employed as a semi-truck driver at a Chicago area company.

After the accident he have severe back pain with tingling in his right leg. Our client starting treating with an orthopaedic physician in Chicago. Due to his complaints, the doctor ordered an MRI which revealed the petitioner sustained a herniated disc in his lumbar spine with radiculopathy. He had to undergo 2 epidural injections to try to relieve the pain.

Illinois fatal work injury accidents increase in 2008 — nationwide, fatalities decrease

September 2, 2009 | By Dave Abels

The federal government reported this week that the smallest number of employees ever recorded died as a result of work injuries in 2008.

But that was not the case in Illinois — where the number of employees killed on the job actually increased. The government acknowledged the numbers could be lower because of a poor economy, record unemployment, a change in record keeping (that records injuries per hours worked rather than per employee) and even delayed or under-recorded fatalities because of lower staffing levels at the various reporting agencies.

Employees are being asked to do more to keep their jobs in the present economy, to make up for laid off workers or eliminated positions. But companies and employers still have an obligation to provide a safe work environment. Chicago workers’ compensation attorneys and work injury lawyers at Abels & Annes offer free appointments to discuss your rights if your or a loved one has been injured on the job.

Illinois joined just 14 states where the the number of workers who died on the job increased, from 185 in 2007 to 193 in 2008:
– Transportation accidents killed 62 employees – 38 died as a result of assault or acts of violence -34 died from contact with objects or equipment -29 died in falls -23 died from exposure to harmful substances or environments -7 died as a result of fires or explosions on the job.

Last year’s skyrocketing nationwide unemployment rate may have played a part in the reduced rate of fatal work accidents–the government reported significant drops in dangerous jobs like construction, which were also hit hard by the economic downturn.

A total of 5,071 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2008, down from a total of 5,657 fatal work injuries reported for 2007. It is the smallest number recorded since current recording began in 1992.

The numbers indicate 3.6 fatal work injuries per 100,000 workers, down from 4.0 in 2007.
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Work injury accident in Chicago sends two construction workers to hospital after trench collapse

August 27, 2009 | By Dave Abels

In Chicago, Illinois two construction workers were injured on the job Sunday after a trench collapsed.

Fire crews spent four hours digging the two men out of the trench after the sides collapsed, trapping them, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Chicago construction accident trapped the men up to their waist in dirt at the bottom of a six-foot-deep hole in an alley on North Dover Street after the sides collapsed about 2 p.m., according to a fire department spokesman.

Firefighters injured in Chicago car accident with passenger vehicle

August 17, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Five Chicago firefighters and two motorists were injured Saturday in a car accident on the city’s South Side.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the fire truck was responding to a call just after 5 p.m. when it was struck by a passenger car.

Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said a woman in the car was “very critically injured,” and the driver was in serious condition. He said four firefighters were treated and released Saturday evening, while one was being kept overnight for observation.

Chicago UPS worker shot on the job

July 24, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Police continue to investigate the shooting of a UPS driver Tuesday morning in Chicago’s Englewood community on the South Side, according to the Sun-Times.

Detectives are interviewing witnesses and questioning a person of interest after two men approached the truck at about 9:50 a.m. Tuesday and told the UPS employee to drive away with them, according to a police statement.

The Chicago Breaking News Center is reporting police have taken one suspect into custody since the incident, which took place on the 6500 block of South Hermitage Avenue, according to Chicago Police Officer Gabrielle Lesniak, who said the driver is expected to recover.

Worker falls 25 feet into tank in Chicago work accident

July 22, 2009 | By Dave Abels

A Chicago area worker was injured when he fell 25-feet to the bottom of an empty tank at the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant Tuesday afternoon, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center.

The male worker was apparently sandblasting a section of tank when he fell into the empty tank. He was alert and conscious when rescued. Co-workers noticed the accident and called for help about 1:45 p.m., according to Stickney Fire Chief Larry Meyer.

A team of firefighters used ladders to rescue the worker from the tank and he was taken to Mount Sanai Hospital in Chicago with undisclosed injuries.