As I write this, my last President’s Page column, I only have three weeks left in my term. I approach the end of my term as your President with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I am very happy that I am about to get the prized Past President designation; on the other hand, I will miss the job. I have enjoyed serving our membership and clients. This has been one of the most treasured experiences of my professional career.

We have had a busy and eventful year. We worked hard on elections and had successful results. Most importantly, Governor Rauner was shown the door after a tumultuous four years in offi ce. We have updated our venerable Complaint Book, which I encourage you to check out. Legislatively, we have had a successful year. We introduced several bills designed to fi x particular problems and to improve our ability to represent our clients. Here are the highlights:

After a car accident, you may not think that you’ve sustained injuries because you can’t see any bruises, lacerations, or other evidence of bodily harm. However, this doesn’t mean that you’ve avoided injury. It’s entirely possible that you have internal injuries, which can be more difficult to detect. You also may be feeling fine because you’re in shock, which will mask symptoms of injuries. Those who believe they’re uninjured may soon experience more serious symptoms later because the injuries have worsened.

When an injury progresses because it hasn’t been treated, the entire nature of the injury can change. Something that could have been treated and gone on to make a full recovery may now be something that will cause chronic problems for the rest of a person’s life. Injury recovery windows often change depending on how quickly care can be administered– especially when it comes to internal injuries. This is why it’s imperative for you to get to the doctor as soon as possible.

Let’s look into how dangerous internal injuries can be:

No matter how pristine and safe a nursing home may seem, it’s not always easy to detect what goes on when visitors aren’t present. A significant number of facilities are found in violation of state and federal laws every year. Some of the violations are in regard to abuse and neglect. To protect your loved one, it’s important to know how you can find information on a nursing home’s reputation and past.

Whether you’re searching to find the perfect long-term care facility for your loved one or making sure their current facility is providing them with the care they need and deserve, there are a variety of resources you can use to find out if your loved one’s nursing home has a history of neglect.

There are state, federal, and independent resources you can access to find out about instances of neglect in a nursing home. You can learn about a nursing home’s rating, compare facilities to each other, and read about the violations different homes near you have been charged with.

Sometimes, people are harmed because of the actions of others. In some cases, the person may hold those who caused them harm accountable for their actions. They do so through a personal injury claim, which typically requires the help of a skilled legal representative. But what exactly are the parameters of personal injury?

When someone acts in a negligent manner and harms you, then they have legal responsibility for your injuries and damages. You can seek compensation for those through a personal injury case. This is handled in civil court and usually the person bringing the claim forward has an attorney to represent them.

So many lives are affected by prescription opioids. It’s common for someone to know someone who is addicted or be addicted themselves. Some may also know the pain of losing someone to an opioid overdose. When it comes to the opioid crisis, there are many misconceptions clouding the problem. While we help those who have been affected by opioids, we also want to help decrease the amount of overdoses and addiction development. People need the correct information so they can look at the problem with clarity and understanding so they can work toward finding a solution. Let’s look at some of these misconceptions.

Prince Law Firm is dedicated to providing our clients with the legal representation they deserve. We are proud to announce that Mark Prince has been selected as a top rate personal injury attorney in Marion, Illinois. The Super Lawyers list is one that most lawyers have heard of and aspire to be on.

Selections are made annually, on a state-by-state basis. The overall goal of this list is to create a credible, comprehensive, and diverse list of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource by lawyers and potential clients who are searching for legal counsel. The list is limited to lawyers who can be hired and retained to the public, so it can be used to help people find and choose their legal representative.

New laws take effect on a regular basis, but a majority are introduced at the beginning of the year. On January 1, 2019, more than 200 laws were put into place in Illinois. Many of the changes were in relation to gun control, public safety, health care, and education. As a citizen and resident of Illinois, it’s important to be aware of any law changes that could affect you. We’ll discuss a small number of the new laws below.

The majority of long term care facilities in the United States are understaffed. Neglected residents are likely to experience malnutrition, incontinence, injuries, and preventable hospitalizations. In addition to the physical consequences, they could also suffer from emotional trauma in the shape of loneliness, fear, lack of social relationships, and loss of dignity. Nursing assistants are also at an increased risk of injury when there is too few staff to care for a high number of residents.

Nursing home residents who require skilled care need at least 4.1 hours of care per day. At least 1.2 hours of that time needs to come from a licensed or registered nurse. This is the minimum amount of care to prevent problems like pressure ulcers, dehydration, and losing the ability to carry out daily tasks like dressing and eating. If a facility does not have enough staff to meet those needs, residents will suffer.

Nursing homes can decide for themselves how may certified nursing assistants and nurses they need. Federal regulations only require “sufficient” staffing. The vague wording means negligent facilities can work the system to increase their profits by decreasing their staffing numbers.

In Illinois, the state laws also declare that staffing needs to be sufficient based on the needs of the residents. They do, however, require licensed staff and direct care staff to be working for certain amounts of time. A minimum of 25 percent of nursing and personal care time must be provided by a licensed nurse. At least 10 percent of that time needs to involve a registered nurse. The remaining 75 percent of care can come from either a licensed or registered nurse.

If you’re in the process of choosing a nursing home for your loved one, you’ll want to ensure the facility is properly staffed. It can be challenging, but not impossible, to find a facility that is. The following causes, however, are the biggest contributors to the understaffing issue.

After denying liability for over 4.5 years, the Heartland Regional Medical Center admitted fault for causing the death of Lowell Williamson in August 2013. On Wednesday, March 20, 2019, the family of Mr. Williamson was awarded $8.5 million in damages. This is believed to be the highest personal injury verdict in Williamson County, Illinois.

When one is on the road, it’s typical to see other cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Of those three, motorcyclists tend to have a reputation for danger. While the stereotype isn’t fair, motorcycle wrecks do tend to be more severe because of the lack of protection. Riders are more susceptible to dangerous injuries. If these injuries were caused by someone else, then they need representation who will fight for their rights. Prince Law Firm in Illinois can help those who were wrongfully injured with a motorcycle accident claim.

We understand the precarious situation that a motorcycle wreck can lead to. Because the injuries are more likely to be severe, you will need reliable attorneys who will fight for the compensation you deserve. Your medical bills could be high and you will probably have to miss work because of the accident. We’re here to look at  what happened to you, show that the guilty party is responsible for your injuries, and fight for you to get a settlement that will cover what the accident cost you in damages.