Many people all over the world have spent more time at home for the past few months due to the COVID-19 global health crisis. With only essential businesses open, a lot of stores have been temporarily closed to stop the spread of the virus. Online shopping has no doubt been a popular way to pass the time while still receiving merchandise. Truck and delivery drivers have been working amidst the pandemic, and in some cases, putting in overtime to meet the demands of remote store patrons. Busy essential workers who are delivering packages can often run the risk of injury for various reasons.

If the driver is an employee for the company they are working for, they may qualify for workers' compensation benefits through the company for any injuries they sustain while performing their work duties. However, many delivery drivers are subcontractors and are considered self-employed. In these situations, the driver would not qualify for workers' comp benefits because they are not considered an employee. Instead, their only legal option for financial compensation for injuries is through a personal injury claim or lawsuit.

The following are a few ways that they can be hurt while performing their job duties, which is not just driving.

Sometimes a person falls and sustains only minor scrapes and bruises. However, some falls can cause significant personal injury. More than 800,000 people are hospitalized every year in the United States due to a serious fall accident. A slip and fall can result in broken bones, traumatic brain injury, spine or neck injury, internal organ damage, and more. When a slip and fall accident is the result of negligence, the injured party may bring a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent party or parties. The damages available in a slip and fall case will vary significantly depending on the specific circumstances of the accident.

Costs Associated with Slip and Fall Accidents

You may not think that simply falling could incur substantial financial damage, but many fall accidents leave the injured person in momentous debt. If you have experienced a serious fall, you may have needed emergency room treatment, an extended hospital stay, diagnostic tests, surgery, expensive prescription medication or medical equipment, physical therapy, rehabilitation or nursing home care, and more. Medical treatments such as these can easily cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Even worse, your injuries may have left you unable to work. If so, you not only incur the costs of your treatment but you also experience financial harm due to missed work. Some fall accidents can even leave a person permanently disabled and unable to continue working in their preferred profession. Injuries from a serious fall can also prevent a person from performing non-work activities such as caring for children or maintaining a home.

Jumping on a trampoline can be fun for people of all ages, not just kids. It is a great form of exercise and can help users develop core muscle strength as well as strengthen their balance. Trampolines can be enjoyed outside in someone’s yard or inside at a facility. Unfortunately, thousands of people are injured on trampolines every year in the United States. Injuries can range from minor to major, such as small cuts to broken legs to fractures of the spine, head, ribs and more. The number of injuries continues to rise, despite efforts to make trampolines safer with enclosures or nets and padding. Children younger than 6 years old are at the greatest risk of injury, but adults can be hurt, too. Accidents happen, but in some cases, a trampoline injury might occur due to negligence by the trampoline’s owner.

Types of Injuries

The majority of trampoline injuries occur on home trampolines, although they can happen on indoor trampolines, too. Indoor trampoline “parks” have gained popularity in recent years since people can visit them in the winter months when the weather is bad outside. Common injuries sustained on any trampoline can include:

• Broken bones
• Concussions and other head trauma
• Sprains/strains
• Bruises, scrapes, and cuts
• Head and neck injuries

How Injuries Occur

As with any type of physical activity or sport, there are inherent risks. Guests of indoor parks are typically required to watch a safety video and sign a waiver before entering the jump zones. Although these indoor facilities often have pads surrounding the jumping areas, people can still get hurt. Many injuries take place when there is more than one person jumping or flipping on a trampoline. In addition, any objects such as balls or toys on the trampoline surface can also pose significant risks by tripping or slipping and falling. A person can also get hurt when he or she:

Everyone has injuries now and then in their lives, but the older generation has a greater likelihood of injuring themselves in a fall. As we grow older, many people are less able to navigate obstacles and hazards as they once did. The human body changes with age and minor inconveniences become more difficult to maneuver. However, below we discuss a few easy tips that can be taken to prevent as many injuries as possible.

Discuss Falls with Your Doctor

A discussion with your doctor about your health and risk in a fall will give you an idea of the type of methods you should be taking to reduce the likelihood of a fall. The methods you take can depend on the types of medication you take, and how they combine with other medicines. Medicine can have side effects such as dizziness, being light-headed, and drowsiness. Knowing the types of side effects you may have will let you know more about your fall risk. Your doctor can also make a recommendation on the necessity of a walking aid such as a cane or walker. Using walking aids is sometimes necessary to decrease your danger of falling and injury.

Household Tips

It will also help you to take steps to reduce falls in your living space. Eliminating any unnecessary clutter on the floor or moving around furniture to make sure you have wide enough spaces to walk will decrease the chances of a fall. One of the more common rooms for a fall in the bathroom due to the wet surfaces. Installing a grab bar in your bathtub or shower and near the toilet will make it easier for you to stand up and decrease the likelihood of a fall. Railings may also be necessary on any stairs in your home. Making sure all areas of the house are properly lit to make sure there are no obstacles in the dark to trip on would also be beneficial.

As temperatures begin to dip and autumn turns (sometimes slowly and sometimes overnight) into winter, property owners prepare for the inevitable snowfall that arrives each year. Despite the knowledge that winter in Chicagoland and Illinois brings about snow-covered and slippery walkways, pedestrians often are forced to traverse treacherous routes that sometimes result in injuries caused by a slip and fall.

Mother Nature and the Law

The question of whether or not someone is responsible for clearing snow and ice from the sidewalk and steps in front of their home or other property is a common topic during the winter months. The related issue of whether or not an individual can file a personal injury claim against a property owner when they call on a snowy sidewalk is just as common. Last winter, the Illinois Supreme Court clarified an Illinois law passed in 1979 that was designed to protect property owners under certain circumstances.