Chicago Workers Compensation Lawyer Blog

Every year, thousands workers are killed during accidents that occur on the job. Hopefully, their families were entitled to death benefits through employers’ workers’ compensation plans. An injured worker and his/her family cannot sue an employer for personal injury, but the employee is usually entitled to Illinois work injury benefits regardless of who or what was the cause of the work accident.

With help of data from the Department of Labor, Forbes.com compiled a list of the most dangerous jobs in America for 2008. Included in the list:

• Fishing-related jobs. 50 fishing workers died in 2008. Dangerous weather, rough seas, and logistical challenges that can make it impossible to get help during emergency situations contribute to the high death risk these workers face in their line of work.

• 82 Logging workers died from work injuries. Faulty cutting equipment and falling trees were two common causes of logging deaths.

• 90 pilots aircraft pilots died in plane crashes and other work accidents.

• There were 37 structural iron and steel worker death. Common causes of worker fatalities included welding accidents, working at elevated heights, and working with heavy materials.

• 317 rancher and farmer deaths occurred. Heavy machinery hazards is the number one work danger for farm workers and ranchers.

• Traffic, dangerous materials, and heavy equipment are common reasons for recyclable and refuse material collector injuries. 31 workers died in 2008.

• 69 roofer deaths. Hot weather and the hazards of working at elevated heights are two of the most common work dangers for employees in this profession.

• 35 electrical power-line repairer and installer deaths. Electricity and working at elevated heights are two of the most common dangers these workers face.

• 815 trucker deaths. Traffic and fatigue were the two most common causes.

• 69 taxi driver and chauffer deaths. Navigating through traffic is the drivers’ number one work hazard.

Overall, transportation accidents was the most common cause of worker death. 2,053 workers died in vehicle-related crashes. 923 workers died from equipment accidents and objects-related injuries.

Regardless of your profession or the risks involved with doing your job, work accidents and illnesses do happen. An experienced Chicago, Illinois workers’ compensation law firm can make sure you receive all of the benefits that your employer’s insurer owes you.

Fishermen, loggers have most dangerous jobs, MSNBC, September 8, 2009

In Pictures: America's Deadliest Jobs, Forbes, August 26, 2009

Related Web Resources:
US Department of Labor

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

A tragic work accident claimed the life of Nicor utility worker in Naperville, Illinois on Monday. Gary Cichy died after being pinned under a backhoe that toppled on top of him.

According to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, the excavator flipped over when it was struck by a white Isuzu box van that drove off the road. Cichy, 52, sustained critical injuries from the Illinois work accident.

Fog made it impossible for emergency workers to fly him to the hospital. Instead, an ambulance transported Cichy to Edward Hospital where he later died. Work signs, Nicor vehicles, and cones had been setup to mark off the work area.

Police are investigating what caused the truck driver to go off the road. Yesterday, a spokesperson for the Will County sheriff’s office announced that charges will likely be filed against the van driver.

In addition to receiving Illinois workers’ compensation benefits, workers who were injured or got sick on the job may also be entitled to personal injury compensation from liable parties that are not the victim’s employer.

Getting pinned by heavy machinery can be catastrophic for a worker, who may have sustained a spinal cord injury or other serious injuries, such as crushed bones and organ damage during this type of work accident. The injured worker may no longer be able to work. He or she may even die from such serious injuries.

Charges coming in crash that killed Nicor worker, Chicago Breaking News, November 24, 2009

Nicor worker killed in Naperville truck-earth-digger collision, Daily Herald, November 23, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Illinois Industrial Commission

Illinois Department of Labor

Continue reading "Naperville, Illinois Work Accident Claims Life of Gas Company Employee" »

A construction worker died on Saturday in a highway work zone. According to Chicago Ridge police, flagger Joseph Bartkowiaki was fatally injured when a gravel truck that was heading for Crowley-Sheppard Asphalt hit him. Joseph Bartkowiaki worked for the company. Stanislaw Wdowikowski, also 56, was driving the gravel truck.

Bartkowiaki was directing traffic in an area were the company was repaving the street. Wdowikowski says he thought that the flagger was directing him to go forward, but witnesses say that wasn’t the case.

The truck driver struck the construction worker. He stopped his large truck when he heard people yelling at him. Wdowikowski backed up too far, striking Bartkowiaki again.

Police cited the truck driver for failing to stop for a flagger.

The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse reports that there were 31 Illinois motor vehicle crashes in construction/maintenance zones in 2008. Workzonesafety.org is reporting 5 Illinois road construction site deaths for that year.

In some cases, the victim is a motor vehicle occupant. In other instances, the victim is a construction worker who was doing a job in the work zone.

The parties in charge of the construction/maintenance zone must implement that all safety precautions are in place to decrease the chances of a worker getting injured or a motor vehicle accident happening. Failure to exercise this duty of care can be grounds for a Chicago injury lawsuit. Construction workers injured on the job are likely entitled to Illinois workers’ compensation benefits.

Common causes of construction zone accidents:

• Distracted drivers
• Equipment and machinery defects
• Poor barricade placement
• Warning signs that are not easily visible
• Inadequate worker training
• Machinery accidents
• Motor vehicle accidents

Construction worker dies in accident, Southtown Star, November 1, 2009

Construction worker struck and killed by truck, Chicago Breaking News, October 31, 2009

Related Web Resources:
WorkZoneSafety.org (PDF)

Federal Highway Administration

Continue reading "Chicago Work Accident: Flagger Dies From Truck Accident Injuries Sustained in Highway Construction Zone" »

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued its list of the 10 most common workplace safety violations for the year:

• 9,093 Scaffolding violations: Most common causes of scaffolding accidents involve the support or planking giving way or the employee slipping or getting hit by a falling object.

• 6,771 Fall Protection violations: Workers in the general industry working at a height of four feet or greater must be adequately protected. In the construction arena workers must be protected when working at six feet or higher.

• 6,378 Hazard Communication violations: Chemical makers and importers must evaluate the hazards of their products and develop safety data sheets and labels so that downstream clients are made aware of these hazards.

• 3,803 Respiratory Protection violations: Workers must be protected against dangerous dusts, smokes, fogs, gases, mists, sprays, vapors, and inadequate oxygen environments. Failure to do so can result in lung impairment, cancer, and other diseases. It can also lead to deaths.

• 3,321 Lockout-Tag Out violations: Employees must be protected from hazardous energy released during maintenance or service. They also must be protected from the unexpected activation of equipment and machinery.

• 3,079 Electrical Wiring Violations: Electricians, engineers, sales people, office workers, and other employees must be protected from the hazards of working directly or indirectly with electricity.

• 3,072 Ladder violations: Falls from ladders can result in traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and death. Fall accidents cause 8% of all occupational-related fatalities involving trauma.

• 2,993 Powered-Industrial Trucks violations: Tens of thousands of people are injured each year because of forklift accidents.

• 2,556 Electrical violations

• 2,364 Machine Guarding violations: Protecting workers from any part, process, or function that can injure or kill a worker.

Compared to same time period last year, the number of top 10 violations has gone up nearly 30%.

Regardless of who or what caused a work accident, most workers are entitled to Illinois workers’ compensation benefits.

OSHA Reports on Top 10 Safety Violations for 2009, Reuters.PR Newswire, October 27, 2009

Related Web Resources:

Continue reading "OSHA’s 2009 Top 10 Safety Violations " »

Police are looking into a fatal work accident involving a worker who was crushed in a molding press at Buckhorn LLC on Wednesday night. The machine reportedly was malfunctioning.

31-year-old Toby Hall was in the machine when it was activated. The worker who was operating the machine thought Hall had left to get a tool so he activated the machine.

According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration records, the plant has received nine citations this year. Three of them were “serious” violations.

On Thursday, one worker was critically injured when he fell 130 feet. Jason Redke was on a platform helping secure a spout to the petal “leg” structure used for distributing grain to bins when the weld that held the spout to a crane came loose. The leg collapsed and along with Redke fell into a pile of rubble. During the collapse, another worker, 27-year-old Shawn Babbitt, fell some 30 feet from a bin top. Redke was hospitalized in critical condition while Babbitt was hospitalized in fair condition.

In another fatal work accident, Darrell T. Seiber died today when his coal truck drove off a mountain road. He may have been operating the truck at a vehicle faster than what was acceptable considering the road conditions. Seiber, 48, was a contract driver working for Cox Trucking.

A US Mine Safety and Health Administration spokesperson said that Seiber sustained fatal head injuries when he tried to jump out of the truck. The truck crash is considered a mining accident.

Our Chicago construction accident lawyers represent workers injured in Illinois construction accidents and other industrial accidents. We are also experienced Chicago workers’ compensation attorneys. This means that not only will we work to maximize the recovery you are owed from all liable third parties, but we can make sure your employer fully compensates you for your work injuries.

Workers say unusual break in weld caused man to be critically injured in 130-foot fall at Lake Odessa grain elevator, Mlive.com, October 8, 2009

Worker dies in crash on mine land, Knox News, October 9, 2009

Worker at plant crushed to death, News-Leader.com, October 9, 2009

A Chicago construction worker has been rushed to an Oak Lawn hospital after he was struck by a drunk driver in a construction work zone. The Illinois construction accident occurred today on the Bishop Ford Freeway close to Dolton.

The Chicago work accident took place in a protected work zone on I-94 at around 4:15 am when a 1998 Cadillac pinned the worker to a construction van. The worker sustained two broken legs. The driver of the Cadillac suffered head injuries and was taken to a Harvey hospital.

According to Illinois State Police Chicago Master Sgt. Todd Borisey, the construction worker and the work zone were clearly visible to the motorist, and the cones on the roadway made it clear that there was a protected work zone in the area. The drive could be charged with violating Scott’s Law, which increases penalties if a driver does not yield to emergency vehicles or causes injury to service personnel or public safety workers at roadside emergency scenes.

While construction zones are often marked so that motorists can avoid causing injury to workers, many drivers unfortunately do not realized that they are in a road work area and they need to drive carefully so that no one gets hurt. Just last month, Arnold Placensia, another construction worker, was repairing potholes when a motorist who was driving at a high speed struck him. Placensia died from his injuries as did the driver, Nancy Richards, who struck a large piece of construction equipment after hitting him.

Construction workers injured in work zones are entitled to Illinois workers’ compensation. In addition to workers’ compensation benefits, the injured worker or the family of a deceased construction worker may be able to file a Chicago personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against a liable motorist, subcontractor, or another negligent party.

Drunk driver strikes construction worker on Bishop Ford, Chicago Sun-Times, July 10, 2009

Construction worker, driver killed in suspected DUI, The Modesto Bee, June 12, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Scott's Law

Work Zone Mobility and Safety Programs, Federal Highway Adminstration

It’s only Tuesday and already several workers have been seriously injured or killed in US work accidents this week. Hopefully, their workers’ compensation benefits can help cover costs incurred from the accident and provide financial relief.

Yesterday, three workers died while in a liquid-filled hole at a waste transfer plant. Authorities say the workers appear to have been overcome by toxic fumes. Two of the people that died were a father and a son.

The hole was 18-feet deep and had about four feet of liquid in it. One worker fell into the hole. A second worker tried to rescue him. A third worker that was trying to assist the two workers also fell into the hole. Firefighters say that by the time they arrived at the work accident site, the three bodies were face down in the liquid. Authorities say there were toxic levels of hydrogen sulfide in the air. The plant is run by M & P Reali Enterprises.

Also on Monday, a 53-year-old worker died after he was run over by the tractor he was operating. Reginaldo Correa Talamantes, 53, got caught under the vehicle's rear wheel. He was pronounced dead at the work accident site.

In an unrelated work accident in another US state, foreman John Evans’s leg was crushed while he was trying to line up the milling machine. He tripped and fell in front of the machine. The machine operator did not see Evans and ran over his leg.

Sustaining a catastrophic injury in any accident is a traumatic and devastating event that not only causes great pain and injury to the victim and his or her family, but it also can dramatically impact the worker's ability to work and earn a living. This is why it is important that you receive all of the Illinois workers’ compensation benefits that you are owed.

Willows orchard worker killed in tractor accident, ChicoER.com, June 30, 2009

Worker's leg crushed in road milling accident, The Herald-Mail, June 30, 2009

3 Workers Dead at Waste Plant in Queens, NY Times, June 29, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Illinois Industrial Commission

Continue reading "Catastrophic Work Accidents on Monday Lead to Injuries and Deaths" »

A Chicago worker was injured on the Dan Ryan Expressway early this morning when he was hit by an SUV. The worker was picking up highway barrels when the Illinois work zone accident happened, causing him to get pinned against his truck.

He suffered severe leg injuries and was transported to a local hospital.

Illinois Work Zone Accidents
According to an Illinois State Police official, there were 31 work zone deaths in 2008. 2 of the victims were construction employees. 27 work zone deaths occurred in 2007, including two construction worker deaths. There were 29 work zone fatalities in 2006, including one construction employee fatality. The majority of deadly work zone accidents occur because of driver distraction or speeding.

A few years ago, state police began using photo enforcement vans close to work zones to catch people speeding. Vans are easy for motorists to see and come with a speed board. As a result, over 7,441 speeding tickets have been issued over the last four years, and the Illinois Department of Transportation has made over $7.4 million from work zone speeding violations. The IDOT maintains, however, that the citations are issued to save lives and not to make money.

Illinois work zone employees injured on the job should file their workers’ compensation claims as soon as possible. Regardless of who caused your work injury accident, you are likely entitled to work injury benefits—and you may also be able to obtain Illinois personal injury compensation from a negligent driver or another careless party.

Common causes of injuries to highway workers:

• Motor vehicle accidents involving passing traffic.
• Construction accidents involving construction equipment and work vehicles.
• Inadequate safety measures or lack of the proper safety gear to protect workers.

Illinois highway work zone deaths decline, but police remain vigilant, Herald & Review, July 19, 2009

Dan Ryan road worker hit, seriously injured, Chicago Breaking News, June 10, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Building Safer Highway Work Zones: Measures to Prevent Worker Injuries From Vehicles and Equipment, CDC

The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

Continue reading "Chicago Workers’ Compensation: Worker on Dan Ryan Expressway Struck by SUV" »

About 7,000 motor vehicle crashes occur in Illinois Highway work zones every year. Construction workers and traffic employees risk injury whenever they do their jobs, which is why it is important that the public be made aware of steps they can take to keep our workers safe when they are working on our roads.

Earlier this month, US transportation officials held the 10th National Work Zone Awareness week. They also had a number of facts to offer, including:

• The number of work zone injuries and deaths have decreased over the last decade.
• Nationally, there were 835 work zone deaths in 2007, compared to 1,006 in 2006.

Steps motorists can take to keep work zone workers safe:
• Pay attention to the roads and signs letting you know that you are in a work zones.
• Turn on your headlights so that drivers and workers can see you.
• Don’t tailgate.
• Don’t speed.
• Slow down and obey posted speed limits.
• Make sure you are keeping up with the pace of traffic flow.
• Don’t change lanes when you are driving through a work zone.
• Keep a close watch in case construction machinery or workers suddenly appear before you.
• Although there may be delays when driving in a work zone, practice patience and know that the workers are there to make your roads safer.

Highway worker injuries can be catastrophic injuries and similar to injuries that a pedestrian or a vehicle occupant might sustain during an Illinois motor vehicle collision or a Chicago pedestrian accident. Injured workers’ and their families should file an Illinois’ workers’ compensation claim with their employer immediately and speak with a Chicago personal injury attorney to find out about filing a claim against a negligent motorist or another liable party.

Remember Highway Construction Zone Safety, EHS Today, April 12, 2002

Work Zone Safety, Illinois Tollway

Related Web Resources:
National Work Zone Awareness Week 2009, Federal Highway Administration

Illinois Workers' Compensation Act

Continue reading "From Our Chicago Workers' Compensation Law Firm: Keeping Illinois Highway Workers Safe " »

In Chicago, five fire fighters, a female driver, and her 6-year-old daughter were injured on Thursday following a collision involving a fire engine and another motor vehicle. The fire engine caught fire during the crash and rammed into a building in the Old Town Neighborhood of the Near North Side.

According to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford, Engine No. 4 was headed toward a fire when the collision happened at the intersection of Wells and Division Streets. All seven accident victims were taken to local hospitals. The fire engine and the building it crashed into reportedly sustained serious damage. Fortunately, the building is under renovation and there were no occupants at the time of the crash.

Firefighter Injuries
According to the National Fire Protection Association:
• There were 36 firefighter fatalities that occurred at fire scenes in 2007.
• 44,210 firefighters sustained injuries at fire scenes in 2006.
• There were 7 firefighter deaths at non-fire job scenes in 2007.
• 13,090 firefighter injuries occurred at such scenes in 2006.

Common kinds of firefighter injuries:
• Burn injuries
• Traffic collision-related injuries
• Cuts
• Bruises
• Wounds
• Muscular pain
• Strains
• Pains
• Heart Attacks (often caused by stress) is a leading cause of firefighter fatalities.

In Illinois, firefighters are entitled to workers' compensation in the event of injury or death.

8 injured in fire engine crash, Chicago Tribune, November 6, 2008

Several People, Firefighters Injured In Engine Crash In Old Town, WBBM, November 6, 2008

Related Web Resource:

Firefighters' Workers' Compensation

Chicago Fire Department (PDF)

Continue reading "Five Chicago Firefighters Injured When Fire Engine Catches Fire During Motor Vehicle Accident" »

In Illinois, a Wheeling construction worker suffered serious injuries after he was hit by an SUV on Route 45, just outside Vernon Hills. Felipe Ibarra is being treated at Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for head injuries.

The accident happened on Tuesday morning at the Majestic Pines division. A flagger was directing traffic so that a semi-truck could back into the construction site entrance when 17-year-old Jessica Wells struck Ibarra with her GMC Yukon XL. She also struck the truck. The truck driver, Chicago resident Juan Muro, was treated at Condell for non-life threatening injuries.

Wells was charged with driving with an obstructed windshield, failing to stop for a flagger, and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident. She was not injured in the accident.

Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act
In Illinois, employers must pay their injured workers two-thirds of their regular income, tax-free, while they take time off from work to recover. Injured employees are also entitled to full medical coverage. Also, depending on the nature and extent of injuries, an employer's insurer must provide benefits for permanent and temporary disabilities—both total and partial.

Unfortunately, employees and their insurance companies do not always deal with injured workers in a fair manner. The best way to ensure that you get all of the benefits that you and your family are owed is to speak with a knowledgeable Chicago workers’ compensation lawyer who can advocate for your rights.

Construction worker hit by SUV, Suburban Chicago News.com, October 29, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission

Illinois Workers' Compensation Act, Illinois General Assembly

Continue reading "Illinois Construction Worker and Semi-Truck Driver are Injured in Illinois Motor Vehicle Accident " »