A Granite City man is suing his neighbors after their dog allegedly attacked him, causing him to suffer injuries. Thomas Van Berkel filed the complaint in the Madison County Circuit Court against Willie Ford and Ashley Ford. According to the complaint, Van Berkel claims his dog was on a lead in his yard in Granite City on March 19. He…
Societal factors such as poverty, housing insecurity and lack of education can significantly affect the outcome of a workers compensation claim, as such factors — known as the “social determinants of health” — are often barriers to recovery. As much as 80% of the outcome of an individual’s health is connected to factors connected to an unhealthy environment, and a…
A machine operator and laborer is suing Illinois Central Railroad Company over injuries he claims were related to his work. Alan Swanstrom filed the complaint in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Illinois Central Railroad Company and CN Transportation Limited, doing business as Canadian National Railway Company. According to the complaint, Swanstrom was employed by Illinois Central Railroad as…
Two new lawsuits were filed against Amazon and several engineering and construction companies after a deadly tornado leveled the Edwardsville distribution center in December 2021. The lawsuits were filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court as three others remain pending in Madison County Circuit Court. On Aug. 22, attorney James Lemonds of Brown & Crouppen PC in St. Louis filed…
A Roselle, Illinois contractor with a long history of federal workplace safety violations who currently owes more than $390,000 in penalties, added an additional $303,105 in proposed fines for once again exposing workers to potential deadly fall hazards at a North Barrington job site. Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed the safety violations…
The number of injured workers using topical medications rose 4.7% in 2021, according to a report released Tuesday by Enlyte Group LLC subsidiary Mitchell International Inc. The latest report follows one in July that showed the number of injured workers using opioids has continued to decline, from 33.3% of all injured workers in 2020 to 30.3% in 2021. The new…
Falls from heights are the No. 1 cause of death for workers, but the hazard remains the most-cited workplace safety violation year after year despite being relatively easy to prevent. Federal regulators and workplace safety advocates say preventing falls is a priority, as several organizations have recently announced efforts aimed at demystifying the root causes. Meanwhile, citations — in many…
A Sparta couple allege they and their farmland were exposed to toxic chemicals when Gateway FS allegedly improperly sprayed herbicide near their farm. Plaintiffs William and Mary Rabe filed a lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against defendants Keith Hamilton, Gateway FS, Inc., Bayer Corporation a/k/a Bayer USA, Monsanto Company and Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, citing negligence and…
An employee is suing Illinois Central Railroad, claiming exposure to diesel fumes caused him to develop cancer. Richard Geese filed the complaint in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Illinois Central Railroad Company, doing business as Canadian National/Illinois Central. “Plaintiff contracted colorectal cancer that metastasized to other parts of his body,” the suit states “Plaintiff has only recently been…
A Granite City man is suing his employer after suffering injuries when his foot was caught between a boat and a barge. Jacob Almeter filed the complaint in the Madison County Circuit Court against SCF Lewis and Clark Fleeting LLC. According to the complaint, Almeter claims he was working for the defendant as a harbor boat crew member on the…
