Chicago Personal Injury Law Blog

A number of the devastating effects of a brain injury have been known for quite some time. However, new information is released all the time regarding head and brain injuries.

Recently, professional sports organizations and athletes in Illinois have been focused on increasing the awareness of the effects of concussions suffered in hard-hitting sports. Many former athletes have brought lawsuits against various organizations for not properly educating athletes on the effects and dangers of a concussion. While many of these cases make their way through the legislative process, medical advancements continue.

When a product is harmful or defective, companies should remove it from the market in order to protect people from getting hurt or sick. In Illinois, when a product is proven to be defective, a product liability case can be brought against the company.

It is similar with dangerous or harmful foods as well. When an unapproved fungicide was recently detected in imported orange juice, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported it will halt, destroy, or ban all defective product imports.

Two doctors have recently been charged with murder in regards to several deaths of unborn babies abortions. One of the charges stems from alleged medical malpractice that occurred in 2010. One woman, who was 21 weeks pregnant, had sought their help to end her pregnancy, but because of one of the doctors' negligence, she suffered a ruptured uterus and an injured bowel on the operating table.

The doctor then brought the injured woman to a nearby hospital to seek medical help after the botched abortion. This led to an investigation of the doctor's abortion practice, which resulted in the criminal charges against him and his partner. Tragically, prosecutors say, the remains of 35 aborted late-term fetuses were discovered in the clinic's freezer, although it is not clear that fact is relevant to the cases.

An interesting aspect of this story is that it is not against the law for doctors to give lawful medical care; nor is it illegal for a woman to terminate her pregnancy. In this case, the unborn baby was at 21 weeks' gestation, and prosecutors are arguing that, but for the actions of the doctor, the unborn baby could have survived outside its mother's womb.

On December 21, 2011, Matt Rundio, partner at Cavanagh Law Group, obtained a $225,000 verdict on behalf of Heather Pflanz against the Chicago Transit Authority.

On April 11, 2008, Ms. Pflanz boarded the "36 Broadway" CTA bus at the intersection of State St. and Maple St., in Chicago, IL. Upon entering the bus and before she was given time to pay her fare, the bus driver violated CTA rules and suddenly accelerated. The abrupt motion caused Ms. Pflanz to fall and severely fracture her right leg. Ms. Pflanz now has a permanent rod in her right leg to stabilize the fracture.

At trial, video evidence of the incident was utilized to depict not only the negligence of the CTA's bus driver but also the slippery conditions of the bus' floor.