Though the state’s participation in the safety week has passed, “Embrace the Orange” efforts will remain visible throughout the state, and IDOT wants drivers to be aware that the season for road construction is just beginning—along with work-zone traffic safety enforcement.

According to IDOT figures, there are over 7,000 auto accidents in Illinois road construction work zones every year. In 2011, 24 people died in work-zone accidents. As a part of the Illinois Strategic Highway Plan, the state committed to reducing work-zone crashes five percent each year and lowering the percentage of workers dying in auto accidents to zero. According to IDOT, speeding and distracted driving are two of the biggest factors that cause work-zone accidents. The state adopted stiffer penalties for dangerous driving in work zones in 2004.

According to those laws, the fine for speeding in work zones ranges from $375 for a first-time offense to $1,000 and loss of a driver’s license for 90 days for repeat offenders. The penalty for hitting a construction worker is $10,000 and a prison sentence of up to 14 years. The use of cell phones or other electronic devices to send or receive text messages, access the internet or engage in other distracting behavior is prohibited at all times in work zones and school zones.

IDOT also says that there are plans to continue enforcing work construction speed zones and safety with photo speed enforcement vans operated by State Police Troopers. Drivers should expect to see quite a bit of construction across the state this summer—particularly on the Tollway, according to IDOT.

If you or a loved one has been hurt in a Chicago car accident that was caused by a negligent driver, our personal injury lawyers offer free consultations. Call 877-249-1227 or submit a question regarding your case to www.salvilaw.com.

According to a new study, carried out by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, working nights and working more than 40-hour weeks are among the most common causes for losing sleep.

The study’s results were published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, associated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A summary of the study also appeared on a National Institutes of Health website.

The study found that 30 percent of adult U.S. workers (about 40.6 million) reported getting six or fewer hours of sleep per night. People who regularly work the night shift reported getting less sleep a bit more often than those working other shifts—44 percent of night shift workers, compared to about 29 and 32 percent of daytime and ‘other’ shift workers.

What this means is that there are about 2.2 million sleep-deprived workers during the night shift—and about 28 million sleep-deprived workers on the job during the daytime.

People who work more than one job reported getting less sleep at about the same rate as people with one job who work more than 40 hours per week—both at about 36 percent.

Researchers also found that manufacturing, transportation and warehousing are among the industries with the most sleep-deprived workers. This is especially unsettling when you consider that some experts estimate 20 percent of all auto accidents, including those in the Chicago area, may involve drowsy drivers—a fact which is mentioned in the CDC article.

Current government and expert recommendations say that adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. In addition to impaired response time and awareness, a lack of sleep can lead to a whole range of negative side effects. Another recent study even linked tinnitus—or ringing in the ears, a condition that affects more than 36 million Americans—to not getting enough sleep.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a Chicago or Illinois car accident that was caused by a drowsy or distracted driver, give us a call at 877-249-1227 or submit a question regarding your case to www.salvilaw.com.

As designers push autos to be safer, more gas efficient and also to look sleeker and more advanced in the showroom, the functionality of a vehicle’s design can get lost in the shuffle. An article in the Chicago Tribune echoes the cars.com piece and says that poor rear visibility is an issue in many new vehicles.

According to the Tribune piece, some of the features that buyers and manufacturers want—like large head restraints and sturdy roof supports—are also the very features that impact a driver’s ability to safely see in traffic. Other features that hinder visibility, like narrow rear and side windows, may be part of safety efforts or gas efficient design—or they may simply be efforts to make cars look sleeker.

According to the article, the lack of rear visibility in new vehicles has been pronounced enough to make the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) begin writing regulations to require rear cameras in all new vehicles. Unfortunately, as we’ve mentioned before, recent reports show that innovations can take decades to reach the majority of autos on the market and on the road. This means that even with government regulation about rear cameras, there will still be older vehicles on the road without cameras and with poor rear visibility.

So what can drivers do to improve visibility? Some drivers may simply adjust the interior features to interfere less with their sightline out of the vehicle—say, encouraging passengers to adjust head restraints up or down. After-market products like side-view mirror extenders may help compensate for poor rear visibility—but some accessories may be impractical for those who drive (and park) in crowded or urban situations.

Contact Our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers

Salvi, Schostok& Pritchard is an Illinois car accident law firm with offices in Chicago and Waukegan. The firm’s vehicle accident attorneys focus on car and truck accidents, as well as medical malpractice, airplane and train accidents, construction injuries, birth injuries, brain injuries, unsafe properties and animal attacks. The firm’s success in medical negligence, personal injury and wrongful death cases features recoveries of more than $630 million on behalf of its clients, including more than 180 multimillion-dollar verdicts or settlements.

For more information, call (312) 372-1227 or use the firm’s online contact form.

Illinois wasn’t the only state feeling warmer: Missouri’s average temperature was nearly 60 degrees, and Wisconsin’s average temperature jumped over 5 degrees from the previous record.

With record springtime temperatures, the urge to get out and enjoy the weather has many people on the road. However, not everyone was looking at the thermometer and smiling.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tied the high temperatures to its latest safety campaign focused on preventing heatstroke deaths in infants and children. The campaign uses the slogan, “Where’s baby? Look before you lock,” to encourage parents and caregivers to be aware of the dangers of leaving children and babies in autos during warm weather. According to the NHTSA, heatstroke is the leading auto-related, non-crash cause of death for children under the age of 14. Thirty-three heatstroke deaths were reported in 2011, and 49 were reported in 2010.

Heatstroke is a serious illness that happens when the body stops being able to control its own temperature. It can also be deadly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, infants and young children are among those most vulnerable to heatstroke illness. Symptoms of heatstroke can include redness, fever, headache, nausea and confusion.

The NHTSA campaign isn’t just focused on making parents and caregivers aware of the dangers of heatstroke. The campaign also focuses on encouraging bystanders and others to call 911 or local authorities if they see a child or infant left in a vehicle alone.

About Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C.

Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. is a leading Chicago medical malpractice law firm with offices in Chicago and Waukegan. The firm represents clients in matters involving emergency room errors, failure to diagnose, hospital negligence, physician error, birth injuries, surgical malpractice, anesthesia errors, organ puncture/perforation, post-operative and pre-operation malpractice and surgical complications. The firm’s success in medical negligence, personal injury and wrongful death cases features recoveries of more than $630 million on behalf of its clients, including more than 180 multi-million dollar verdicts or settlements. To learn more about Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., call (847) 249-1227 or use the firm’s online form.

Another study, published in a surgical journal in February and conducted by an American scientist, also found that antibiotic treatments may be a safer alternative to surgery.

Though appendicitis surgery has been a routine treatment for over a century, it still requires a patient to undergo a hospital stay, increasing the risk of infection and lengthening the recovery time. An operation also exposes patients to potential mistakes related to surgeries, like those mentioned in a recent report about the safety impacts of pre-op and post-op briefings for medical staff.

For some kinds of appendicitis, surgery is still often the only option.

It’s still unclear to doctors and scientists just how important an appendix is to a person, and what effect its removal may have. Other recent articles, including one in Scientific American, focused on research by a scientist at Duke University and opined that the appendix might be useful in helping our digestive systems recover from diseases and illnesses by providing a safe haven for friendly bacteria. If this is the case, people who undergo appendix surgery may be more affected by food poisoning and other digestive illnesses throughout their lives.

With all of the new and continuing discoveries, patients may be relieved to take a “wait, watch and treat” approach for their appendix problems—and more and more patients may be able to just take a few pills rather than undergo surgery. 

About Our Chicago Healthcare Injury Attorneys

Salvi, Schostok& Pritchard P.C. is an Illinois medical malpractice law firm with offices in Chicago and Waukegan. In addition to representing clients in medical malpractice cases, the firm’s personal injury lawyers focus on car and truck accidents, airplane and train accidents, construction injuries, birth injuries, brain injuries, unsafe properties and animal attacks.

The firm’s success in medical negligence, personal injury and wrongful death cases features recoveries of more than $630 million on behalf of its clients, including more than 180 multimillion-dollar verdicts or settlements.For more information, call (312) 372-1227 or use the firm’s online contact form.

For many experts and many of us living in hard-hit tornado states, the high number of storms and growing death toll hold familiar echoes to last year—the fourth deadliest year in the U.S. for tornadoes in recorded history, according to National Weather Service statistics.

The memory of this year’s deadly Harrisburg tornado isn’t far off for most of us in Illinois. That storm killed six, destroyed more than 300 homes and dozens of businesses. In the wake of all the worry and focus on this year’s storms, it’s only natural for people to think about protecting themselves, their families and their property as much as possible. We’ve talked before about preparing yourself for high winds—making sure your family and property are secure. But recently we’ve seen a press release by an online insurance company making the rounds on a few business and finance websites. We’ve also been watching articles in the Insurance Journal, a news source for the property/casualty (or P/C) insurance industry—which is the category that virtually all home and auto insurance policies fall into.

And in all this, we’ve noticed a few trends. First, drivers may not know how to tell if their vehicle insurance policies will cover them, their autos, their passengers or others if they are in an accident that also involves high winds or tornado conditions. As the insurance press release points out, the only policies that cover high wind or tornado damages are policies that include “comprehensive” coverage—which is often more expensive than more limited, liability-based policies. In many states (including Illinois), drivers are only required to have liability insurance, which deals with a more limited kind of damage coverage. Drivers can check with their insurance company for details about their policy, and they can also check out Illinois regulations through the Illinois Department of Insurance.

We’ve also noticed that coverage for your home and other property might become much more expensive, even if you don’t live in a tornado-prone area. After the active 2011 season, many insurance companies reported lower earnings because of payouts to insured homeowners, businesses and other customers. Other experts think that insurance payouts this year may already top $1 billion from tornadoes that occurred in February and March. With insurance costs likely to rise, some insureds may be tempted to cut back on the kind of insurance they choose for their homes or vehicles.

Before you make a decision to scale back your coverage, you should find out from your insurance company (and, in some cases, your auto lender) what reducing your coverage in the middle of an active tornado year might mean for you later on. If you are worried about your rates (and whether they reflect a fair amount for the coverage you’ll receive) you can look up your insurance company’s rating with the Better Business Bureau as well as getting more information about several types of insurance from the Illinois Department of Insurance (where you can also file complaints). Drivers can also check out some tips about auto insurance from the Better Business Bureau.

Contact Our Chicago Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Accident Lawyers Today

If you’ve been in a car crash because of another driver who is not sufficiently covered by insurance, turn to the Chicago law firm with a record of success and a team of skilled lawyers who knows how to get results.

Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C., has recovered more than $620 million on behalf of clients across Illinois in personal injury and wrongful death cases, including 175 multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements. We have the experience you need for your UM/UIM claim.

We offer free, no-obligation evaluations. You will not pay for our legal services unless we obtain compensation for you and your family. To speak with our Chicago uninsured/underinsured motorist lawyers, call us today toll free at 877-899-3747 or use our online form.

The researchers found that among the 98 top-selling car models in 2010-2011, only about one-in-five (around 21 percent) had child restraint systems that met design standards for easy installation and use.

The Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (or LATCH) system was developed to help auto makers standardize the placement of child safety seat attachments in autos, while also making installation and use easier for parents. Lawmakers hoped that the LATCH system would reduce the numbers of children riding in autos without proper safety restraints, and, ultimately lower the number of children killed or injured in auto accidents.

However, according to the study, while many car manufacturers are following the federally required minimum standards for the number and kinds of safety seat anchors, they are ignoring the very components that are supposed to make LATCH effective—namely, hardware that is clearly marked, easy to reach and simple to use.

The LATCH study asked several groups of volunteers to install different models of car seats in vehicles that represented a range of LATCH set ups. The study found that volunteers were only able to install seats correctly in about 13 percent of all cases. Some of the errors, researchers found, occurred because people weren’t aware of how to use some of the provided hardware correctly.

These findings are troubling, especially coming on the heels of a recent announcement by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that urges parents to be more proactive about the kinds of car seats that are available and right for their children. The “Parents Central” website, run by the Department of Transportation, can help parents navigate the sometimes confusing world of child safety seats. Unfortunately, the site doesn’t seem to offer any resources for parents about fitting safety seats in your vehicle. However, at the end of the IIHS report about LATCH systems you’ll find a list of some of the best and worst LATCH vehicles.

If you or a loved has been the victim of a car accident or personal injury in Chicago or Illinois, give us a call at 877-249-1227 or submit a question regarding your case to www.salvilaw.com.

The NPR story mentions a case involving a 56-year-old man who was admitted to a hospital from his nursing home to have a feeding tube replaced. Because of a mistake made by a doctor distracted with her smartphone, the patient ended up having to undergo open heart surgery, according to the story.

When you look at a more detailed account of the case, you’ll see that the reason the doctor was using her smartphone in the first place was to change the medications the elderly patient was receiving. The hospital where this case happened used a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system, which allowed doctors to enter medicine changes and prescriptions with their cell phones or other mobile devices.

As the resident was about to order that the patient should stop receiving blood thinners, she received a message about a party from a friend. The doctor texted her friend back, confirming her attendance. She forgot to use her cell phone to complete the CPOE order.

This first distracted doctor’s mistake was made even worse by the hospital’s reliance on technology. Because the hospital and the hospital staff were so sure of the CPOE system, no one double-checked to see that the patient was receiving the correct medications. He continued to receive blood thinners for three days. On day four, the patient had to undergo emergency open heart surgery.

Fortunately for the patient, this potentially deadly mistake didn’t cost him his life—but it did create a three-week hospital stay, increased recovery time, and drastically different medical problems than he or his doctors expected.

This man’s case, unfortunately, seems to be yet another example of the growing problem of technology pursued at the cost of safety in medicine.

Salvi, Schostok& Pritchard P.C. is an Illinois medical malpractice law firm with offices in Chicago and Waukegan. The firm represents clients in matters involving emergency room errors, failure to diagnose, hospital negligence, physician error, birth injuries, surgical malpractice, anesthesia errors, organ puncture/perforation, post-operative and pre-operation malpractice and surgical complications.

The firm’s success in medical negligence, personal injury and wrongful death cases features recoveries of more than $630 million on behalf of its clients, including more than 180 multimillion-dollar verdicts or settlements.

To learn more about Salvi, Schostok& Pritchard P.C., call (847) 249-1227or use the firm’s online contact form.

The researchers looked at the results of more than a dozen studies in order to see how frequently patients experienced injury or other complications from breathing tubes or masks used while under general anesthesia.

One study reviewed found that as many as seven out of every 10 patients had complications like internal bleeding, swelling of the throat, and vocal cord injury. The two techniques examined in the review were endotracheal tubes and laryngeal masks. Both of these are common ways to keep patients breathing during surgeries.

Endotracheal intubation is also often used in emergency medical care and involves a tube being fed directly into the throat and windpipe (or trachea), through a person’s mouth or nose. Laryngeal masks, in contrast, sit on top of a person’s voice box (or larynx), instead of passing through it. The study found that hoarseness was the most common injury found in patients who had used the masks, though patients whose doctors used tubes also reported hoarseness. Complications were found anywhere from immediately after surgery to the week after.

A spokesman for the American Society of Anesthesiologists, a professional organization that represents doctors, was quoted in the news release about the report. The spokesman said the report’s findings aren’t new, and that the rates of injury found after using tubes and masks in surgery shouldn’t be alarming to patients. An independent expert who commented on the report in the news release, who was not involved in the study, said that patients who experience hoarseness or other discomfort or injury after their surgery, and whose doctors used breathing devices, may want to consider seeing a nose and throat specialist.

Medical experts seem to agree that the breathing tubes and masks do carry risks of injury, since the parts of the body involved (like the mouth and throat) are softer, more sensitive areas. The authors of the study said that most patients with injuries recovered quickly. However, the lead researcher on the study serves on the board for a maker of laryngeal masks. Though she reported no financial ties to any companies, further reviews of the after-effects of breathing devices may help clarify just how quickly and completely patients heal. Getting these figures straight seems particularly important when you consider that over 48 million people had surgery in the year 2009 alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. is an Illinois medical malpractice law firm with offices in Chicago and Waukegan. The firm represents clients in matters involving emergency room errors, failure to diagnose, hospital negligence, physician error, birth injuries, surgical malpractice, anesthesia errors, organ puncture/perforation, post-operative and pre-operation malpractice and surgical complications.

The firm’s success in medical negligence, personal injury and wrongful death cases features recoveries of more than $620 million on behalf of its clients, including more than 175 multimillion-dollar verdicts or settlements.

To learn more about Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., call (847) 249-1227or use the firm’s online contact form.

The Tribune story says that some researchers think that cell phone usage hasn’t yet been tied to accidents clearly enough. However, with some research finding that human error could be to blame for up to 80 percent of auto accidents, it’s hard to believe cell phone use doesn’t negatively impact a driver.

Most of the debate the article mentions appears to be really much more about how the research community goes about its work. None of the experts seem to be denying that cell use while driving is a huge distraction. The federal government apparently also believes cell phones are a huge danger to drivers and others on the road, with new federal guidelines about driver distraction (as we’ve mentioned before), which specifically target hands-free interfaces and text messaging. The Tribune article steers clear of any mention of text messaging—which is a huge oversight, as far as driver risk is concerned. According to the Department of Transportation’s official site for distracted driving, texting is “by far the most alarming distraction” for a driver.

It’s important for drivers to stay informed about the hazards as well as the laws concerning cell phone use in autos—particularly with national and local regulations changing on an almost daily basis.

Contact Our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers

Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard is an Illinois car accident law firm with offices in Chicago and Waukegan. The firm’s vehicle accident attorneys focus on car and truck accidents, as well as medical malpractice, airplane and train accidents, construction injuries, birth injuries, brain injuries, unsafe properties and animal attacks. The firm has obtained more than $585 million on behalf of its clients in personal injury and wrongful death cases, including 160 multimillion-dollar verdicts or settlements.

For more information, call (312) 372-1227 or use the firm’s online contact form.