St. Louis Injury Lawyer Blog

Winter weather set the stage for a tractor-trailer accident earlier this month in Twin Oaks, Missouri, a West County suburb of St. Louis.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that a patch of ice created hazardous conditions for a truck driver, whose trailer tipped over and damaged a car occupied by two teenagers. Although the crash caused damage to the teens' car, luckily, no one was injured.

If the people in the car weren't so fortunate, however, there could easily have been life-threatening injuries, costing them tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and lost wages or time at school -- not to mention loss of quality of life.

For many in Missouri and Illinois, winter weather plus tractor trailers equals disaster.

The U.S. Department of Transportation published a study of crashes involving large trucks in 2007. Nearly 5% of injuries caused by crashes from 1975 to 2005 were under snowy or icy road conditions, as were almost 4% of fatalities.

Continue reading "West County St. Louis Tractor-Trailer Accident Occurs on Ice-Covered Roads" »

A drunken bar fight in Hardin, Illinois that allegedly caused a customer to become injured has led to a dramshop lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in the Calhoun County, Illinois circuit court by WWF&G attorney Michael P. Glisson, claims that the liquor served by the bar caused one of its patrons to become drunk and disorderly. The patron then assaulted another customer.

In the aftermath of the attack, the plaintiff suffered numerous facial fractures requiring surgery. In addition, the suit claims the incident has caused pain and suffering and expensive medical care. Being unable to work has resulted in lost wages for the plaintiff.

The defendants named include both the attacker and the tavern. The case is set for trial in May of 2011.

According to a fact sheet published by the Illinois Liquor Commission, it is unlawful to sell liquor to an intoxicated person. Disobeying this law can result in fines from $500 to $2,500, as well as a year of jail time and/or liquor license suspension or revocation. This offense is a Class A Misdemeanor.

Continue reading "Hardin, Illinois Bar Faces Trial in Dramshop Lawsuit" »

A 16-year-old from Calhoun County, Illinois who was injured in a go-kart accident has received a confidential settlement in a personal injury case.

The incident occurred at a party supervised by parents who did not require the minors riding go-karts to wear helmets. The go-kart track was not secured and, in fact, there was barbed wire not far away.

The potential for danger became a reality when the brakes went out on the go-kart. The minor drove directly into a barbed wire face, permanently scarring his face and resulting in expensive medical bills.

The personal injury suit, filed by Michael P. Glisson from the law firm of WWF&G, claimed that the accident was caused in part by parental neglect. Had the adult supervisors provided or required helmets, or provided a safer riding area, the injury sustained would have been much less severe.

A settlement was reached after depositions but before the case went to trial.

In a study published in 1998 by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, statistics showed that 65% of those hospitalized for go-kart injuries were children under the age of 15. More than 10,000 people on average were hospitalized each year.

Continue reading "Calhoun County, Illinois Go-Kart Accident Results in Settlement" »

A man riding a bicycle in Belleville, Illinois has filed a bicycle accident lawsuit after being struck by a car.

The lawsuit claims that the bike rider was injured as the car driver pulled out of his driveway. According to a report in the St. Clair County Record, the collision caused serious injuries.

The plaintiff is seeking damages due to the driver's failure to watch carefully for passing pedestrians or bike riders. The lawsuit has been filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court.

According to figures cited by the Illinois Department of Public Health, more than 4 million people in Illinois use bicycles. Unfortunately, more than 4,000 bicyclists are injured each year in the state.

Here are some more national bicycle statistics from NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2005 and bicycleuniverse.info:

• The most common bike-car collision is a driver failing to yield at a stop sign.
• 784 cyclists died in 2005; 725 cyclists died in 2004; 629 cyclists died in 2003.
• More than 80% of fatalities for child bicyclists age 14 and under were caused by unsafe riding.
• Approximately 40% of deaths on bicycles nationwide occur at night.
• Falls account for 59% of crashes, running into a fixed object 14%, impact with moving motor vehicles 11%, impact with another bicycle 9%.
• 1 in every 20 bicyclists is injured annually.

Continue reading "Belleville, Illinois Man Sues For Bicycle Accident" »

The parents of a child born at Memorial Hospital in Belleville, Illinois have filed a birth injury lawsuit claiming that the child is suffering from cerebral palsy due to a doctor's negligent treatment.

According to an article published in the St. Clair Record, the medical malpractice lawsuit claims the infant did not receive enough oxygen to her brain during delivery, which led to brain injury and cerebral palsy.

The disorder causes children to become developmentally disabled and can lead to pain and disfigurement. Medical care for children with cerebral palsy can become quite costly for parents.

A study by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project concluded that 157,700 injuries to mothers and newborns could have been prevented in 2006 alone. A disturbing trend emerged in the study, demonstrating that children born in rural areas were more likely to suffer birth injuries than children born in metropolitan areas.

Continue reading "Parents Allege Child Born at Belleville, Illinois Hospital Suffered from Brain Injury" »

A St. Louis area man who lost four fingers in a chop saw accident work has filed a personal injury and product liability suit against his employer and the product manufacturer.

The man, who had worked as a wood pallet delivery man, was using a chop saw to cut boards used to build wooden pallets. Due to negligent maintenance, the piece that was cut would occasionally become stuck on a roller beneath the blade. This circumstance required the employee to manually flick the wood into a box below.

The incident occurred when he flicked the wood, and the blade came out of its hood, catching his glove, and pulling his hand into the 22 inch blade. According to industry experts which WWF&G attorney Michael P. Glisson consulted for this case, the loss of his finger may have been prevented by providing more training for the employee, not requiring him to wear a glove, not using faulty machinery or fixing the chop blade's setup.

Due to the small number of employees hired by the pallet-making company, the case is not eligible for a workers' compensation claim. Trial is scheduled for summer 2011 in St. Charles County.

According to a study published by the U.S. Library of Medicine, circular saw hand injuries are usually more serious than other hand injuries and often take more time to treat. In addition, those injured by saws are more likely to receive disability pension than people with other hand injuries.

Continue reading "St. Louis Area Man Files Suit Against Employer After Losing Four Fingers" »

A pair of brothers from Marine, Illinois were hurt in an ATV versus pickup truck collision.

The boys, aged 5 and 6, were riding the all terrain vehicle down a road to their grandmother's house when a truck hit them. Fortunately, their injuries did not appear to be catastrophic.

According to an article in the Telegraph, their mother and grandmother witnessed the accident, and the boys were taken to a hospital by ambulance. The driver claimed the boys pulled out of a driveway just as she was approaching, and the grandmother warned them not to drive out into the street.

The news story concluded with a message from the Madison County Sheriffs' Department cautioning parents about child ATV safety and noted that criminal charges were being considered. The article, however, does not present the mother's side of the story or indicate whether the charges would have been negligence on the part of the parents or the driver.

An ATV safety government site reports that 46 ATV-related deaths were reported in the state of Illinois between 2006 and 2009. From 1982 to 2006, 58 children under the age of 16 died in ATV wrecks in Illinois, which averages out to a figure between 2 and 3 children each year.

Continue reading "Marine, Illinois ATV Riders Injured in Pickup Truck Collision" »

A former football player for the St. Louis Rams and current offensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints, reached a settlement with his health insurance company.

On Feb. 11, 2009, the plaintiff underwent surgery for a hernia that had been bothering him. He had become injured preparing for the National Football League combine. The annual NFL event tests potential athletes on their skills before league scouts and team management.

Despite paying for health insurance, the insurance provider refused to pay for the $40,000 in medical bills as a result of curing the hernia. They claimed that the surgery was an experimental procedure. The plaintiff disagreed and said the surgery was necessary and put his career back on track.

With the help of attorney Michael P. Glisson of the law firm of WWF&G in Alton, Illinois, the plaintiff was able to settle the insurance dispute and have his medical bills paid.

Continue reading "NFL Player Wins Medical Insurance Settlement" »