A few days after employees at Midwest Warehouse and Distribution System Inc. gathered in its Naperville, Ill., facility breakroom for a luncheon, some workers experienced symptoms consistent with coronavirus exposure. Employees began reporting to the company that they had tested positive for the coronavirus on Oct. 27, 2020. A U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation alleges…
Despite potential obstacles posed by the coronavirus pandemic, injured workers experienced no meaningful delays in access to medical treatment under their employers’ workers’ compensation programs during the pandemic. Research from the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) also shows that states have varied substantially in the percentage of their workers’ compensation claims that have been Covid-19 related. “We found no change…
The Illinois Senate passed a bill Thursday to allow victims in personal injury and wrongful death cases that reach a verdict to collect interest on money they receive from court, with the intent of incentivizing settlements in these cases. Gov. JB Pritzker vetoed an earlier version of the bill that was approved by both chambers in the January lame duck…
A Collinsville Walmart employee’s slip and fall lawsuit against the store was dismissed with prejudice by Madison County Circuit Judge Sarah Smith on April 1. Plaintiff Stephanie Mosley filed suit March 25, 2020, claiming that on her lunch break on Feb. 14, 2020, she slipped on water in a public area of the store and suffered injuries to her left…
Thirty-five percent of workers compensation claims organizations that have implemented new technology during the COVID-19 pandemic say telemedicine is the technology that has had the largest effect on business, according to survey results released by San Diego-based comp technology company Mitchell International, Inc. Of the 100 workers compensation professionals surveyed, 35% said telemedicine and predictive analytics are the technologies that…
From extreme sports competitions to amateur football and twerking, workers compensation investigators have uncovered many instances of workers fabricating injuries and pain. Employers must be committed to helping workers suffering from bona fide work-related injuries, but they also need to take steps to validate questionable injuries and vet social media to uncover fraudsters, said experts at a Wednesday session at…
Federal workplace safety officials have cited an Illinois lighting manufacturer with workplace safety violations and imposed $85,000 in penalties after an employee suffered severe facial burns. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said a master maintenance technician for North American Lighting Inc. suffered severe facial burns when pressurized material in a plastic molding machine exploded at the company’s Paris, Ill.,…
A woman alleges an OBGYN damaged her only functioning ureter during laparoscopic surgery to remove her ovary and fallopian tube. Zaddie Sharkey filed a complaint March 31 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Dr. Debra Carson and Heartland Women’s Healthcare LTD, alleging negligence. Sharkey alleges in her complaint that she sought care from Carson on June 9, 2020,…
A woman who claims she was knocked unconscious and robbed at the Granite City Wal-Mart denies that any fault is attributable to her or that a third party is liable for her damages. Wal-Mart previously argued in its answer to plaintiff Christine Collins’ complaint that if it is found liable, its fault is less than 25 percent of the total…
A barge worker claims he suffered injuries when the barge was struck by another vessel and was not given proper maintenance and cure under general maritime law. Donald Dailey, Jr., filed a complaint April 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Commercial Barge Line Company, Commercial Barge Line Company ACBL Transportation Services LLC, ACBL…
