Injured workers with low back pain whose injuries are covered by workers compensation insurers and employers reported the lowest improvements in function following physical therapy than patients covered by all other payment systems, according to study released Tuesday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The data used in the study was collected at admission and discharge from low back pain…
A bill that would limit awards for subsequent workplace injuries to the “same part of the spine” was introduced in the Illinois General Assembly on Tuesday. H.B. 2345 would amend the Workers’ Compensation Act, stating that “for purposes of computing compensation for an employee who had a prior compensated injury to the spine, the prior compensation shall be deducted from…
A suburban Chicago man whose legs were amputated in 2017 after a car lurched forward into a parking space, pinning him against the front of a 7-Eleven store, reached a $91 million settlement on Monday with the convenience store chain. A Cook County judge approved the settlement on the day the man’s lawsuit had been set for a jury trial,…
An Illinois grain cooperatives’ failure to make sure they followed required safety procedures contributed to how a 27-year-old worker suffered a partial amputation of his right leg when a paddle conveyor was left running when he and two other employees entered a soybean bin for cleaning. Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration responded to…
Residents living near a Phillips 66 refinery in Roxana claim that they were exposed to toxic chemicals as a result of the company’s negligence. Plaintiffs Brittney Butler, David Williams and Tim Thomas filed a lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against Philipps 66 Company, Veolia Energy North America Holdings, Inc., The Lemm Corporation Operations and Norfolk Southern Railway Company,…
A railway employee responsible for refueling locomotives claims he was injured when his truck was struck by a train. Plaintiff Virgil Mathias filed a lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against The Alton & Southern Railway Company and The Union Pacific Railroad Company, citing negligence and carelessness. According to the lawsuit, Mathias was an employee of the defendants,…
Illinois lawmakers are considering an emergency temporary regulation that would limit how cumulative trauma workers compensation claims would affect insurance rates and includes language that holds previous employers liable. Introduced Friday, S.B. 1305 states that “(a)ny accidental injury, which results from repetitive or cumulative trauma and occurs within six months after the employee begins his or her employment shall not…
In January, the Workers Compensation Research Institute reported that comp claims with long COVID had higher-than-average medical payments and indemnity payments and longer durations of temporary disability than regular COVID-19 claims. “In particular, we found a nearly 10-fold difference in the average medical payment per claim,” WCRI researcher Bogdan Savych wrote in the report, which analyzed infections between March 2…
A St. Clair County jury returned a defense verdict in favor of Taco Bell in a suit alleging a woman was injured when she slipped and fell on compacted snow and ice outside the O’Fallon restaurant. Jurors reached their verdict on Jan. 24 following a trial in Circuit Judge Heinz Rudolf’s courtroom. Taco Bell was represented by Nicole Winters of…
Hartmann Turf and Tractor is being sued after a customer allegedly suffered severe hand injuries after a brushcutter attachment malfunctioned. Plaintiff Kris Rowe filed a lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against defendants Hartmann Farm Supply of Millstadt, Inc. doing business as Hartmann Turf and Tractor and Echo, Inc., citing negligence. According to the lawsuit, on Aug. 24,…
