312-236-6324
Recent Blog Posts
Can I Sue If My Surgeon Left Gauze Inside My Body? | IL
Modern medicine saves many lives that would have been lost only decades ago and many surgeries that traditionally required several days in the hospital are now performed on an outpatient basis. However, today’s surgeons can make mistakes. It is all too common to leave surgical gauze, sponges, and tools inside the patient when the surgery is complete.
Does leaving a foreign object inside your body count as medical malpractice? How can an experienced lawyer from Winters Salzetta O'Brien & Richardson, LLC help?
What Happens When Surgical Gauze Remains in a Patient’s Body?
Some foreign objects, like a pacemaker or stent, are intended to stay inside patients. Surgical gauze, sponges, metal clips, and other tools should all be removed. An estimated 1,500 patients find themselves with retained surgical bodies annually in the U.S. The abdomen and pelvis are the most common surgical sites for these errors, with surgical instruments and sponges being the top foreign objects left behind.
Who May Be Liable for Your Truck Accident in IL?
Large trucks were involved in 6,397 crashes in Illinois in 2023. These collisions led to 3,203 injuries and 172 fatalities. You probably know that you may be entitled to compensation if you are involved in a truck accident, but do you know who is liable for paying you?
In many motor vehicle collisions, the drivers are the responsible parties. However, that is not necessarily the case with truck accidents. Several potentially liable parties can complicate your compensation claim. When you work with a knowledgeable lawyer from Winters Salzetta O'Brien & Richardson, LLC, we can help you overcome this and other challenges.
Avoid These 6 Things To Protect Your Car Accident Claim
If you are injured in a car accident caused by someone else, you may be eligible to receive compensation. Getting the amount you deserve from insurance companies is rarely easy, however. Liable insurers often use various strategies to reduce payouts, but there are also things you might do without realizing that you could be damaging your claim. One of our skilled Chicago, IL personal injury lawyers at Winters Salzetta O'Brien & Richardson, LLC can give you case-specific information and advice during your free case evaluation and help you protect your best interests.
1. Do Not Admit Fault
To receive compensation for your injuries and related losses, you must prove that another party is at fault for causing your collision. If you share responsibility, your degree of fault must be less than 51 percent to collect damages in Illinois, and your settlement amount will be reduced by that same percentage.
How Does a Cancer Misdiagnosis Occur?
Despite advances in cancer research and treatment, many doctors may still fail to notice important symptoms of cancer or misdiagnose cancer in their patients. This can have serious repercussions for the patient, especially when quick treatment of cancer is essential to a patient’s continued health. Many reasons may lead to a cancer misdiagnosis, and it is important to speak with a skilled Illinois cancer misdiagnosis lawyer if you have experienced this and wish to pursue a claim.
Common Causes of Cancer Misdiagnosis
Cancer misdiagnosis occurs when a doctor makes incorrect conclusions about a patient’s symptoms and fails to diagnose cancer. Common causes of cancer misdiagnosis include:
-
Diagnosing a patient with a different disease instead of cancer
-
Failing to diagnose cancer in the early stages due to missing symptoms
My Operation Left Me Disabled - Can I Sue?
Surgical operations are major medical procedures and patients expect their medical team to take the utmost care as they operate. However, surgeons and other medical staff involved in an operation may act negligently, leading to surgical errors and permanent injuries or disabilities to patients. A compassionate Illinois personal injury lawyer can help you explore your legal options if you have been left disabled after an operation.
Surgical Errors Can Result in Permanent Disability
According to a 2020 study published in The BMJ, around one in twenty patients suffers from preventable harm during medical care. When it comes to surgical procedures, this harm can result in life-altering impacts for the patient, as surgical procedures are invasive and come with inherent risks.
Who Is Liable for an Illinois Bicycle Accident?
Bicycle accidents can be life-altering for those involved, as people on bikes have much less protection when a collision with a vehicle occurs. Bicycles and other cars must adhere to local and state road laws in order to minimize accidents, but even when a cyclist is extremely careful, tragic collisions still happen. After an accident occurs, it can be complex to determine which driver is liable.
An experienced Illinois bicycle accident attorney can help you understand your rights and work with you to investigate your case.
Determining Fault After Your Bike Accident
In Illinois, motor vehicles and bicyclists must share the road, with the exception of protected bike lanes. This means that both kinds of vehicles will need to follow specific vehicle codes, with additional regulations for bicyclists outlined in the Illinois vehicle code.
Can I Sue After a Defective Firework Injury?
Firework displays are hard to miss, as these displays are often one of the most enchanting and fun ways to spend a summer evening. However, fireworks are dangerous products, and negligence in handling a firework or dealing with a defective firework can result in serious injuries. Defective fireworks have the potential to injure victims even when care is being taken with the product.
If you have been injured by a firework, you may be able to pursue a claim against the party responsible for your injury. An Illinois defective products lawyer can further answer your questions.
The Serious Impacts of a Fireworks Injury
Firework injuries result in a number of different complications, with burns being the most common. Burns sustained due to a firework injury can be catastrophic, resulting in serious pain, disfigurement, or severe scarring for the victim.
How Does Negligent Apartment Security Cause Injuries?
When you live in an apartment complex, you expect the area to be safe and to be able to spend time inside and outside of your unit without worrying about your personal safety. However, a lack of apartment security caused by negligent or reckless landlords or property owners can encourage crime, which can lead to tenants sustaining serious injuries or even being killed.
If you have been injured at your apartment complex and negligent apartment security is a factor, you should contact an experienced Illinois apartment injuries lawyer to learn more about your legal options.
What Is Negligent Apartment Security?
Under the Illinois Premises Liability Act, property and building owners have a duty to ensure that safety and care standards are met for people who are legally on the property. With apartment complexes, this means that landlords and property owners have a duty to ensure that tenants are safe and aware of any areas of hazard.
How Long Do I Have to File an Illinois Birth Injury Claim?
While pregnancy and giving birth has never been a completely risk-free process, medical professionals must ensure that they provide proper treatment for infants as they are born, in addition to using care during the birthing process. When medical professionals violate their duty of care to a child, this can result in birth injuries, many of which can cause significant health problems in the future.
If you suspect your child has experienced a birth injury, it is vital to speak to an Illinois birth injury attorney to understand your legal options.
How Are Birth Injury Claims Different From Other Claims?
Birth injury claims must be taken seriously, and these claims are slightly different from other types of medical malpractice claims. In many cases, if a child suffers a birth injury, the parents of the child may not be able to determine this right away. As the child grows, symptoms may appear that indicate the presence of a birth injury, and it can be hard to tell the full impact of a birth injury until these symptoms make themselves present and further testing is completed.
What Are the Consequences of an Anesthesia Error?
Anesthesia is commonly administered during surgeries and other medical procedures, and even minor mistakes with the dosage or administration of anesthesia can have severe consequences for patients. While many anesthesiologists and other medical professionals working with anesthesia are careful with how they handle anesthesia, errors do happen, sometimes caused by the direct negligent actions of medical staff.
Patients who have experienced anesthesia errors may deal with a number of different complications and long-term costs. A knowledgeable Illinois medical malpractice lawyer is key to exploring your options if you have suffered from an anesthesia error.
Common Complications of Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia errors are serious, and the complications that result from an anesthesia error can be life-changing for patients. In many cases, these complications are caused by improper monitoring of the patient once he or she is under anesthesia, failure to administer the correct dosage, intubation errors, and equipment malfunctions, or failure to inform the patients of proper pre-surgery procedures.
111 West Washington Street, Suite 1200
Chicago, IL 60602
312-236-6324
312-236-6426
Contact Our Firm
The use of the Internet or this form for communication with the firm or any individual member of the firm does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Confidential or time-sensitive information should not be sent through this form.
I have read and understand the Disclaimer and Privacy Policy.
