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Etzler Lawhead Legal Group, PC

Former Norfolk Southern employee claims truck brakes caught fire, causing tire to explode

By Personal Injury No Comments

A former Norfolk Southern Railway employee alleges he suffered injuries when the brakes on a company truck caught fire. Frank Krager filed a complaint on April 20 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Norfolk Southern Railway Company, alleging negligence. According to his complaint, Krager was working for Norfolk Southern near Troy on Feb. 17, 2021. He alleges he was…

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Tenant alleges injuries when apartment balcony collapsed

By Personal Injury No Comments

A tenant claims he was injured when his apartment balcony collapsed because it was not properly attached to the building. Brandon Sargent filed a complaint April 18 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Rigoni Properties LLC, alleging premises liability and negligence. According to the complaint, Sargent was standing on the second rear exterior balcony at the defendant’s apartment complex…

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Angry trial judge calls for changes to civil litigation system: Insurance companies faulted for pursuing frivolous claims

By Personal Injury No Comments

By the third paragraph of the April order granting summary judgment to the defendants, Carroll Circuit Judge Benjamin Diener showed his frustration by declaring, “The civil litigation process in Indiana is broken.” The ruling was issued in a personal injury case brought by Penny Chappey and her husband Gregory Chappey after she fell off the flatbed of a tow truck….

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Severity, cost of comp claims on the rise

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

The workers compensation sector remains a relatively stable and profitable segment of the commercial insurance industry, but some claims are getting pricier and concerns over severity are rising. While a years-long focus on workplace safety and legislative changes has reined in workers comp costs, and the frequency of claims continues to decline, experts say a confluence of factors is driving…

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Driver alleges tire, rim from truck struck his vehicle, causing spinal injuries

By Personal Injury No Comments

A motorist claims he suffered disabling spinal cord injuries when an inflated rim and tire from a tanker trailer struck his vehicle on Interstate 55. Carlettas McBride filed a complaint on April 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Quality Carriers Inc., Michael V. Moore and Triple JP Enterprise. McBride alleges in the complaint…

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Civil engineer denies liability in Amazon building collapse, alleges delivery driver ‘voluntarily assumed’ risk by working in ‘unsafe conditions’

By Personal Injury No Comments

Civil engineering and land surveying firm Stock & Associates argues that it provided services for the lot upon which an Edwardsville Amazon facility was built and should not be held liable for the building’s collapse during a deadly EF-3 tornado in December. On April 22, attorney Mitchel Torrence of Clausen Miller PC in Chicago filed an answer on behalf of…

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New employees account for more than a third of workplace injuries

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Thirty-five percent of workplace injuries occur during a worker’s first year on the job, regardless of age or experience, according to a report released Monday by Travelers Cos. Inc. The Hartford, Connecticut-based insurer analyzed more than 1.5 million workers compensation claims over a five-year period (2015-2019). Some of the most common causes of injuries in the first year included overexertion,…

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Prescriptions for opioid disorder meds on rise in comp

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Prescriptions for opioid use disorder medications are on the rise in workers compensation, a trend worth watching, experts say, as most of the drugs being prescribed — buprenorphines — are still considered opioids in some cases. Enlyte Group LLC said in its most recent drug trends report that prescriptions for drugs to manage opioid use disorder saw a 7.4% increase…

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IL Supreme Court rules employers can be liable for accidents, even if their employees aren’t negligent

By Personal Injury No Comments

The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled a jury was right to hold a Chicago company directly liable for a traffic collision, because the company told one of its drivers to haul an unsafely loaded truck despite the driver’s concerns, finding an employer can be held liable both for the acts of their employees and for their own acts. The April…

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Google to pay $100M to end biometrics class action over Photos face scans; Class members could get $200-$400

By Personal Injury No Comments

People in Illinois whose face appeared in a photo on Google’s Photos app could be in line for as much as $400 each, under a new $100 million settlement given an early nod in Cook County court. The settlement would end one of the longest running class action lawsuits under Illinois’ strict biometrics privacy law, and would rank as one…

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