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Immigration reform is one of the hottest topics around the country. Amid concerns from employers, unions, and the employees themselves, many proposals are being floated that could potentially strip rights and benefits away from the 25.7 million foreign-born laborers the Department of Labor estimates are working within the United States. This figure represents roughly 16.5% of the total labor force and many of these laborers work in service and manufacturing sectors of the economy. As such, they are exposed to a greater degree of occupational risk than the rest of the workforce.

When a person believes they have been injured due to a defective product, they have a lot of hurdles to jump before collecting damages. In most cases, they must help their Illinois personal injury lawyers prove some or all of the following elements of their case:

Chicago workers compensation lawyer Donald W. Fohrman says the recent budget discussions have been targeting workers compensation laws in ways that could reduce benefits for injured workers. He believes injured workers deserve fair compensation for their injuries, and is concerned that the budget fight in Illinois will result in further erosion of worker protections and rights.

A multiple vehicle collision on January 18 injured two and killed one on the Northwest Side of Chicago. Alcohol was thought to be contributing factor to the accident, highlighting yet again the prevalence of DUI incidents on the roads of Illinois.

According to the Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, there were approximately 87,600 crashes in work zones in 2010. These crashes not only injured numerous drivers and passengers, but caused serious or fatal injuries to road crew workers as well. In fact, more than 75 percent of all road crew worker deaths were due to workers being run over or hit by some type of vehicle. More recent data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reveals that during the years between 2003 and 2013, an alarming 69 percent of road worker fatalities were caused by a pedestrian worker being struck by a vehicle.