Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer - Miscellaneous

Giving Back - Nintendo Wii Finds a Home at Helping Hand Rehabilitation Center

Jamie G. Goldstein — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:53:14 GMT

Today I was fortunate enough to be able to take the time to give back to the community. I spend most of my time in my office trying to help my clients that have been hurt and are trying to recover through use of the legal system. While this is what I do most days, many of my clients' recoveries occur outside of the courtroom and in facilities like Helping Hand.

Helping Hand Rehabilitation Center is located in Countryside, Illinois and is a facility focusing on children and adults with special needs. Many of the clients at Helping Hand have life long disabilities while others have disabilities that have developed later in life. Whether it is a new obstacle or one that has been with a client for years, the staff at Helping Hand work tirelessly to make certain each client receives the attention and care necessary. This is achieved through vocation programs, physical therapy, education, occupational therapy, art therapy, music therapy as well as many other opportunities. The facility gives many people young and old opportunities that may not otherwise be readily available in the community. The commitment Helping Hand has to assisting people is truly admirable.

I arrived this morning at Helping Hand to donate a Nintendo Wii with Wii Fit Board for use at Helping Hand. The hope is that the Wii will be integrated into one of the many programs at Helping Hand to give the clients a new opportunity to achieve success. Recently, there has been a push to use the Wii as an alternative to physical therapy as well as other types of therapy. It gives people a new twist on conventional therapy and often helps to motivate people who are faced with difficult and painful therapy.

Our firm hopes that this donation will help the clients at Helping Hand and make their experience more enjoyable. It was truly a pleasure to spend the morning at Helping Hand, and I look forward to spending time with the clients and staff at the center in the future.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie G. Goldstein

Investigation Continues at Burr Oak Cemetery, May Re-Open Soon

Jamie G. Goldstein — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:06:38 GMT

As the investigation into the mishandling of buried loved ones at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois continues, the court recently appointed Roman Szabelski to oversee the cemetery. Szabelski, who was appointed approximately one week ago, hopes to have the cemetery reopen by August 1, 2009, but realizes that the documents at Burr Oak identifying the gravesites of the deceased are in complete disarray. Even when the cemetery does reopen, it will likely take some time to determine who is buried where.

The disturbing news regarding the desecration of remains at the Burr Oak Cemetery initially broke approximately three weeks ago. Since that time, many families have been to the cemetery but have been unsuccessful in finding out any information on the condition of their loved ones burial sites and remains. It is believed that at least 300 gravesites were disturbed, many of them in the Babyland area of the cemetery, which is where children are often buried.

Criminal charges have been brought against the cemetery workers who are allegedly responsible for the destruction of the gravesites, but that is not all that is being done. The owners and operators of the cemetery will soon also have to answer questions as civil lawsuits are beginning to be filed on behalf of family members who believe their loved ones' graves were disturbed. If you have a loved one buried at Burr Oak Cemetery and you believe the gravesite may have been disturbed, contact an attorney. You may have a right to recover money damages for the descration of your loved one's remains.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie G. Goldstein

Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal Prompts Lawmakers to Act

Jamie G. Goldstein — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:26:38 GMT

As the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal grows bigger, lawmakers are moving to enact tougher regulations to ensure buried family members bodies are properly taken care of and respected. The Illinois Senate is expected to vote today on regulations related to record keeping at cemeteries and imposing tougher criminal penalties for people who disrupt the resting places of those who have passed.

It has been approximately one week since the story first broke about the total disregard for the remains of people buried at Burr Oak Cemetery. Workers at the cemetery were digging up remains and moving them to a mass grave so they could resell the burial plot and keep the money for themselves. It is estimated the workers made over $300,000 on this gruesome scam.

Initial estimates stated about 300 bodies were dumped in the mass grave, but with a cemetery of over 100,000 people buried, that number is likely to grow. This is the last thing that family members should have to worry about when making arrangements for burial of their loved ones. It is truly a disgrace that people would have such disregard for a person's final resting place. If you believe your family member's remains may have been moved from the original burial site at Burr Oak Cemetery, you have the right to take legal action against the cemetery. Contact an attorney for more information.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie G. Goldstein

Missing Loved Ones at Burr Oak Cemetery

Jamie G. Goldstein — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:28:07 GMT

The Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois is being investigated after news broke last week that cemetery workers were removing bodies previously buried at the cemetery and reselling the plots. Since the announcement many people have gone to the cemetery only to find their loved ones headstones in the wrong place or completely removed. It is believed a mass grave was created where hundreds of dug up bodies were reburied so plots could be resold for new burials. The reselling of plots brought in approximately $300,000 to the cemetery.

At this time family members of loved ones buried at the cemetery are not allowed into the cemetery but may go to the cemetery to give authorities information about their loved ones plots and burials. Authorities are currently trying to identify over 100,000 graves.

If your loved one was buried at the Burr Oak Cemetery and you believe the plot may have been disturbed, you have a right to recover against the cemetery. Contact an attorney immediately to learn what your rights are.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie G. Goldstein

State Farm Sued After Producing Fraudulent Medical Reports

Jamie G. Goldstein — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:31:35 GMT

State Farm has long been reluctant to pay injured victims insurance money they rightfully deserve. As noted in previous blog posts, they prefer to use the delay, deny, defend tactic. While implementing this delay, deny, defend policy, State Farm also calls on what defendants like to call "Independent Medical Examiners" to examine a plaintiff to determine if he or she is injured.

These exams are far from "independent". The defense attorney chooses who is going to examine the plaintiff. It is not an independent person chosen by agreement between the parties. Often the doctor examinig the plaintiff has been hired on numerous occasions in the past by State Farm.

A lawsuit that was recently filed in New York states the reports generated by these so called "independent medical examiners" were fraudulent in nature. There are documents and testimony that are believed to show the doctors hired by State Farm were told to leave out certain opinions that would favor the injured person. The claims of the injured person would then be denied by State Farm as not medically necessary.

If this is true, there could be many more problems to come for State Farm. These independent medical examiners are also used during trials and there opinions impact the jury's final decision as to fault and compensation. If the reports are not accurate, many victims may be wrongfully denied compensation.

Only time will tell what the outcome will be, but injured victims have the right to be compensated fully for their injuries. If you or someone you know has been injured at the hands of another, contact an attorney to learn what your legal rights are.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie G. Goldstein

Chicago Cop Being Investigated for Tasering an 82-Year Old Woman

Jenny Albano — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:46:58 GMT

Chicago's Police Department is investigating a cop's use of a taser gun on an 82-year old woman, who police say was swinging a hammer at them when they arrived.

Officials with the city's Department on Aging went to her home Oct. 29 to make a welfare check, and called police when they saw Fletcher in a window swinging a hammer back and forth, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said Tuesday.

Police officers went to the home to try and calm Lillian Fletcher down and one of the officers used their Taser gun. The department is now investigating whether the officer violated policy regarding the use of the Taser.

Fletcher was rushed to the hospital after being stunned, but was eventually released. Fletcher stated that the officers pushed their way into her home and just shocked her, but her granddaughter told authorities that Fletcher suffers from schizophrenia and dementia.

Taser guns use compressed nitrogen to shoot two barbed darts that can penetrate clothing to give a 50,000-volt shock to immobilize people.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Safety on Halloween Night

Jamie G. Goldstein — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:43:05 GMT

Halloween is an exciting time for people of all ages. Children and adults enjoying dressing up in costumes and being part of the Halloween spirit. While celebrating is fun, children and adults should take precautions to make certain that they are safe on Halloween night.

Be attentive to whether or not costumes are flame resistant. If you are not careful, you may be wearing a costume that is waiting to catch fire. Many costumes have labels showing they are flame resistant. Once you have your costume picked out, make sure that it has light colors on it so you can be seen at night. Use glow tape or reflective tape if your costume is too dark for people to see you.

Young children should be accompanied by adults when trick or treating and all candy should be checked before being consumed. Make sure your children do not eat any candy that is not wrapped or looks like it has been tampered with.

Most importantly...remember to have fun!!

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie G. Goldstein

300+ People Sick at Chicago Food Tasting

Staff Writer — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 14:00:14 GMT

Chicago Sun-Times reports that over 300 people have become sick after eating at a popular food tasting event in Chicago with a number complaining of salmonella poisoning.

On Thursday about 126 people who ate at the Pars Cove Persian Cuisine booth at the Taste of Chicago had reported illness. As as of this weekend the number of complaints had more than tripled according to Chicago Sun-Times.

City Health Department officials ordered a restaurant to stop serving hummus Friday as the number of people reporting getting ill from the eatery's food tripled to 378.
The complaints are from people who say they ate at a Pars Cove booth at Taste of Chicago, which ended Sunday.
Officials said they have 32 confirmed illnesses from salmonella heidelberg -- a common form of salmonella poisoning. That number could increase with pending lab tests.

Medical News Today, an online source of medical information, discusses how easy it is for victims of salmonella poisoning to mis-diagnose themselves.

There are over one million reported cases of salmonella poisoning in the USA each year, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The real total is probably much higher, because salmonella poisoning symptoms are often mistaken for other illnesses, such as flu.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Salmonella Outbreak at the Taste of Chicago

Jenny Albano — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:47:35 GMT

Now 126 people have reported being ill after eating at a booth at the Taste of Chicago festival. At least 10 people have been hospitalized, and one child still remains in the hospital for recovery. A spokesperson from the Health Department, Tim Hadac, states that officials are taking food histories from all the sick and are "connecting the dots".

The festival visitors all reported eating at the same booth, the Pars Cove Persian Cuisine booth. Officials think that the salmonella outbreak was due to cucumber hummus that was served.

City officials alerted the public to the outbreak on Wednesday after receiving 17 reports of illness from festival visitors. The first salmonella case was confirmed on Monday, and city health officials said it was clear by the end of the day that the booth was linked to at least a dozen reports.

The Persian restaurant has been inspected by Heath Department Officials and samples of tahini, a main ingrediant in hummus, were taken to examine. According to Hadac, the tahini has had salmonella issues in the past.

City officials say that the outbreak was very small considering the large crowd that usually attends the festival. This year over 3.5 million people came to the Taste of Chicago. The Health Department states they have done all they can, and there is no real way to detect whether food is contaminated with salmonella. Four investigators examined all the booths at least four times a day, where they checked food temperature with a digital thermometer. Every year, the festival loses over 2,000 pounds of food that are not up to par, and reserves the right to shut down any booth.

The salmonella bacteria can cause flu-like symptoms including diarrhea, fever, dehydration, and abdominal cramps. Symptoms usually begin 12-72 hours after infection, and typically last 4-7 days.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Girls Feet Amputated After Six Flag Ride Fails

Jamie G. Goldstein — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:57:55 GMT

A thirteen year old girl's feet were amputated after a ride at Kentucky's Six Flags theme park malfunctioned. The Superman ride at the theme park raises riders into the air 154 feet and drops them at a rate of 54 miles per hour. The ride stops just 20 feet before the riders hit the ground. It is believed that a cable broke during the ride and became wrapped around the girl's feet causing them to be amputated at the ankles. Her feet were recovered and brought to the hospital where she underwent surgery.

This is not the first accident in Six Flag's long history. There have been a handful of past accidents at the various theme parks around the country and some have resulted in death. Six Flags will have a lot of answering to do regarding this most recent incident and will likely face a lawsuit for the injuries the young girl received in the incident.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Property Owners' Liability.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie G. Goldstein