Posted on August 27, 2015 in Family Law

With the widespread return of disease epidemics spawned by parents not vaccinating their children, the topic of religious exemptions in the medical field has legislators in hot debate. Fundamental rights of freedom of expression are always hot button issues, but what if a fundamental right is harming not only your child, but others as well? Where is the line drawn? And if it harms only your child, is it considered abuse?

Religious Exemptions in Medical Situations

Religious exemptions can be applied to other medical situations other than vaccinations. In many of these religious sects, there are specific tenets that oppose specific medical procedures. For example, Scientologists oppose treatment for some neurological disorders like depression, autism, and ADHD, but are accepting of treatment for physical ailments. Jehovah’s witnesses are opposed to blood transfusions, which seriously limits the possibility for surgery.

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 Posted on August 27, 2015 in Family Law

At the dissolution of a marriage, though the marriage has been broken up, there are still many details that must be resolved. Everything from dividing up the assets to child custody arrangements must be dealt with before each spouse can go on to live separate lives. Each parent, as a result of their relationship with the child from the marriage, has a duty to support the child in aspects of the child’s life such as food, clothing, a home, education, and the provision of the mental, emotional, and physical needs of the child. This is what child support is geared toward, whereby the custodial parent is provided with the financial resources to raise the child. The idea is that but for the divorce, the child would have received the support from both parents as a result of the marriage.

State Mechanisms to Capture Child Support

All states have some mechanism by which they may be able to get the child support payments of the non-paying parent. If a parent is not paying his/her child support, usually the state may intervene on behalf of the child and the custodial parent to ensure that there is some way by which the non-paying parent will provide financial support for the child. Sometimes this may be through garnishment of wages, whereby the state orders the parent’s employer to take out of the salary the necessary amount to be paid to the child.

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 Posted on August 27, 2015 in Family Law

Being arrested and charged for a crime can have a significant impact on a person’s life, especially when the conviction comes with a long-term prison sentence. It is not only the person, however, who finds themselves the most affected. With the prison population growing in the United States, and roughly 2.2 million prisoners in the U.S. (excluding those who are on probation or parole), the number of people affected by an extended prison sentence includes the prisoner and his or her family, especially when children are involved.

Incarcerated Parents Can Still Maintain Their Parental Rights

When a parent has been arrested and convicted of a crime, depending on the circumstances, a parent may lose parental rights to his/her children. This, however, is not a guaranteed termination. Parents who have been incarcerated may still be permitted to have parental rights and a relationship with their children as long as that relationship does not harm or cause damage to the child’s physical, mental, and/or emotional well-being.

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 Posted on August 27, 2015 in Personal Injury

Kenneth Collins, 43, was killed when a car jumped the curb and struck him outside Roseland Community Hospital, according to the chtribune. According to the Tribune, Collins "worked to give hope and counseling to troubled teens" at the hospital, where he had been hired about a month ago as a mental health counselor. "He had previously worked in Division One at Cook County Jail as a Cook County Sheriff’s officer for about eight years," the deceased’s mother told the Tribune.

The driver who lost control of his car was not reported to have been drinking. He remained at the scene, and "told police that he lost control and veered over the center." There was nothing premeditated, no foul play involved with the accident. The deceased’s mother told the Tribune"it was just an accident. A tragic accident."

While Collins’ death was, of course, a bleak exception, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration Center for Statistics and Analysis, "since 1997, pedestrian fatalities have declined by 10 percent." This drop was the largest decrease in motor vehicle deaths among any category in that report. Pedestrian fatalities make up about 10–11 percent of the total number of fatalities killed in crashes.

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 Posted on August 27, 2015 in Personal Injury

In the morning of August 12^th there were three car accidents on the Bishop Ford highway within 10 minutes. The first accident occurred on the northbound side of the Bishop Ford near 120^thstreet around 3:20 am. Two vehicles hit each other and rolled over leaving three injured. Two were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in serious to critical condition after one person was ejected from their vehicle, while the third person went to an unknown hospital.

On the opposite side of the highway, people had slowed down to satisfy their curiosity about the accident which caused a three-car crash. Two people suffered minor injuries from this accident and were taken to the John H. Stroger, Jr Hospital of Cook County.

Around the same time that traffic was building in northbound lanes, a separate car was being pursued onto the highway by a police officer. The chase was initiated by the officer from Burnham when he saw a car speeding and almost hitting pedestrians in the parking lot of Will’s Sports Bar. The suspect hit a few cars, injuring no one, before being apprehended after exiting the highway.

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 Posted on August 27, 2015 in Personal Injury

The state of Illinois started a new initiative on July 13^thwhich aims to take unsafe motorcyclists off of the roads. The scheme is termed “operation rogue rider” because it targets motorcyclists who dart between traffic, race over 100 mph, and speed on shoulders. Patrols will be set between Devon and Old Orchard Rd on the Edens Expressway. These roving watches might soon be expanded to the Dan Ryan Expressway and Interstate 57.

Authorities are claiming that they receive nightly calls about dangerous motorcyclists. Between Skokie and Lincolnwood, hundreds of complaints have been received from local residents. It’s not only other drivers that are noticing the dangers of motorcyclists. So far this year, the Chicago region has experienced 13 fatalities and 7 injuries in motorcycle crashes. That amounts to an 85% increase in fatalities and a 75% increase in injuries compared to the same period of time last year.

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 Posted on August 27, 2015 in Personal Injury

The Washington Post released a tragic story about a double-decker bus crashing into a bridge support pillar in Illinois. The packed Megabus blew a tire and slammed into an interstate bridge pillar, causing people to fly out of their seats, and leading to at least one person dying and over two dozen injuring themselves.

Doug Francis, an Illinois State Police trooper, confirmed that one person had died in the crash. The bus had been traveling between Chicago and Kansas City when the accident happened. He could not give any other details about the death incident.

At least four people were taken to a trauma center by helicopter, and hospitals treated more than 20 other patients from the bus crash. The bus was left smashed up against the pillar, and rescue crews climbed ladders to help those who were trapped inside. As car accident victims, they have rights to compensation. A car accident lawyer in the Chicago area can be instrumental in obtaining the compensation one deserves.

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 Posted on August 27, 2015 in Personal Injury

Bicycling, both as a means of transportation and for pleasure, has become increasingly more common in the Chicago metro area, especially during the warm summer months. Unfortunately, notoriously busy Chicago traffic and bicyclists do not always make for a good combination.

The chtribune is reporting that on August 26, 2012, a vehicle struck a bicyclist in the 600 block of East Marquette Road, which is located in the West Woodlawn neighborhood, at approximately 11:15 a.m. The bicyclist sustained serious injuries in the crash, and was transported to a local hospital by ambulance.

While the specific details of this accident are not yet available, a number of circumstances could have led to this type of accident. Many times, drivers are not as aware as they should be of their surroundings, and particularly of bicyclists and pedestrians. Drivers may become easily distracted by telephone calls, text messages, or other behaviors that are generally inappropriate while driving. When drivers do not drive safely, and, as a result, fail to take proper notice of nearby bicyclists, they may misjudge distances, underestimate movements, and ultimately cause collisions that can be life-threatening to all parties involved.

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 Posted on August 27, 2015 in Personal Injury

The dangers of engaging in texting and driving as a form of distracted driving are pretty well known at this point, and so are the dangerous consequences that result at times in such scenarios. Not only is the act of texting and driving illegal in the vast majority of states across the country, but if a driver who is texting gets into a car accident as the result of his or her negligence and causes injury, he or she can also face serious civil penalties in the event a lawsuit is filed.

According to a recently published news article, police are coming up with new ways of detecting whether drivers are texting, which may also be helpful to other drivers on the road who may be able to take advantage of the same tactics in order to avoid a crash.

How the Police Know You Are Texting

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 Posted on August 27, 2015 in Personal Injury

While there have been a recent number of media reports regarding the perceived increased traffic safety and decreased fatalities associated with car accidents in different scenarios involving teen drivers, bike riders, or pedestrians, crashes still happen. It is the opinion of many experts that safety efforts, when it comes to driving and obeying traffic laws, should continue until the number of avoidable accidents reaches zero. Whether or not that is a realistic goal, it is certainly a noble one and an effort that many can support since virtually every member of the public can potentially benefit from increased road safety.

Local Efforts

Communities around the Chicago area seem to consistently look at traffic issues in an effort to decrease dangerous conditions on roadways. According to a recently published news article, the local community of Naperville is planning to increase road safety efforts over the course of the next year. The community is able to do so thanks to a received grant aimed at conducting roadside safety checkpoints every week for the next 12 months. Currently, law enforcement in Naperville reports that it plans on conducting at least one roadside safety check per month.

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