Each year, countless Illinois residents lose their lives due to the negligence of others, including auto accidents, use of defective products, visiting dangerous premises, and many other ways.

A common question surviving loved ones often have after unfortunate incidents like these occur is, “What relatives can file a wrongful death lawsuit in Illinois?” We’ll provide some additional insight into that below.

Facts You Need to Know About Mesothelioma

In today’s world, where information is abundant yet often overwhelming, it’s essential to clearly understand health conditions that can affect us or our loved ones.

Mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer, is one such condition that requires attention and awareness. From its causes to its symptoms and treatment options, here are the key facts you need to know about mesothelioma.

About 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the United States every year, and roughly 80% of these cases report asbestos exposure.

As someone who resides in Illinois, whether you live in Morris, LaSalle, Peru, Ottawa, or Chicago, you likely have experienced your fair share of winter weather driving. Even though you might have operated your vehicle in these conditions a lot over the years, it doesn’t mean that you’ve become any more comfortable in doing so.

While you may have assimilated different tips with your own over the years to deal with different driving obstacles efficiently, you’re likely eager to learn any other winter driving ones that can make you feel a bit safer on the road.

We’ve combed through reports featuring recommendations and honed-in on the top three safety tips for winter driving. We’ll share those with you here.

A Ford transit van carrying 14 passengers overturned, injuring two of the four adults and nine of the ten children inside near Troy Grove, Illinois this past Saturday, Sept. 23, just before 7:00 p.m. The rollover crash occurred in the southbound lanes of Interstate 39 in LaSalle County between milepost 67 and 68.

Calls reporting the single-vehicle crash started coming into both the Troy Grove and Mendota Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at around 6:53 p.m. Witnesses to the crash, including some of the uninjured vehicle occupants, reported that the van veered off the roadway into the adjacent low shoulder before overturning in the nearby ditch with the occupants inside. Illinois State Police are still investigating why the van’s operator suddenly departed the roadway leading up to the van rolling over.

If a loved one lost their life in a preventable accident caused by negligence, certain surviving family members (heirs) have the legal right to file a wrongful death lawsuit to recover damages. A personal representative of the deceased’s estate can represent a spouse or next of kin in holding the negligent party accountable for the fatal accident.

Before you begin the process of filing a wrongful death claim, you may be wondering: How long does a wrongful death lawsuit take? The timeframe for a wrongful death lawsuit is highly contingent upon the unique details of the case. Thus, it may take anywhere from a matter of months to several years. While some cases can be resolved within a year, most cases take longer to get to trial or reach a resolution – typically 2 to 4 years.

Erica Burgess, the Reading Interventionist for sixth – eighth^–grade students at Lincoln Jr. High School in La Salle, IL, is this year’s winner of the Q Hit Music Teacher of the Year award.

The winner was announced at the end-of-the-year luncheon for the LaSalle Elementary Schools last week. Our own Mike Krzak of Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP was on hand to present Burgess with the award and accompanying $1,000 prize.

Illinois has 2,185 miles of interstate and multiple ports that receive and send international goods, making our state a major hub of commerce in the United States. While this is excellent for our local economy, it also forces drivers to share the road with a significant number of tractor-trailers from all around the country.

Data from the Illinois Department of Transportation shows that there were 11,741 semi-truck crashes in 2019. Of those, 100 were fatal and another 1,814 left victims with mild to moderate injuries. Another 311 caused incapacitating injuries, including broken limbs, chest and back injuries, head injuries, abdominal injuries, and more. If an injury prevents a victim from driving, walking, working, or otherwise engaging in activities they were capable of prior to the accident, it is considered an incapacitating injury.

Whether you visit a big city like Chicago or stay in Peru, Morris, or Ottawa here in North Central Illinois, crosswalks are almost everywhere. It’s commonplace to see them in downtown or residential areas and near religious institutions, recreational centers, and schools.

The main purpose of crosswalks is to ensure pedestrians make it from one side of the street to the other safely. However, many Illinois pedestrians and motorists aren’t clear about how to act when they encounter crosswalks. Knowing Illinois crosswalk laws can help keep you safe and can help prevent a crosswalk accident.

It’s a pleasure to share that our personal injury law firm, Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP (SGKR), has again been nominated for the “Best of North Central Illinois” award for 2023. Our law firm, which has one office each in Ottawa, Peru, Chicago, and Morris, has previously won this annual “Best Of” recognition as a contender in the category of “Service: Personal Injury Attorney” for the past three years.

Winning is decided by votes from the community. Voting for our firm and this year’s other nominees kicked off today, Monday, February 20, at 12:01 a.m. and runs through Saturday, March 25, at 10:59 p.m. Studstill Media, the company that presents this regional award competition, will announce winners soon after the voting closes in late March.

An explosion occurred at a chemical manufacturing plant in LaSalle, IL early on Jan. 11, 2023, causing a massive fire and the release of at least one dangerous substance into the environment. Carus, a global supplier of products used for air purification, soil remediation, and the treatment of water and wastewater, says that the explosion occurred in a shipping container that was located at the facility. It is currently unclear what was inside the shipping container at the time of the explosion.

Nearby residents reported hearing multiple loud explosions as black smoke began to fill the air. Local authorities issued a shelter in place order, affecting people in their homes, at work, and at the nearby LaSalle-Peru Township High School.