In September 2014, according to the Chicago Tribune, a police officer was seriously injured after her patrol car turned over at the intersection of Ashland Avenue and Montrose Avenue, leaving her pinned in the vehicle. Every workers’ compensation lawyer Chicago is familiar with cases in which law enforcement officers are forced to retire or switch to lighter duty after a catastrophic road accident in Illinois.
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The Quad-City Times reports that drivers on Illinois tollways could soon see an increase in the maximum speed allowed, thanks to Illinois Senate Bill 2015. The new legislation allows toll road officials to raise speed limits to 70 miles per hour on a network of roads in the Chicago area that spans nearly 300 miles. Officials have the authority to post slower speeds if they determine that the new limit is too fast.
Police officers in Illinois face numerous risks every day. Even with modern gear and technology, law enforcement is a dangerous profession. According to FBI statistics, 48 American officers were killed in the line of duty during 2012, and thousands more were seriously injured. Many law enforcement personnel are forced to change or abandon their careers after an injury. Recent work carried out by the RAND Corporation, a national research institute serving the military and law enforcement, shows that the majority of police injuries fall into one of the four following categories:
Illinois workers’ compensation law is designed to help employees who have been injured on the job. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 150,000 people in Illinois are involved in work-related accidents each year. Many of these employees require medical treatment and reimbursement for lost wages while recovering. Even if they are forced to leave their place of employment for reasons unrelated to the injury, Illinois law states that they still have the right to benefits. The recent case of a DuPage County worker terminated for stealing is a particularly vivid illustration of this principle.
When truck accidents occur, it is not always immediately evident who is at fault. If negligence, carelessness, distracted driving or alcohol are involved in the crash, the operator is typically the person who is liable. However, in other cases, the driver may not be responsible at all. There are many instances in Illinois where the trucking company or a third party should share accountability or be held solely liable for the accident.