When you visit a place of business, you’re likely going with a goal in mind to attend an event, make a specific purchase, or simply browse. Regardless of the goal for your trip, you’re probably not thinking about the possibility of a slip-and-fall accident; however, this type of accident is much more common than you may think.

According to the National Floor Safety Institute, falls account for over eight million emergency room visits every single year. Many of these individuals sustain injuries like broken bones and severe contusions.

Many slip-and-fall accidents that occur in businesses are a result of employees neglecting protocols or negligent property owners. In the event you are the victim of a slip-and-fall accident, you have the right to hold that negligent party accountable for what could have been a preventable hazard.

Let’s take a look at where slip-and-fall accidents happen, why they happen, and the individuals who are most susceptible to falling.

When you unexpectedly lose a loved one, the process can be overwhelming. While you’re trying to go through the grieving process, you’re also adjusting to the new reality. If you depended on your loved one financially or for support in the house, this adjustment can feel impossible, especially if your loved one died because of an accident. In these situations, you can seek legal options. An Illinois wrongful death lawyer from Prince Law Firm can get your loved one the justice they deserve and help you get fair compensation.

After going to the doctor or another medical care professional, you usually expect to be feeling better or starting a treatment plan that will help you get better. You trust your nurses, doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists to all be attentive and not make any mistakes when they’re taking care of you. But sometimes, a healthcare provider can act negligently and severely injure you. This could be from giving you the wrong medication, messing up a surgery, or not noticing crucial details on your chart. A Marion, IL medical malpractice lawyer from Prince Law Firm can help you with your medical malpractice claim.

Your injuries may be painful and prevent you from working. You may even need corrective surgery because of a doctor’s negligence. Medical malpractice cases are difficult to handle on your own. But you can rest assured that the lawyers at Prince Law Firm will do everything possible to get you the compensation you deserve. This could help cover any pain and suffering, medical expenses, and lost wages.

While you may assume you’ll be able to return to work quickly after a car accident, this isn’t always the case. Depending on your injuries, doctor’s recommendations, and treatment plan, you may have to take more time off than you’d like.

It’s important to understand that going back to work too early has the potential to worsen your condition. Unfortunately, you can’t rush the healing process. In order to feel comfortable about returning to work after a car accident, take these tips into consideration.

Immediately following a car accident, regardless of the severity, it’s imperative to evaluate yourself and the other involved parties for injuries. While in some cases you may just be able to schedule a doctor’s appointment with your primary care physician the next day, this isn’t always the case. You may need to call 9-1-1 to request the assistance of emergency medical responders.

Unfortunately, car accidents occur regularly in Illinois. Just in 2015, there were 313,316 motor vehicle accidents. Of those accidents, 21 percent resulted in injury. Of the crashes resulting in injury, 15.3 percent resulted in incapacitating injuries that prevent the injured individuals from walking, driving, or normally continuing the activities they were capable of doing prior to sustaining the injury. Many of those severe injuries included lacerations, broken bones, skull or chest injuries, or abdominal injuries.

Being involved in a hit-and-run accident is a traumatic and frustrating experience. You don’t have the other party involved in the accident to own up to what they did, and the accident may have caused injuries and property damage. The good news is that you don’t have to face insurance companies alone. Commiting a hit-and-run accident is a crime, and legal help is available.

Let’s start by going over some basic information that’s vital to understand about hit-and-run accidents, what actions to take after you’re involved in one, and what the legal ramifications of such a crime are:

What Is a Hit-and-Run?

A hit-and-run accident occurs when someone causes a car accident and then leaves the scene. The accident can be with another car, a cyclist, a pedestrian, or even a fixed object.

People usually commit hit-and-runs because they’re afraid of what will happen if they stay and have to own up to the accident and deal with insurance. Those without insurance may flee the scene because they know they won’t be able to afford it. But committing a hit-and-run has many more negative consequences and could affect the rest of your life forever.

No matter where you live, there are bills in place that establish basic traffic laws. Stop signs, yield signs, and lane markers are recognizable throughout the country. All vehicles are required to follow these laws for the benefit of themselves and others.

Separate laws, however, exist for larger trucks and commercial vehicles. There are additional federal and state laws that regulate what trucking companies, truck drivers, hiring managers, trainer, supervisors, managers, and dispatchers can and cannot do. These laws are in place to save lives.

In Illinois in 2015, there were a total of 11,769 crashes involving tractor trailers, accounting for 38 percent of all motor vehicle accidents in the state. Of those accidents, 9,775 resulted in property damage, 2,284 resulted in injury, and 80 resulted in death. A high percentage of those crashes occurred in urban areas. The laws put in place by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Illinois’ Department of Transportation (IDOT) exist to prevent those accidents.

When you have a personal injury case, you’re probably wondering how it’s going to be resolved. While most personal injury cases reach a settlement and don’t go to court, there may be some instances where this is necessary. Settlements only work if both sides agree on the final settlement. Factors like the time it takes for court cases to take place and the money it would cost to take a case to court are usually enough to encourage both sides to reach a settlement. However, there could be a situation where the defendant refuses to agree on a fair settlement.

You deserve to have fair compensation. Your personal injury lawyer may advise you to take your case to court. There is a new set of steps to take when you’re taking the case to court, and one of them is what kind of court your case will be resolved in. Criminal and civil jurisdictions are separate and have their own parameters for what they deal with. Your personal injury lawyer will know what court your case will be heard in and will be able to answer any questions or concerns that you have.

Prince Law Firm takes great pride in getting justice for our Illinois clients. We understand how daunting it can be to be facing a claim on your own. Your rights will be protected by our Marion, IL personal injury lawyers. You can give yourself peace of mind by hiring a skilled and experienced lawyer who has had successful cases similar to yours in the past. We will do everything possible to get you the compensation you need. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our offices today and schedule a free consultation to go over your case.

The Illinois General Assembly has amended Statute 625 ILCS 5/12-610.2. Under the amended law, individuals caught texting while driving will face stiffer penalties.

The current law took effect in 2014. Under that law, there are fines for the first, second, and third texting while driving offenses; however, the first offense does not affect a person’s driving record or result in a moving violation. Those consequences are not doled out until the second offense.

Under the new law, which will take effect on July 1, 2019, drivers caught texting while driving will be issued a moving violation, and the violation will go on their driving record. In addition to receiving a fine of $75 to $100, the reported moving violation is likely to increase the cost of your auto insurance. Anyone convicted of three moving violation in a consecutive 12-month period may have their license suspended.

In a recent press release, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association President Mark D. Prince issued a statement following the state Governor’s amendatory veto of a measure that would have allowed families whose loved ones are injured or die while under the care of the state to file a civil claim against the state. This veto would put a strict leash on the abilities that Illinois victims and their families have to obtain justice when it is due and fight back against unfair and unsafe conditions and care.

Here is the statement that was issued by Mark Prince:

“Senate Bill 2481 is meant to ensure access to adequate and fair compensation for victims and their families when the state is responsible for their injuries or death. Despite the support of strong, bi-partisan majorities in the House and Senate, the Governor’s amendatory veto creates yet another artificial legislative hurdle for our veterans and their families, and put vulnerable children, the elderly, and other future victims that are injured or killed under the state’s care into peril.”