They are routinely yelled at, spat at, pummeled, kicked, scratched and even stabbed by the people they’re trying to save.
In many states, being a nurse is more dangerous than being a police officer or a prison guard. It’s a profession with a stunning amount of violence……
Click here to read the full Washington Post Article.
“They had contracts to provide content or services, did that, and weren’t paid.”
– Joshua File, Katz Friedman Attorney
This week Katz Friedman Law office filed a lawsuit for a group of 38 Ebony magazine freelancers in Cook County Circuit Court, claiming they are collectively owed more than $70,000 for their work.
About 1,200 University of Illinois Hospital nurses plan to strike Sept. 13 if they are unable to reach a contract agreement beforehand.
The nurses voted overwhelmingly for the strike last week, and will strike for 24 hours, said Alice Johnson, executive director of the Illinois Nurses Association. They plan to picket that day, she said.
Click here to continue reading the full article
The Illinois workplace injuries you suffer are not always physical ones. For one firefighter seeking workers’ compensation benefits, his injury was post-traumatic stress after a fellow firefighter died battling a blaze. Even though the firefighter did not actually see his colleague die and was not involved in trying to rescue or resuscitate him, the overall facts of the case still indicated that he suffered a “severe emotional shock” and was entitled to benefits, the Illinois Appellate Court has ruled.
The claimant was a man who began working as a firefighter in 1986. In 2010, he was a lieutenant in a small department for the Village of Homewood. The man was in command at a fire in Homewood in March 2010 when a flashover occurred and one of Homewood’s firefighters died in the blaze.
After the incident, the Homewood fire chief told the lieutenant that he could not return to work until he was cleared by a psychiatrist. By May, the lieutenant had seen a doctor, who diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder. The lieutenant returned to work in the fall of 2010.
United Airlines (UAL) employees are talking and social media chat rooms are buzzing about the potential change in workers’ compensation administrators. For about 20 years Gallagher Bassett has been administrating the claims for benefits due to occupational injuries also known as “occupationals”, “OJI” or workers’ compensation injuries. Typically, an administrator provides claims adjustment services that include the investigation and processing of injury claims and payment of weekly workers’ compensation income benefits known as temporary total disability (TTD) and authorization for medical procedures and payment of medical bills. The administrator may also, at times, negotiate settlements after the injured worker has been released from doctor’s care.
There does not appear to have been a formal notice or press release confirming that United Airlines is replacing Gallagher Bassett. There has been speculation that this may occur October 1, 2017 and that the new claims administrator will be Sedgwick Claims Management Services.
Helpful Advice for the Injured Worker
What do I do when I am injured at work?
You know your job and you know what to do when things are running smoothly and when things go wrong. However, when you get injured you may be unsure about what to do and what to say. Here are some helpful hints for figuring out what to do when you get injured at work.
1. Report everything. If you get hurt at work you should report the accident to your superiors as soon as possible. Let them know exactly what happened and when it happened. It is easy when you have a specific injury, “I picked up a box and felt a sharp pain in my low back.” It is harder when the injury is due to the repetitive and forceful activities that you do at work. If you have pain and think it is work related let somebody know about it and see a doctor. You will need to report the claim to your employer as soon as a doctor tells you that your pain may be work related. Reporting every injury does not mean you are going to a doctor or hiring a lawyer every time. You are documenting that something happened. If you get hurt on Thursday but do not report it until the following Monday your employer may question your claim. Report the accident as soon as possible.
Illinois is among states in the running for a manufacturing plant that Japanese automakers Toyota and Mazda want to build in the U.S., with plans to hire as many as 4,000 workers.
The state has provided information to the car companies about potential locations, according to sources. Northern Illinois cities along Interstate 88 are believed to be under consideration, including a site in Rochelle along two expressways.
Click here to read the full article via the Chicago Tribune!
When you live in the land of opportunity and yours passes you by, a life that began with lofty dreams and unlimited potential can result in devastating humiliation.
I know because it happened to me……
Illinois is the home of multiple major auto manufacturing facilities, including Ford in Chicago and Chrysler in Belvidere. Just as with any manufacturing operation, auto assembly facilities come with their own risks of injury and sometimes even death. Earlier this year, a crane inspector employed by an Illinois company died in a fall at Ford’s Dearborn, Mich. facility. Last year, a man died underneath a falling wall at Ford’s facility in Chicago. Whether the fault for an accident lies with contractors, subcontractors, the auto company, or someone else is a matter that varies from case to case. An experienced Illinois injury attorney can help you pinpoint who is responsible in your case and help you get justice.
Just before 9:00 a.m. on Jan. 11, 2017, a crane inspector began traversing a wooden catwalk to approach a crane that he needed to inspect. The catwalk collapsed beneath the inspector, allowing him to fall between 30 and 50 feet to a concrete floor below. The inspector was transported to a nearby hospital, but he later died as a result of his injuries.
According to reports published by CBS Detroit, other employees at the Dearborn plant “told WWJ Newsradio that the man was not wearing a safety strap when” he fell to the floor. While the accident took place in Michigan, the fatally injured worker was employed by a Chicago-area employer that provides maintenance and inspection services for overhead cranes. As recently as the summer of 2015, Michigan’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a release reminding and imploring employers to give workers “100 percent fall protection” if the worker’s job means working at heights higher than six feet.
Safety remains an important issue for teachers, teacher’s assistants and school workers. Numerous injuries occur while teachers and school employees strive to instruct and provide for the safety and well-being of students. Although the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act is a law set up to benefit and provide relief for the injured worker, skilled workers’ compensation attorneys familiar and experienced with school related injuries are frequently needed to ensure the injureds’ rights are protected. Katz, Friedman, one of the few law firms, approved by the Illinois Education Association (IEA) to handle work injures on behalf of its members has successfully represented the injured throughout Illinois including employees of Elgin’s School District U-46, Rockford School District No. 205, St. Charles Community Unit School District No. 303, and many more. We are proud to report two recent trial victories on behalf of injured teaching professionals.
In the first case, the injured, a physical education teacher, suffered an injury while teaching her class. The teacher was demonstrating stretches and exercises to her students when she injured her back. The teacher sought medical treatment immediately and was given work restrictions by her doctor. The school district stated that they could not accommodate her restrictions and would not allow her to return to work. The school district also refused to pay her off work benefits, pay for her continued medical treatment and refused to allow her to come back to work in any capacity until all of her restrictions were removed. The school district based their denial of workers compensation benefits on the notion that “demonstrating exercises to students was not an essential function of a PE teacher’s job duties.” The school district’s refusal to allow the teacher to return to work lasted five months. During this time, the injured teacher did not receive any off work benefits as provided under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. Katz Friedman attorneys fought for the injured teacher at trial before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. The Arbitrator ruled in favor of the teacher and agreed with all of Katz Friedman’s trial arguments. The injured teacher was awarded full off work benefits, payment of all medical bills including repayment of her out-of-pocket medical expenses of over $1,000.00 and a substantial award for the permanent partial disability caused by the back injury.
In the second case, Katz Friedman attorneys received a favorable trial decision where a special education teacher’s assistant sustained a concussion after a student punched her in the head. The trial award was five times greater than the amount offered for settlement by the school district. At trial, the school district attempted to minimize the injured teacher’s assistant’s symptoms claiming they were not related to the concussion injury. The school district’s argument was supported by a doctor they retained for the litigation. Katz Friedman attorneys were successful in convincing the Arbitrator that the medical evidence and treating doctor’s opinions were more credible than the doctor retained by the school district. Although there is still time for the school district to appeal this very recent decision, Katz Friedman attorneys remain confident that the results will be upheld.
Chicago Injury Attorneys Blog