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Etzler Lawhead Legal Group, PC

Madison County jurors award motorist $77K in suit over Godfrey collision

By Personal Injury No Comments

Madison County jurors awarded motorist Kyle Plummer $77,800 during a re-trial for a lawsuit involving a Godfrey collision. The re-trial began April 17 in Circuit Judge Sarah Smith’s courtroom. Jurors reached their verdict on April 19, awarding Plummer $20,000 for medical expenses, $52,800 for lost earnings and $5,000 for pain and suffering. Jurors previously awarded plaintiff Kyle Plummer $20,000 following…

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Man alleges metal rod was hidden in foam pit at trampoline park

By Personal Injury No Comments

A man is suing the Altitude Trampoline Park in Glen Carbon after he allegedly injured himself by jumping onto a metal rod that was hidden in the foam pit. Plaintiff Stephen Schranck filed the lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against Aim High Glen Carbon, LLC, and Vertical, LLC doing business as Altitude Trampoline Park, citing negligence. According to…

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Illinois comp medical utilization dropped in 2020: Study

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

The utilization of nonhospital and hospital outpatient services in the Illinois workers compensation system decreased in 2020, the drop attributed to medical facility closures and service limitations during the beginning of the pandemic, according to a new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute. Tuesday’s study said the percentage of workers comp claims with major surgery decreased mostly in the…

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Hundreds of Zantac suits filed in Illinois courts after Florida judge rejects ‘situational science’

By Personal Injury No Comments

Suits connecting Zantac indigestion medicine to cancer failed in nationwide litigation at federal court in Florida, so 583 refugee plaintiffs started over by filing suits in three Illinois counties. Their claims survived summary judgment in Florida because they had registered as potential plaintiffs rather than suing and paying fees. Most of the Illinois plaintiffs reside in other states and those…

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Suit alleges Anderson Hospital physician damaged patient’s nerves during knee surgery

By Personal Injury No Comments

A patient at Anderson Hospital claims she was injured when an orthopedic surgeon damaged nerves during a knee replacement surgery. Plaintiff Donna Clubb filed the lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against Anderson Hospital and orthopedic surgeon Paulo Bicalho, citing negligence and medical malpractice. According to the lawsuit, Clubb underwent surgery for a total knee replacement at Anderson Hospital…

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COA affirms summary judgment, rules for landlord in dog bite case

By Personal Injury No Comments

A landlord whose tenant’s pit bulls bit a mail carrier isn’t liable for damages, the Court of Appeals of Indiana ruled in affirming a trial court’s summary judgment ruling. Tiffance Fields, a Hammond United States Postal Service mail carrier, had filed a complaint for damages in Lake Superior Court after being attacked by two pit bulls on June 1, 2019….

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COVID claims slow to a trickle as pandemic emergency ends

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

An end to the pandemic national emergency does not mean an end to COVID-19 workers compensation claims, but claim activity has decreased dramatically, experts say. On April 10, President Joe Biden signed a resolution ending the national emergency related to the pandemic, which ended some temporary federal programming and waivers but left intact the public health emergency over the virus….

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Report finds slight increases in comp drug costs

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

A reversal of a years-long trend that saw dips in drug use among injured workers, prescriptions in workers compensation inched up in 2022 with drug utilization per claim increasing 2.6%, costs per claim increasing 3.7%, and costs per prescription rising 1.1%, according to a report released Wednesday by Enlyte Group LLC. Enlyte, which provides comp services, also found the top…

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Coles County jurors award $40 million to disabled teen in birth injury case

By Personal Injury No Comments

A Coles County jury awarded Kiera Campbell, 19, and her parents, Todd and Jaime Campbell, $40 million as compensation for the severely disabling injuries she suffered as a result of delayed delivery during childbirth. Jurors reached the verdict after deliberating for just three hours following a three-week trial. They found that defendants Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon and…

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Comp medical payments decline, indemnity benefits grow

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Workers compensation medical payments per claim in numerous states decreased through 2020 and 2021, while indemnity benefits grew during that same time, reflecting economic changes during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to comp industry research released Tuesday. A package of studies released Tuesday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute compared medical payments, indemnity benefits and benefit…

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