Car accidents are, unfortunately, not uncommon in the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were an estimated 7,277,000 motor vehicle crashes that were reported to the police in 2016. Head injuries are common after car crashes, especially concussions, which can take days or even weeks to manifest. Many people who are suffering from a concussion do not even know that they have one because they do not know what signs to look for.

What Is a Concussion?

According to the Mayo Clinic, a concussion is a traumatic brain injury that can affect your normal functioning. A concussion occurs when you receive a violent blow to the head that causes your brain to slide back and forth against the walls of your skull. Concussions can be serious and can cause bleeding in or around the brain, which can lead to death if untreated.

Signs of a Concussion

Rarely, a concussion causes you to lose consciousness. Most of the time, concussions can be hard to detect if you do not know what you are looking for. If you have been in a car accident, be sure to look for these signs that you might have a concussion:

Any car crash is a complicated event - it can be difficult to determine the cause of any accident and contributing factors to any crash. When it comes to crashes involving trucks, the consequences can be dire. Because of the large size of these vehicles, truck accidents are deadly and survivors can experience more severe injuries than accidents involving other vehicles. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has conducted a study in an effort to determine the causes of serious crashes involving large trucks, which are defined as any truck with a gross weight of over 10,000 pounds.

Crash Causation Variables

In the study, three key variables were used to determine what caused truck crashes: critical events, critical reasons, and associated factors.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, slips, trips, and falls were the second leading cause of nonfatal injuries to workers in the U.S. and the third leading cause of fatal injuries to workers in 2016. Slips, trips and falls can cause serious injuries to workers and can result in you having to spend days away from work to heal broken bones or pulled muscles. Depending on the severity of your injuries, slips, trips and falls can render you permanently disabled from a spinal cord injury or even a brain injury.

Fluids or debris on the floor: One of the most common reasons employees slip or fall is because there is something on the floor that is making it slippery. Liquids or dry debris can both make the floor slippery and unsafe. Examples of these hazards can include:

• Water;
• Grease;
• Soap;
• Ice or snow;
• Dust, powder or granules; and
• Freshly mopped or waxed floors.

Walking surface irregularities: Trips, especially, can happen where there is no consistency in walking surfaces when there should be. These irregularities can be both indoors and outdoors. Walking surface irregularities can include:

It does not matter what industry you work in - there is always a chance that you can injure yourself at work. The first 24 hours after you injure yourself are crucial - your actions can determine how easy it will be to claim your workers’ compensation benefits and how strong of a claim you have. By taking the appropriate actions after a workplace injury, you can help make your worker’s compensation process a little bit easier.

1. Get Medical Help

The first thing you should do after you are injured at work is seek necessary medical attention, though where you get it from can be important. If your employer has a Preferred Provider Program (PPP), you should choose a doctor or hospital that is a part of that program. You have the choice of two physicians that are within your employer’s PPP, whose costs will be covered. If you choose not to be seen by physicians in your employer’s PPP, you can be seen by one physician of your choice, but further visits must be approved. If your employer does not have a PPP, you have the choice of any two providers.

Pedestrian accidents are not uncommon in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2016, around 193,366 pedestrians were injured in motor vehicle accidents and an estimated 5,987 pedestrians were killed in accidents. Pedestrian safety is especially important because at some point every day, we are all pedestrians. Compared to a vehicle, pedestrians are small and fragile, which is why extreme caution should be taken by drivers when they are around pedestrians, but pedestrians also have a responsibility to be safe and limit the possibility of an accident happening. By following these tips, both drivers and pedestrians can do their part to stay safe.

Driver Tips

• Always look out for pedestrians. Even if there is not a sidewalk, there may still be pedestrians walking on the side of the road.
• Be careful when driving at night or in bad weather. Pedestrians can seem to come out of nowhere and that is especially true when hard-to-see conditions are present. Do not speed in these conditions and always follow the rules of the road.
• You should expect pedestrians to be in a crosswalk and by law, you are required to yield to pedestrians who are using a crosswalk. Give yourself enough space between your vehicle and the pedestrian so other vehicles can see the pedestrian, too. Never pass other vehicles at a crosswalk - they are probably stopped for a reason and you could cause an accident.
• When you are in school zones or residential neighborhoods, drive slowly and cautiously. Children can jump in front of you in the blink of an eye - always follow the speed limit and go slower if need be.

Pedestrian Tips

Though the death and injury rate for workers in the United States has decreased since the inception of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) in 1970, workplace injuries and deaths are still reported today, many stemming from inadequate workplace safety precautions. Nearly 5,200 people were killed on the job in 2016 - which is about 14 deaths per day. While not all deaths are preventable, many of them are, which is why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed certain standards to keep a safe workplace.

General Duty

In the “General Duty Clause” of the OSH Act, all employers have the responsibility of providing a safe workplace that does not contain any known hazards. This rule is a generalized version of other specific rules that OSHA has for certain industries. There are four groups of OSHA standards, which include:

The last thing anyone wants to deal with is filing a car accident claim. Car accidents are scary business and can leave you with not only physical injuries and pain but also emotional trauma. Though not all accidents can be prevented, many accidents can be avoided through safe driving practices. Injuries sustained during car accidents can be extensive, which is why you should try to avoid risky situations in the car at all times. Here are four tips to follow to help reduce your chances of a car accident:

1. Keep Your Attention on the Road

One of the biggest causes of accidents is distracted driving. You can be distracted by almost anything, but you should try to keep your attention on the road at all times. Many times, drivers are distracted by their cell phones, but the distraction is not always digital. Drivers can become distracted by other passengers in the vehicle, things outside of the vehicle or even something as simple as changing the air conditioning in the car.

All employees deserve to work in a relatively safe environment. By nature, some jobs are more dangerous than others, but they still must follow certain safety guidelines to prevent workplace injuries or deaths. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides a set of general and industry-specific guidelines for safety measures that should be taken in order to prevent injuries and death in the workplace. Unfortunately, not all workplaces always follow OSHA’s guidelines, which results in accidents that could have been easily prevented. Here are the most commonly cited violations that OSHA has reported during workplace inspections:

1. Fall Protection in Construction Industry

Fall protection violations were the most cited violation in 2017. This regulation states that construction employers have the duty to make sure that work and walking surfaces have enough strength and structure to hold employees. This regulation also states that there should be guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems in place when an employee is working in an area without a protected edge.

In almost every way, car accidents can be traumatic, affecting you emotionally, mentally and especially, physically. Even if the car accident was a minor one, you can come out of it with serious injuries that put a damper on your well being. These injuries can become costly medical bills and can cause you to lose out on wages at work. Thankfully, if you can successfully prove a personal injury car accident claim, you might be able to recover some of these lost expenses, but only if you have proof and documentation. Proper records and proof can be lifesavers when it comes to proving cases. Here are six tips on how to keep thorough records of your personal injuries:

1. Take Photographs

Having photographs available as evidence is one of the best ways to prove your case. Photographs are hard evidence and can help illustrate the extent of the damage from the accident. Be sure to take photos of:

Everyone is a pedestrian at some point during the day--whenever you are not in your vehicle, you are a pedestrian. Unfortunately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that pedestrian accidents and fatalities have been rising since 2009--one of the few groups to see an increase in fatalities. In 2016, there were nearly 6,000 pedestrian fatalities, the highest number of pedestrian fatalities in one year since 1990. In Illinois alone, pedestrians accounted for nearly 14 percent of traffic fatalities. Everyone is at risk for getting into an accident as a pedestrian and these accidents can cause serious and severe injuries, if not death. It is important to understand how you can do your part - as a driver and as a pedestrian--to keep yourself and others safe.

Risk Factors For Pedestrian Accidents

Fortunately, there are trends in who is involved in traffic accidents, the environment they take place in and when they take place. Trends like these are used to make decisions on how pedestrian accidents and fatalities are addressed.

One of the most traumatic things a family can go through is the loss of a family member through a workplace accident. Not only are you grieving for your loved one, you might be worried about your family’s financial future. Many American families sustain their standard of living by having two incomes. With the loss of one income, your family could be facing financial hardship. The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act allows the spouses and children of the worker to collect death benefits of a deceased loved one who was killed on the job.

Who Can Receive Death Benefits?

When a worker is killed on the job, their surviving spouse and children who are under the age of 18 are entitled to death benefits. These are called primary beneficiaries. If there are no primary beneficiaries that exist, then the benefits can be paid to totally dependent parents of the deceased worker. If totally dependent parents do not exist, benefits can be paid to anyone who was at least 50 percent dependent on the worker before his or her death.

Picture it: you have just gotten off of work, you are on your way home and you have found yourself in the middle of rush hour. Traffic is moving at a snail’s pace, but as you are moving up a few feet, another driver from the lane over decides to cut you off and jump in front of you. You are probably not too happy about this and depending on the day you have had, this may be the tipping point. The anger you would be feeling is not uncommon--according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, nearly 80 percent of drivers have expressed significant anger or aggression behind the wheel at least once. Road rage is dangerous and can lead to serious car accidents, which is why it is important to understand how to handle road rage if you come across an aggressive driver.

What Is Road Rage?

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) defines road rage as violent or aggressive behavior that is a result of a driver’s uncontrolled anger toward another driver. Often, the anger that is felt by those who have road rage is not necessarily toward the other driver, but is a projection of anger about something else, such as a long day at work. Examples of road rage include:

Most workers know that if they get injured on the job they are entitled to workers’ compensation. What some people may not know is that they are also eligible to receive compensation if they develop an occupational disease or ailment from continuous employment. Exposure to things like chemicals, dust, fumes, mold, or radiation can cause permanent and often irreversible damage to a person. The process to prove these types of cases can be tedious, but it does not have to be difficult with the right person’s help.

What Types of Diseases Are Covered?

The Illinois Occupational Diseases Act does not specifically list the types of diseases and ailments that are covered under the act. The act states that any employee who sustains any disablement, impairment or disfigurement or dies due to a disease that arises from their employment, is eligible for benefits. This means that any type of disease that is caused by employment is eligible for consideration under this act. Common types of diseases can include:

You have just gotten into a car accident and you are panicking because you do not know what to do next. This has never happened to you before, so you have no prior knowledge to draw from. Who do you call? What do you do first? What do you do if you are hurt? These are questions that will probably arise if you ever find yourself in the precarious situation of a car accident. You may think it is not likely to happen to you, but statistics say otherwise. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were over 6 million traffic accidents reported to police in 2016. Understanding the appropriate steps you should take after an accident can ensure that you are compensated for your damages.

Immediately After the Crash

Stay Safe

Contrary to what the majority of people believe, construction work or the manufacturing sector are not the most dangerous industries to work in. Surprisingly, the healthcare industry is the most dangerous industry to work in. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), more workers are injured in the healthcare industry than any other.

Types of Healthcare Industry Work-Related Injuries

Healthcare workers face a few specific and unique workplace hazards. These types of hazards include:

Accidents happen — that is why there is such a thing as workers’ compensation. Workers’ compensation is an insurance program that was designed to help those who are hurt on the job and have suffered injuries that prevent them from working, or limit what they can do. One of the injuries that you can file a workers’ compensation claim for is carpal tunnel syndrome, an injury of the hand and wrist.

What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, one of the major nerves that runs through the hand, is stretched or compressed, causing damage. Carpal tunnel syndrome is considered a progressive injury, which means it can get worse over time if you do not treat it right away. Without treatment, carpal tunnel syndrome can lead to permanent nerve damage.

Accidents happen--that is why all employers in Illinois are required to carry insurance for workers who get injured on the job. Workers’ compensation covers medical costs for all employees if they are hurt on the job and pays for expenses such as doctor’s visits, surgery, hospital stays, medication and physical therapy. In the case that an injury or illness makes you unable to work, you could be able to receive disability benefits, which vary based on whether the injury or illness is partial or full, or if it is temporary or permanent.

Temporary Partial Disability

When you are still healing from a work-related injury or illness, but are able to work part-time or have limited ability of what you can do at work, you might be eligible for temporary partial disability (TPD) benefits. This means that you are not earning as much as you would have been earning pre-injury. TPD benefits are usually two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury weekly wage and your post-injury weekly wage. These benefits are paid to you until you are healed and can return to work.

Unfortunately, in the United States, car crashes are not uncommon--and the majority of crashes are caused by driver error. In the U.S., 34,439 fatal car crashes occurred in 2016, taking 37,461 lives. Even if you are a responsible, safe driver and obey all traffic laws, you cannot assume that other drivers are doing the same thing. If you have been in a car crash that is not your fault, you should not be held responsible for the damages or loss of life that happen due to the crash. Understanding the common causes of crashes can help you to drive safely and can aid in filing a car accident claim if a crash resulted in damages.

1. Distracted Driving

Each year, distracted driving is the cause of more crashes. Information published by New Virginia Tech found that when drivers engaged in behavior that distracted them from driving, it more than doubled their chances of crashing. Distracted driving behaviors include:

Losing a loved one is hard, and it’s even harder when their death is the result of negligence. In this case, family members may choose to file a wrongful death lawsuit, seeking damages, usually in the monetary form. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, death from unintentional injuries is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, meaning wrongful death is unfortunately uncommon.

What Is Wrongful Death?

Wrongful death is any death that is caused by another person’s recklessness or negligence. According to the state of Illinois, wrongful death is defined as death due to another person’s, company’s or corporation’s intentional, negligent or misconduct. Some common examples of wrongful death include:

The weather is getting warmer and that means that motorcycle enthusiasts are waking their bikes from their winter hibernation. May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and is desperately needed in Illinois. According to the Chicago Tribune, nationwide motorcycle accident deaths have dropped 5.6 percent since last year, while the rate of motorcycle accident deaths has continued to increase in Illinois, with 162 in 2017.

What Drivers Should Know about Motorcyclists

A Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education (ABATE) of Illinois is an organization that supports the education of all motorists to reduce the number of traffic accidents involving motorcycles. In response to Motorcycle Awareness Month, ABATE has the following facts for drivers to consider when they encounter a motorcycle on the road: