Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

A study by the American Society of Anesthesiologists in April of 2009 revealed that there were 2,211 anesthesia related deaths between 1999 and 2005. Of these deaths, 47% were the result of general anesthesia overdose – a preventable medical error. The problem for anesthesiologists is finding a balance between an amount of anesthesia sufficient to ensure that the patient does not wake up while simultaneously protecting against anesthesia awareness. Anesthesia awareness occurs when a patient wakes up during surgery. These patients can experience pain and feel the surgery while still being unable to move or talk. Studies have indicated that about 1.5 in 1000 patients experience anesthesia awareness. In order to compensate for this, anesthesiologists routinely overmedicate by twenty to thirty percent. Too much anesthesia can result in death, temporary mental impairment, or permanent brain damage whereas too little can lead to anesthesia awareness.

Anesthesiologists have been traditionally trained to monitor patients’ vital signs during surgery such as oxygen levels in the blood, breathing, circulation, blood pressure and temperature in order to assess the effectiveness of anesthesia. However Dr. Barry Friedburg argues that patient safety would be increased if anesthesiologists monitored patients’ brain activity instead of these traditional vital signs. Brain activity can be monitored with a $25 dollar sensor that sits on top of a patient’s forehead which can measure the individual anesthetic responses of each patient. Freidburg argues that brain monitoring could prevent the aforementioned anesthesia overdoses and should be adopted as the standard of care for general anesthesiology moving forward as opposed to the current model of overmedication compensation. Brain monitors are currently available in only half the operating rooms in the United States but many patients will not be monitored at those hospitals in less they specifically ask.

For more information on general anesthesiology safety or to speak with an experienced Chicago medical malpractice lawyer, please click here.

A Chicago area car accident led to three deaths on Friday April 15th in north suburban Northfield, IL. The car crash occurred around 7:45 p.m. in the 2200 block of Willow Rd. According to eyewitness reports, a woman was operating a vehicle eastbound on Willow Rd. when she drifted across the center line into oncoming traffic. She then allegedly struck another vehicle head-on. The driver of the eastbound vehicle was identified as 22 year old Sylvia Garcia of the 6400 block of N. Damen Ave. She was pronounced dead at Evanston Hospital around 11:34 p.m. according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The other motorist involved in the Chicago car accident presented in critical condition to Evanston immediately following the accident. The Northfield Police have indicated that the accident victim was 63 year old Soo-Hurn Shin of the 160 block of Princeton Ln. in Glenview, IL. The car accident victim was pronounced dead at Evanston Hospital at approximately 4:05 p.m. on April 18, 2011, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. An autopsy of the crash victim was scheduled for last Tuesday. The fatal Chicago car accident is still being investigated through a joint effort of the Northfield Police Department and the Major Crash Assistance Team.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a fatal car accident, you should speak with a Chicago wrongful death lawyer to assess the tragedy and protect your rights. To speak with an experienced Illinois car accident attorney, please click here.

A Fairfield, IL, gym teacher has been terminated on the heels of allegations that she had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student. The teacher, 29 year old Haven A. Kirkpatrick of Carmi, IL, was a tenured physical education teacher at Fairfield Community High School. According to reports, the teacher is accused of having unlawful sexual contact with a student at the High School. She has been suspended with pay since her arrest in July on eight felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. A circuit court judge found probable cause to bind Kirkpatrick over to trial on the sexual abuse charges in February. A pre-trial hearing on the felony sexual abuse charges has been set for May 11th at the Wayne County Circuit Court. The accused teacher is facing three to seven years in prison on each of the eight counts.

The Fairfield Community High School Board voted unanimously to fire the tenured teacher on Tuesday night at a specially called meeting. The meeting was reportedly called after Illinois DCFS released its findings relative to the abuse allegations. DCFS officials in Chicago have confirmed that an official sexual abuse finding was made in February and that Kirkpatrick has been placed on an internal sex offender registry list. The list is accessible to schools and other organizations that hire individuals that are in direct contact with young children. Kirkpatrick still has the right to request a hearing through the State Board of Education.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual abuse, you should contact a lawyer immediately to investigate the matter and protect your rights. To speak with an Illinois sexual abuse victims’ rights lawyer, please click here.

Two Illinois workers were injured after falling into a 20-30 foot deep hole this morning on Chicago’s south side. The workplace injury occurred at the Water Reclamation District’s Calumet water plant which is located at 400 E. 130th St. in Chicago, IL. The injured employees both worked for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. According to reports, the workers fell into a thirty to forty foot hole at the plant around 7:30 a.m. The Chicago Fire Department was dispatched to the scene of the Chicago workplace accident to provide emergency services. It reportedly took about an hour for Fire Department officials to free the men from the hole.

Both of the workers were taken to Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, IL. One of the injured workers was listed in serious condition with head injuries following the accident. The other worker was reportedly listed in fair condition. The more seriously injured worker was transferred by a helicopter deployed by the University of Chicago Hospital. The cause of the workplace accident remains unclear and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District has declined to comment.

Illinois law provides certain benefits for individuals that suffer injuries at work. These benefits include the payment of medical bills, temporary time off, and even permanency. If you have suffered a workplace injury, you should contact a lawyer immediately to ensure that you receive all the compensation to which you are entitled. To speak with a Chicago workers’ compensation lawyer, please click here.

Father Philip Derea, who is widely known as the ‘Race Track Reverend’ thanks to his close association with the Indianapolis 500 and the Indy Racing League Ministry, has been publicly accused of sexual abuse. The allegations stem from several sexual abuse acts that allegedly occurred more than three decades ago in the District of Columbia. Derea has served as a priest for more than 49 years and is reportedly a member in good standing with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. The accused was the ABC news Person of the Week in 1996 and officiated the wedding of Ashley Judd and race car driver Dario Franchitti. He is now a resident of suburban Chicago, IL.

The sexual abuse victim has revealed that after he contacted Derea regarding the allegations, the priest wrote him an e-mail response apologizing for the abuse and offering the victim sums of money if he would drop any legal claims. In response to the allegations the victims’ rights group Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests issued a statement condemning church officials for their failure to publicly remove the accused priest. The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart was reportedly contacted regarding the sexual abuse allegations but would not issue a statement.

The Klest Law Firm has over twenty nine years of experience handling Illinois personal injury cases, including sexual abuse claims. In fact, founding attorney Joseph Klest once deposed the accused Father Philip Derea relative to another sexual abuse case against the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. To speak with Chicago sexual abuse attorney Joseph Klest, please click here.

A U.S. Roman Catholic Commissioned audit completed on Monday showed that church related sexual abuse claims in the U.S. rose in 2010. According to the report, there were 428 new sexual abuse allegations in 2010, a 7% increase since 2009. As a result, the U.S. Catholic Church and its insurers paid over $124 million dollars to settle claims last year, a nearly $20 million dollar increase from 2009. The number of claims is still significantly less than the peak year of 2004 when 889 sexual abuse allegations were reported by the Church. These record numbers came on the heels of a widely publicized abuse scandal that broke in Boston, MA, about a decade ago. Since that time the U.S. Catholic Church has paid for the annual independent audit of sexual abuse claims. The U.S. Catholic church is now approaching $3 billion dollars in total settlements paid to sexual abuse victims.

The upward trend in credible sexual abuse allegations levied against the Church has been met with criticism by victims’ rights groups. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (“SNAP”) issued a statement in response to the uptick indicting the bishops for refusing to abide by their own ‘vague and weak policies.’ Of the 345 clergy accused of sexual abuse in 2010, two thirds had already been removed from the ministry or had died.

To learn more about clergy sexual abuse victims’ legal rights, please click here.

A South Side Chicago truck yard worker was rushed to the emergency room early this morning after being exposed to hazardous chemicals. The Chicago workplace accident occurred at approximately 4:39 a.m. at R & L Carriers located at 4359 W. 36th St. in Chicago, IL. According reports, a fork lift knocked over an undisclosed container of chemicals at that location. The chemical has been reportedly classified as a Level 1 hazardous material. The Chicago workplace accident victim, who has not been identified, was rushed by paramedics to Mt. Sinai Hospital according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Richard Rosado. The individual was listed in serious to critical condition.

Injured workers are entitled to certain benefits under Illinois law. Those benefits include payment of medical bills, wages for time missed at work and permanency awards. Many injured workers are not even aware of the benefits to which they are entitled. If you have been injured in a workplace accident in Illinois, you should contact a Chicago workers compensation attorney immediately to protect your rights. To speak with an Illinois workers compensation attorney, please click here.

A Chicago resident was pronounced dead earlier today following a two vehicle Chicago car accident that occurred last week in the city of Melrose Park, IL. The Chicago car crash victim, 69 year old Bruce Dankowski of the 6100 block of West Berenice avenue, was reportedly pronounced dead at approximately 4:02 a.m. this morning. He was being treated for injuries at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Maywood, IL.

The victim was injured on March 31st while driving his 1987 Oldsmobile east on North Ave. around about 6:30 a.m. According to reports, Dankowski’s Oldsmobile was struck by 2007 Ford Taurus turning left onto North Avenue from 22nd Avenue. The turning Taurus caused the front right corner of Dankowski’s vehicle to collide with the passenger and front side of the Taurus. Information related to any injuries suffered by the driver of the Taurus, a 23 year old woman, remains unavailable. An autopsy has determined that Dankowski’s primary cause of death was injuries related to the car crash. Police are reportedly still investigating the fatal Chicago car accident.

If you have been involved in a Chicago car accident and would like to speak with an experienced injury attorney serving Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, please click here.

http://www.chicagotriallaw.com/Last week the Klest Law Firm reported on two Chicago Police officers that were under investigation for an alleged on-duty sexual assault. The two officers were accused of engaging in sexual activity with an intoxicated female whom they offered a ride home. In updating that story, information has surfaced indicating that certain officers involved in the alleged assault may have been accused in the past. The story reveals that nearly a half dozen women have either come forward or are being interviewed in connection with sexual abuse allegations against the two officers that were involved in the alleged assault last week. A third officer, who frequently works with the accused officers on their overnight shift, has also been implicated. He was reportedly the recipient of a different complaint by another woman while he was partnering when one of the officers involved in the incident last week. All three officers have been relieved of their police powers for ‘misconduct’. The names of the Chicago Police officers remain unavailable.

A spokesperson for the Police Department has indicated that the command staff is not taking the allegations lightly and that more than four women are being actively interviewed by the Police forces. At least two of the officers are expected to face charges pending the conclusion of a forensic investigation. The Klest Law Firm will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual abuse, you should contact a Chicago civil sexual abuse attorney to investigate the matter and protect your rights. To speak with an experienced Illinois sexual abuse victims’ rights attorney, please click here.

Two Chicago Police officers are being criminally investigated following allegations that the officers were involved in an on duty sexual assault early Wednesday morning. Reports indicate that the officers were arrested on Wednesday and questioned at the Belmont Area headquarters with legal representation present. They have yet to be criminally charged. The criminal investigation remains ongoing as Chicago Police continue to compile evidence and forensics.

The officers are accused of allegedly picking up an intoxicated 22 year old woman in a marked car near Wrigley Field and offering her a ride home. She allegedly had sex with one of the officers in the passenger seat of the vehicle on the ride home. Upon returning home, the woman and two officers are accused of playing strip poker before the women again had sex with one of the officers. The sexual abuse victim told investigating officers that she began to feel intimidated and was afraid of rejecting the officers’ sexual advances. The woman reportedly pounded on the wall to get her neighbor’s attention and later ran screaming from the apartment. A neighbor witness called the police around 3 a.m. Reports indicate that another neighbor witness reportedly saw a naked man running down the hallway of the building and another man who may have been wearing a police uniform. Investigators found portions of an officer uniform and a cell phone belonging to one of the officers in the woman’s apartment. The woman received treatment at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston.

If you have any questions regarding sexual abuse in the State of Illinois or would otherwise like to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney, please click here.