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 APRIL 2021
W e A re R eady to T ry C ases
I had a really tough meeting with a client recently. A defendant ran a red light and violently crashed into our client’s car as she was proceeding through the intersection on a green light. Our client is entirely blameless. At that moment, our client’s life changed forever. She had worked for over 40 years at her job. She had received numerous awards for her terrific habits of being early, working hard, serving customers with a smile, having a great attitude, and doing terrific work. She had planned to work for at least 10 more years. She loved the people she worked with, the work itself, and serving the customers. This preventable crash not only ended our client’s work life, but it also ended her financial independence. She had saved for years for retirement. She relished her independence. Two surgeries and a ton of physical therapy later, we sat in our conference room talking about why the defendant’s insurance company refused to pay her. I had no rational answer to give. Due to the pandemic, there have been no jury trials since March 2020. Our client’s workplace told her they had no more need for her because she couldn’t meet the lifting requirements of her job. She repeatedly applied for a desk job at her workplace, but nothing was available. With no job, no income, and medical bills piling up, our client’s financial independence is gone. Her vocation of serving for the last 40 years has been taken away in one moment of carelessness of another driver. The loss of her income is a huge burden, and the mountain of medical bills weigh on her. But these issues pale in comparison to the loss of her normal way of life. She went from an independent, confident person with a daily vocation to someone dependent on others for her financial future. Her pain and suffering have been immense, and her normal life is lost. She needs her day in court. Here’s the reality: During the pandemic, insurance companies have taken advantage of the pause of jury trials. Insurers feel no pressure at all to resolve cases like those of our clients. We have
seen this type of response repeatedly over the last 10 years. The insurers are ignoring cases like this that should resolve quickly, leaving the insured party holding the bag. In one case, we made seven attempts to resolve a case for the policy limits. The insurance company ignored our client and her disability. When a jury resolved the case, they assessed the damages at nearly 20 times the insurance company’s low-ball offer. Even though the verdict was well above the policy limits of the company’s policy, we collected every penny from the insurance company. You see, in these type of cases, it is not the negligent driver in the defendant’s chair in the courtroom. In reality, the insurance company is the defendant because they control whether the case settles or not. When jury trials re-commence, we are ready to seek full and complete justice from the insurance companies who have delayed payment to our clients and their families.
Grateful to serve you,
– Joseph Shannon
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W hat C auses T raumatic B rain I njuries ? Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur when your head is bumped, slammed, or jolted against another object. The impact causes your brain to move around in your skull, which results in mild to permanent damage. Falls sometimes happen in nursing homes and long-term care facilities due to negligence.
MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS Auto accidents also contributed to 13% of all TBI-related emergency room visits in 2014. When two cars collide, the force of the impact can cause the brain to hit the sides of the skull, resulting in a TBI.
Any event that causes a head injury may cause a TBI.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults over the age of 75, children younger than 4, and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24 are most at risk for a traumatic brain injury. As personal injury lawyers, we’ve represented people who sustained a TBI caused by another’s negligence. Here are three situations that can cause a TBI. FALLS Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries. In 2014, falls accounted for almost half of all TBI-related injuries in the United States. Some of these brain injuries happened at nursing homes and long-term care facilities. According to the CDC, 1 out of 5 falls causes serious injury such as broken bones or a head injury. Each year, 3 million older people are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries.
When a pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorcyclist is involved in an accident, they’re at a higher risk of getting a TBI.
WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS TBIs can happen at work, too, and are actually one of the most common and costly workplace injuries. According to a report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), an alarmingly high number of workers sustain TBIs while on the job every year. From 2003 to 2010, about 25% of all construction worker deaths were caused by brain injuries.
– Jonathan Svitak
5 Bike Safety Tips to Know Before You Start Pedaling
Tip No. 2 Equip your bike with a headlight and turn it on whenever you go for a ride. Attach reflectors to your bike as well.
We’ve had quite the winter here in Illinois. It snowed consistently for a month and a half straight. Now that spring is here, many folks are itching to take their bicycles out of storage and onto the street. Riding your bike is a great way to see the sights — and get out of your house!
Tip No. 3 Make eye contact with drivers before crossing streets.
But it doesn’t come without risks.
Tip No. 4 Ride about 6 inches from the curb, inside the white line at the edge of the road.
As a bicyclist, you’re forced to share the roads with vehicles and pedestrians. Due to a lack of protection, bicycle accidents are particularly dangerous for riders. And the statistics don’t lie. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were 2,532 crashes involving bicyclists in 2018. In fact, 2,338 of those collisions resulted in injury, and 24 of them were fatal. While we can’t control the actions of other drivers or pedestrians, we can do everything to help them see us on the road. Here are five safety tips to keep in mind before you take your bike out for a ride. Tip No. 1 Wear bright, reflective clothing when possible to be more visible to drivers.
Tip No. 5 Ride on the side of the road when there’s not a designated bike lane available.
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3 BIRTH INJURIES CAUSED BY MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
are failing to identify fetal distress, using abnormal birthing techniques, and monitoring the mother improperly during labor. Children with cerebral palsy may show different symptoms depending on the severity of their brain damage. Generally, they will experience difficulty with motor skills, muscle spasms, and floppiness or rigidity of their limbs and torso. Epilepsy, deafness, or blindness are cerebral palsy symptoms as well. Often, a child with cerebral palsy suffers perinatal asphyxia at birth. Perinatal asphyxia happens when your baby doesn’t receive enough oxygen before, during, or after birth. This can cause severe brain damage. ERB’S PALSY (BRACHIAL PALSY) When an infant suffers damage to their brachial plexus nerves during birth, Erb’s palsy may result. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves located near the neck. These nerves are responsible for the movement and feeling in your shoulder, arm, hand, and fingers. Erb’s palsy is a nerve injury caused by trauma that results in a child’s inability to use the affected arm. SPINAL CORD INJURIES During the birthing process, the spinal cord may sustain a bruise, partial tear, or complete tear. If your child suffers a spinal cord injury during birth, they may experience symptoms like muscle weakness or even paralysis.
With today’s advancements in medical care, you might think that birth injuries are a thing of the past, especially in Illinois and the rest of the United States. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Birth injuries happen every single day here in America. In fact, of every 1,000 infants born in the United States, an estimated 6–8 babies are injured during delivery. Typically, birth injuries happen when a medical professional makes a mistake that results in unnecessary harm to the baby. Some birth injuries may heal on their own, while others require a lifetime of treatment and 24-hour care.
Here are three serious birth injuries caused by medical negligence that you should know.
CEREBRAL PALSY More often than not, brain damage during birth causes a condition called cerebral palsy. The most common causes of cerebral palsy
– Joseph Shannon
Request your FREE copy today of our book “Meso Killers: A Saga of Corporate Greed, Lies, and the Painful Deaths of American Workers” by Joe Shannon. Joe uncovers the history behind asbestos and mesothelioma in America — and how the big asbestos industry killed millions of hardworking Americans. You can request your free copy texting “ MESO ” to 312-847-2428. GET YOUR FREE COPY OF MESO KILLERS TODAY
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Phone: 312-663-7016 Text: 312-847-2428 www.shannonlawgroup.com
135 S. LASALLE ST., STE. 2200 CHICAGO, IL 60603
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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What Causes Traumatic Brain Injuries? 5 Bike Safety Tips to Know Before You Start Pedaling Birth Injuries Caused by Medical Negligence
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