135 S. LaSalle St., Ste. 2200 Chicago, IL 60603
3550 Hobson Rd., Ste. 403 Woodridge, IL 60517
312-663-7016 | www.shannonlawgroup.com Text: 312-847-2428 OCTOBER 2021
W e A re H iring
A few issues ago, I introduced our team to you. We recently said goodbye to a terrific employee, Katie Remmes. Katie just started her nursing career as an ICU nurse at a local hospital. She originally started working with us when she was a senior at Benet Academy and continued working with our team for over five years during summers and while she was attending Illinois State University.
Katie fit the profile for our team members: smart, hungry, and humble. She helped us with everything from getting medical records to preparing for trials. We would also like to think that working here helped Katie become a well- rounded professional. While we’re sad to see her go, we know that Katie will make a big difference as she serves the most vulnerable patients admitted to the hospital. Thank you for everything you did for us, Katie! Now, I’d like your help. We are currently hiring more people like Katie. We need more smart, hungry, and humble team members to serve our clients with excellence. If you know anyone who is highly motivated, compassionate, works hard, and is dedicated to helping people, please refer them to me directly. We have a Receptionist/Intake Specialist position open for our Woodridge office and a Workers’ Compensation Paralegal position open at our Chicago office. They can text me at 312 847-2428. Grateful to serve you,
– Joseph Shannon
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3 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT COVID-19 VACCINE INJURIES Recently, more and more companies, businesses, and agencies have issued mandates for people to receive COVID-19 vaccines. With more people being vaccinated, a small percentage of them are sustaining vaccine injuries. you can recover those damages and more, including pain and suffering up to $250,000. 2. Attorneys’ fees and costs are not offered in the CICP, but they are available in the VICP.
We receive calls, almost daily, from people reporting an injury after a COVID-19 vaccine and wanting to know if they can get compensation for their losses. We hosted a webinar last month to provide information on this issue. (That webinar is available on our YouTube channel.)
3. Recovery in the CICP is rare. Since 2010, only 29 claims have received any compensation, and none of those claims involved COVID-19 vaccine injuries. At Shannon Law Group, we do not believe the CICP is an acceptable way to help the vaccine injured. We believe COVID-19 vaccines should be added to the VICP as soon as possible so anyone who receives a serious vaccine injury can be justly compensated and not written off as an additional casualty in this pandemic. Currently, there is a bipartisan bill pending in the House of Representatives, H.R. 3655, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Modernization Act of 2021. This bill proposes to update the VICP to make it easier and faster to add new vaccines to that program and increase the damages an injured person can receive.
There are three important facts you should know regarding COVID-19 vaccine injuries:
1. Vaccine manufacturers are essentially immune from liability for injuries caused by COVID-19 vaccines under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act. 2. You cannot receive compensation in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). COVID-19 vaccines are not currently “covered” vaccines under the VICP. 3. The only option currently available to potentially recover some compensation for a serious COVID-19 vaccine injury is the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP). There are many key differences between the VICP and CICP, including the following: 1. Damages available in the CICP are limited to unreimbursed medical expenses and lost employment income. In the VICP,
We invite you to support the passage of this bill by asking your congressional representative to co-sponsor it. Please email Brittany at BPeterson@ShannonLawGroup. com for a sample letter.
– Rhonda Lorenz-Pignato
TOP 3 THINGS TO DO AFTER BEING HURT ON THE JOB IN ILLINOIS
No. 3: Seek Medical Care Immediately The longer you wait to seek medical care, the greater likelihood you are to meet resistance from your employer or your employer’s insurance company. This can result in your sitting at home for months without any income. We have had numerous cases where a worker injures themselves on a Friday, thinks nothing of it, and does not report it. When the worker attempts to return to work Monday, they realize they can’t move because their condition is far worse than they realized. The worker then contacts their employer and notifies them they were injured on Friday but thought nothing of it. The insurance carrier for the employer automatically assumes the injured worker must have done something over the weekend on their personal time, and now is trying to run it through the workers’ compensation system. Seeking immediate medical treatment may help alleviate some of these initial concerns.
Getting injured on the job is a worrying and uncertain time for many working men and women. The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act is designed to protect injured workers when they’ve been hurt on the job and need medical treatment. Based on my 28 years of experience in handling these claims, I’ve narrowed down the top three things you must do immediately after you are hurt on the job in Illinois: No. 1: Report Your Injury to Your Employer Within 45 Days The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act requires that employees injured on the job report their injury to a supervisor within 45 days of the date of the injury. However, the further in time from the occurrence, the greater the likelihood the injured worker will meet resistance from the employer or the employer’s insurance carrier. It is our strong recommendation that anyone who has been hurt on the job immediately notify their supervisor that they have suffered an injury, no matter how small the injury may be. You can give this notice orally or in writing. No. 2: Document Your Work Injury It is important to document your injury or the source of your injury. Take a photo of the instrument or location where you are injured. Inform a coworker that you have just been hurt. Ask for a copy of any paperwork the employer makes you fill out at the time of the injury.
If you’ve been hurt on the job, we strongly recommend that you seek counsel immediately so you can level the playing field and protect the rights of you and your family. Contact us at (312) 663-7016 if you have any questions.
– Jack Cannon
2 www.shannonlawgroup.com
THE REAL DANGERS OF TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
Another startling fact is that according to the NHTSA, driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous than intoxicated driving. This means that people who are texting and driving have an even slower reaction time to what’s happening on the road compared to someone who is driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Yet, people still choose to text and drive daily despite these dangers. According to the Illinois Secretary of State, it is illegal for anyone to have their hands on a cellphone while behind the wheel. However, persons over the age of 19 are permitted to use hands-free and Bluetooth devices, should they need to make a call. However, drivers are encouraged to pull over to the side of the road when making the phone call initially. For those who text and drive and cause an accident, there are even more serious repercussions. If somebody in the accident sustains a serious injury, the at-fault driver will be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which entails up to a year in jail and/or a fine up to $2,500. If there is a death, the charge is a Class 4 felony, which can be 1–3 years in jail and/or a fine up to $25,000.
Everyone has heard that texting while driving is dangerous, and you shouldn’t do it. But many people don’t stop to think about just how dangerous it is. Distracted drivers, especially those on their phones, are a hazard on the road. In fact, 3,142 people were killed in 2019 in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that at any given time, 660,000 drivers are on their cellular devices while driving throughout the United States. Distracted driving is one of the largest culprits for auto accidents in America. In fact, if someone is driving at 55 mph and looks away from the road for five seconds, they drive the length of a football field. If this happens several times while the driver is behind the wheel, you can only imagine how dangerous this could be for everyone on the road. When someone looks at their phone to see the latest notification, they don’t realize how important those five seconds really are.
If you or someone you love was injured by a distracted driver, please feel free to contact us anytime at (312) 578-9501. We’d be happy to help you.
– Joseph Shannon
SUDOKU
Directions 1. In a bowl, combine water, salt, and sugar. Add yeast and let rest for 5 minutes. Add flour and 2 tbsp oil, then mix thoroughly into a dough. 2. Remove the dough from the bowl. Coat bowl with remaining oil, then return the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and set it aside in a warm place for 1 hour. 3. Preheat oven to 450 F. 4. Cut dough into 8 pieces. Roll them into thin ropes, then twist ropes into pretzel shapes. 5. In a large pot, boil water. Add baking soda, then boil each pretzel for 1 minute, flipping halfway through. 6. Transfer pretzels to a baking sheet. Brush them with egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10–15 minutes. Enjoy! OKTOBERFEST SOFT PRETZELS Ingredients • 1 1/2 cups warm water • 1 tbsp salt • 1 tbsp sugar • 1 packet active dry yeast • 4 1/2 cups flour • 3 tbsp oil, divided • 2/3 cup baking soda • 2 eggs, beaten • Coarse salt, for sprinkling Inspired by Tasty.co
Solution on page 4
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312-663-7016
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Phone: 312-663-7016 Text: 312-847-2428 www.shannonlawgroup.com
135 S. LASALLE ST., STE. 2200 CHICAGO, IL 60603
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
We Are Hiring
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3 Things to Know About COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries
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Top 3 Things to Do After Being Hurt on the Job
page 3
The Real Dangers of Texting While Driving
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Oktoberfest Soft Pretzels
SAVE THE DATE! We’re excited to announce that we will be hosting our SLG Christmas Party at Quigley’s Irish Pub in Naperville once again! This year’s party will be on Wednesday, Dec. 29, from 5:30–8:30 p.m. We will once again be promoting two charities that are near and dear to our hearts: St. Vincent de Paul and St. Joan of Arc School Adopt-a-Student Fund. So, mark your calendar! We want to make sure to thank you for your friendship and support over these last 13 years.
To RSVP, please email Katelyn at KPater@ShannonLawGroup.com
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