A recent NIH study on occupational low back pain in truck drivers found that over 50% of long distance truck drivers surveyed experience debilitating lower back pain. For those familiar with the physical demands of truck driving, the study findings make sense, if not provide a conservative estimate of what some claim is an epidemic of back problems that affect long distance truck drivers at a rate of four times the national average. The human spinal column was not made for sitting long hours on the lower end of the spine. Spinal discs that are supported by water begin to […]
Blackberry thumb, iPod finger, gamer’s thumb. Do any of these phrases sound familiar? Maybe not, but if you operate an electronic device in 2014, chances are, you can probably imagine how repetitive stress injuries can occur from even the most mundane tasks. Workers compensation laws in Illinois not only address issues related to repetitive stress injury, but also offer effective solutions for workers who experience such injuries. However, the Illinois workers compensation act’s notice requirement may pose a roadblock in obtaining effective treatment for repetitive stress injuries. It is important to recognize what types of work can cause repetitive trauma, […]
The Chicago Tribune reports that around 2:50 a.m., an O’Hare bound CTA Blue Line train jumped the platform and was traveling at such speed as to force its way onto the escalators at the end of the track. Though the cause of the crash has not yet been determined, it is already known that the train was traveling at a high rate of speed upon approaching the station. More than thirty people are reported injured. Doctor Douglas Propp, of Lutheran General Hospital Emergency Department, observed that many of the injured parties appeared to also suffer emotional distress. In September of last […]
The Illinois Supreme Court recently held that exclusionary auto insurance policies, such as one an elderly driver might have as an owner who does not drive his own vehicle, are against public policy. (American Access Casualty Company v. Anna Reyes, 2013 IL 115601). This is an interesting and noteworthy opinion because it is rare that the court will invalidate a contractual obligation based upon public policy. The facts and injury in Reyes are indeed extreme: defendant Anna Reyes was driving the car that was involved in an accident that killed a four-year old boy. Though Ms. Reyes was the named […]
The Illinois Appellate Court for the Fourth District recently held that the “parking lot” exception may apply in cases where a temporary employee is injured in an assigned parking spot on her way to work. (Suter v. Ill. Workers Compensation Comm’n, 2013 IL App (4th) 130049WC). In this case, the petitioner, Mary Suter, sustained an arm fracture when she slipped and fell on ice as she exited her parked car on her way to work. Ms. Suter was a temporary employee, working for the Manpower agency, and assigned to the Illinois Department of Insurance. She was instructed to park in […]
Imagine the following: you are in your car, sitting in stopped traffic, cars lined up ahead of you so far that the stoplight ahead looks like a tiny light on a Christmas tree. Suddenly, before you can even process what is happening, there is a loud crash and your entire car jolts forward, whipping your head and neck along with it. As you massage the area where your seatbelt fortunately kept you from flying through the windshield, your first thought might be to get out and survey the damage. Or perhaps you have passengers, and your thoughts go to their […]
