DuPage, Kane and Will County Personal Injury Law Blog

If you've had an accident in Illinois that has caused you to fracture vertebrae, you will need to act quickly to treat the injury effectively. All injuries to the spine should receive immediate care due to the complications that can happen because of their location.

Medscape states that the care starts as soon as you're on your way to the hospital. Immobilization is key in order to prevent medics from accidentally exacerbating spinal injuries during transportation. Typically this means you'll end up with a plastic cervical collar to prevent your spine from moving excessively, and will be transported to a spine board shortly after. This step will not last long, as even an hour of use of a spine board can cause intense discomfort and even skin breakdown.

Patients across Illinois and the country are being treated by doctors who are older and older. In fact, the Chicago Tribune reports that a quarter of all doctors are age 65 or older. With the population increasing in age, many worry that patients could be in the wrong hands.

A report prepared for the 2015 meeting of the American Medical Association noted that while airline pilots and many in the military are forced to retire at age 65 in order to protect from mistakes more likely in older age, there are no such rules for doctors. Some hospitals perform their own competency exams for doctors who are growing older, but there is not any regulation regarding the testing of doctors, and the report believed that should be changed. But the debate, which has been around for a couple of decades, remains ongoing. 

Drivers across Illinois may feel concern each time they get behind the wheel, worried another driver will lose control of their vehicle and endanger them. Yet a new study shows drivers need only look in the mirror to see the driver who is most likely to put their lives at risk.

As WTOP reports, a study conducted by AAA determined that most fatal car crashes are single vehicle accidents. A study of crash data showed that 55 percent of deadly car accidents have no other vehicles involved in the accident at all. These crashes include those involving drugs or alcohol, bad weather conditions, drowsiness and distracted driving. Vehicles driving off the road for some reason made up 70 percent of all fatal accidents, and while a car only rolls over in three percent of crashes, 20 percent of fatalities come from these incidents.

As a motorcyclist in Illinois, you likely understand that your preferred method of transportation comes with its fair share of danger. Even veteran riders can get into accidents, and because of that, it's beneficial to know where the most common motorcycle injuries occur.

Ride Apart did a feature on the body parts that are most at risk when riding a motorcycle. Possibly unsurprisingly, your legs and feet often take the brunt of the damage in non-lethal accidents. They're closest to the ground, which means they often suffer from some sort of impact any time your bike falls over or you fall off of it. You may also have your legs pinned by other vehicles in an accident simply because of how you're situated on your motorcycle.