According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the daily number of calls to poison centers increased sharply at the beginning of March for exposures to cleaners and disinfectants (well before the President’s televised comments on April 23, 2020).  A large percentage of the calls included exposures among children. Data from the IPC shows increases of exposure in children, adolescents, and adults when compared with 2019 data. It is incumbent on consumers to be careful with the purchase, storage, and use of all products brought into the home. This includes products used in the yard, those used for motor vehicles as well as common household cleaners. One type of product which has gained a lot of recent attention is the dishwasher and/or laundry detergent “pods”, which often look like a toy or may even appear edible to children.  Even prescriptions and over the counter medications can also be abused […]

The Illinois Department of Transportation notes that there were 165 pedestrian fatalities in 2018. Over the course of this year, even with a statewide lockdown as a result of Covid-19 through May 17, 2020, 46 folks have been killed as pedestrians on the roadways. The numbers are much, much higher when omitting deaths and only counting injuries. Illinois laws governing the rights of pedestrians are contained in statutes and developed further through lawsuits that have been ruled upon by judges in the Courts of the State of Illinois. These laws help determine our responsibilities as we walk to and from our car, to the store or to our friend’s house. Pedestrians should always cross streets in a marked crosswalk or where a crosswalk would logically exist (corner to corner). We should always look both ways before stepping into a street and of course, follow the commands of traffic signals. When […]

Teen driving continues to be the number one cause of death of teens. Are graduated licenses and distracted driving laws cutting down on teen accidents and deaths? The latest detailed data is from 2014. Teens accounted for 7% of deaths caused by car accidents, and 9% of all serious injuries. Any injury that prevents the victim from performing their day to day activities are considered serious injuries. These include things like severe cuts, concussions, internal injuries, and broken bones. Deaths There were 67 teen fatalities caused by car accidents in the state of Illinois in 2014. Nearly half, 30, were driving at the time of the accident. 29 were occupants of vehicles, and seven of the deaths were pedestrians. Over half of the teens killed as passengers were riding with another teen, and teens contribute to about 17% of all passenger car accident fatalities. Injuries 622 teen drivers were injured in car crashes […]

Motorcycles represent only three percent of U.S. vehicle registrations, but motorcycle fatalities make up more than 16 percent of all vehicle fatalities in the country. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 80 percent of motorcycle accidents result in serious injuries or death. Illinois Motorcycle Accident Statistics In 2014, Illinois motorcycle accidents accounted for 1.2 percent of total crashes, 13.7 percent of fatal crashes, and 4.0 percent of injury crashes. According to statistics, half of motorcycle rider fatalities occurred in crashes that did not involve another vehicle. In crashes with other vehicles, 40 percent of motorcycle drivers tested positive for alcohol and needed a Chicago accident attorney for personal injuries. In an effort to reduce motorcycle injuries and fatalities, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association (IMDA) have joined together to promote motorcycle safety. Riders are urged to attend free motorcycle training classes to brush up on […]

Car accidents are scary and dangerous for everyone involved, but especially for a young child. Young children have a much greater risk of injury in an accident. Car seats are supposed to keep them safer in an accident, but what happens when this safety feature actually makes things more dangerous? In the case of 4 million defective Graco car seats, yes it can. The defective Graco car seats have a buckle that can get stuck, making it very difficult for parents to get their child out of the seat. This becomes a major safety issue when there is an emergency, because the child can’t be gotten out of the seat quickly. In some instances the straps on the seat had to be cut. In some situations this extra time could be the difference between life and death. Much of the outrage over this recall stems from the fact that Graco […]

Is robotic surgery error-proof? The medical industry is continuously developing new pharmaceutical drugs, treatment therapies, patient safety protocols and surgical procedures that improve patient outcomes for people in Illinois and elsewhere. In recent years, robotic surgery has picked up in popularity due to its non-invasive methods. Manufacturers have marketed the benefits of robotic surgery as including shorter recovery time, less time in the hospital, less bleeding and a short incision, reducing scarring. Robotic surgery study The Wall Street Journal states that a new study from Columbia University shows robotic surgery is not error-proof. The study revealed that more patients had complications from robotic surgery than patients who underwent procedures conducted by a human surgeon. For example, 2.7 percent of patients suffered complications from traditional cyst removal while 3.7 percent suffered complications after using robotic surgery. Likewise, 6 percent of women who underwent a traditional surgery to remove their ovaries suffered […]