How common are construction accidents? According to data from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA), there were 1,061 worker fatalities on construction sites in 2019. This number equates to nearly 3-a-day and about 20% of all work-related fatalities recorded by OSHA that year. Despite how harrowing it might be to know that three fatal…
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) tracks and reports on known car accidents throughout the state and as they happen throughout the year. The data that the IDOT collects can shine a light on what type of traffic collisions are happening and possibly why. Although we are only in May, our team from McHargue &…
Speeding is one of the leading causes of serious car accidents in Illinois. Speed limits are not random — they are carefully established using traffic engineering studies designed to reduce crashes and prevent catastrophic injuries. When a driver exceeds a posted or statutory speed limit in Chicago or anywhere in Illinois and causes a collision,…
Repetitive stress injuries happen quietly. You don’t fall, slip, or get crushed by machinery — instead, your body breaks down from lifting, bending, typing, kneeling, scanning, pulling, twisting, or standing for years. Many Illinois workers aren’t sure whether these injuries qualify as workers’ comp claims. The answer is: often, yes — but the insurance company…
Updated September 19, 2026 · By Matthew C. Jones, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney Short answer: usually, you do not have to keep treating at the company clinic just because your employer sent you there after a work injury. Illinois workers’ compensation law generally gives an injured employee meaningful choice in medical care. But do not…
Do Pedestrians Always Have the Right of Way? It’s a common saying: “Pedestrians always have the right of way.” And while it is true that motorists should always do everything they can to avoid hitting people on foot, there are certain times when Illinois law requires pedestrians to yield to oncoming traffic. In Chicago and…
No, Illinois is not a no-fault car accident state. Illinois follows an at-fault (tort) insurance system, meaning the driver who caused the crash is responsible for paying damages. To recover compensation, injured victims must typically prove the other driver’s negligence. Illinois also applies a modified comparative negligence rule (the 51% rule), which can reduce or…
When someone is assaulted, you might expect that they can file a lawsuit against their assailant for damages. Criminals can be frustratingly good at doing bad things, though, so catching an assailant is not always easy or possible. Yet an unidentified assailant does not mean that the assault victim is out of options for collecting…
Illinois Dog Bite Injury Guide After a dog bite in Illinois, get to safety, wash the wound if you can, seek medical care, report the bite, identify the dog and owner, take photos, gather witness information, and avoid signing anything from the insurance company before you understand the full injury. These steps matter because a…
Every defective product case is unique. Even when the same product hurts different people in similar ways, there will be some details to one case that will not be found in the other. Yet there are some essential elements to every product liability claim that must be present in order for the case to be…
The holiday season is the busiest time of year for many industries, including retail, warehousing, delivery, and manufacturing. As workloads increase and winter conditions create additional hazards, workers face a higher risk of injury on the job. Importantly, seasonal and holiday employees have the same rights to workers’ compensation benefits as full-time employees under the…
Sharing the Road with Commercial Trucks: Risks, Accidents, and Liability in Illinois Sharing the road with commercial trucks is part of everyday driving in Illinois. However, because of their size, weight, and limited maneuverability, trucks create risks that are very different from ordinary passenger vehicles. Many serious crashes occur when drivers underestimate how trucks operate…
Updated April 30, 2026 A whiplash injury car accident settlement in Illinois can range from a few thousand dollars to much more, depending on the medical treatment, length of symptoms, pain and suffering, lost wages, fault, and available insurance coverage. Many whiplash claims involve rear-end accidents, delayed neck pain, headaches, stiffness, physical therapy, and soft…
Across the United States, the summertime has always been the best months of the year to go on a road trip, visit relatives in other states, and just spend more time outside of your own town. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, people are still planning ways to escape their normal routines throughout July and August….
Construction work is consistently ranked among the most dangerous occupations in the United States, and Chicago construction workers face serious risks every day on job sites throughout the city and surrounding suburbs. Each year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that construction accidents remain among the most frequent and severe workplace injuries nationwide….
