Despite restrictions put into place by airlines, travelers are regularly hurt and injured by falling overhead compartment luggage. Size limits for carry-on luggage are meant to prohibit passengers from bringing on bags that won’t fit in the overhead bins, but size limits don’t stop the overhead compartments themselves from becoming unlatched during a flight or upon the plane’s landing. Additionally, it’s common for overhead compartments to become unbalanced when multiple heavy bags shift around in the compartment during flight. Both instances may result in injury despite airline restrictions.

Minor injuries are one thing, but who is liable when someone is seriously injured due to falling luggage? What about in cases where the luggage falls on another passenger when someone is stowing their bags? Determining liability can be complex in these situations.

If you were involved in a truck accident and are planning on pursuing legal action to seek compensation for your losses, one important consideration is the type of trucking accident you were in. Determining the type of crash that happened is crucial to the presentation of your case.  Most types of crashes are categorized by the angles at which the two vehicles first collided.

Jackknife truck accidents, which happen when the trailer of a truck swings out past the cab, are a type of common tractor-trailer accident. The name comes from the fact that when the trailer swings over, this leaves the truck in a jackknife or “V” shape since the two parts are still connected. These types of accidents are incredibly dangerous and have the potential to result in serious or even fatal injuries. There are a number of reasons as to why jackknifes are so dangerous, which is what we’ll take a look at below.

Zantac, a popular medication used to treat heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and other conditions that affect stomach acid is being taken off shelves. This brand name is for ranitidine drugs, which contain a nitrosamine impurity called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). NDMA is a probable human carcinogen and has been linked to cancer.

There are plenty of hazards that appear on the road while you are driving. Whether it’s an animal crossing accident, a flat tire, or your car breaking down, at some point you might have to pull over onto the shoulder, turn your four-ways on, and wait for help.

While you’re stopped on the side of the road in a situation like this, another motorist could cause an even worse situation if they drive too closely to you, are distracted, or if they’re impaired. This isn’t a unique and dangerous situation for regular motorists. When emergency vehicles or police officers are on the shoulder trying to do their jobs, they are also in danger.

While it’s common for most drivers to think that slowing down and moving over for cars, trucks, and emergency vehicles that are stopped on the shoulder is simply a courteous thing to do, you might be surprised to know that by law, you are actually required to do this in the state of Illinois.

When you’re in a rush to get to your destination, whether you’re in a car or walking, you might be less likely to pay attention to railroad crossings, and just speed right through them. But these aren’t areas to be taken lightly because one misstep could be deadly.

As the owner of a vehicle, you know the importance of auto insurance. In the event your vehicle is damaged or you sustain injuries in an accident, your coverage or the at-fault driver’s coverage often determines whether you receive adequate compensation to recover physically, emotionally, and financially. But what happens if the at-fault-driver’s policy limits are exceeded and there isn’t enough coverage? In some cases, this could result in further legal action or debt; however, it doesn’t have to. Umbrella policies (and uninsured/underinsured umbrella policies) can provide a safety net in coverage. Let’s take a look at the benefits of an umbrella auto policy in Illinois.

Many children rely on the school bus to get to and from school. Illinois has enacted school bus safety laws to protect those children. When negligent drivers break the law regarding school buses, they may cause an accident and cause serious injuries to children. If you or a loved one has been harmed in an accident, the Chicago injury attorneys at Krzak Rundio Law Group are here to hold irresponsible drivers accountable.

Before learning more about how we can help you, let’s take a look at the school bus laws in Illinois and the unique situations Chicago drivers should be aware of when they encounter a school bus on the road.

With over 280 miles of bike lanes, marked-shared lanes, and signed bike routes installed throughout Chicago, motorists should be aware of the best practices for sharing the road with bicycles. Reducing accident rates and improving road safety involves understanding the bike lane laws and knowing how to prevent and avoid collisions in everyday situations.

When you drive on the highway, you will likely encounter tractor-trailers transporting goods. Since large trucks are usually weighed down by the load they’re carrying, they might not be able to move as quickly as you would like them to.  Unfortunately, there are times when individuals start to pass the truck, the truck switches lanes directly into their car and a collision occurs. This happens more than you would think, and you may ask yourself, what went wrong?

Your car might have been in a “No Zone” and you didn’t even realize it, so the truck crashed into you. No Zones are the four main blind spots for large trucks:  (1) directly in front of the cab; (2)  directly behind the trailer; (3) a small patch just to the left of the trailer; and (4) most of the area to the right of the rig. These danger zones are the places where accidents are more likely to happen because commercial truck drivers cannot see passenger vehicles in these areas surrounding their rigs.

According to data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 82% of fatal crashes involving commercial trucks are multiple vehicle accidents with passenger vehicles. In many of these crashes, the passenger vehicles were most likely unseen by the truck until it was too late. If you need to pass a large truck on the road, you need to know the safest way to do that.

After an accident, you might expect the other party’s insurance company to work with you to make sure things go as smoothly as possible and pay you the full compensation you deserve for your injuries and damages you sustained as a result of someone else’s negligence. Unfortunately, that does not often happen.

In general, insurance companies don’t want to settle you claim easily or provide you with the full amount you may be entitled to. Before they will compensate you for your injuries, they will ask that you get them hard proof of your medical bills, proof of wage-loss and proof of permanence of your injuries. There are instances where an insurer may feel they can lower the amount of compensation they will offer you because you are not represented. 

In other instances, they will see that there could be significant exposure and try to get you to settle your claim short of what the true outcome should be when you are not represented. They may also try to frustrate you in the hope that you will either drop the case or accept the lower amount they’re offering. No matter which tactic you are experiencing, you may benefit by having an accident lawyer to represent you.