DuPage, Kane and Will County Personal Injury Law Blog

Residents like you who call Illinois your home want to grow up and spend your life in a place that's conducive to good health. Unfortunately, certain factors can diminish your overall quality of life or even introduce elements that can harm you and your loved ones.

The Chicago Tribune takes a look at one such situation. Sterigenics International, a global company that operates out of sixteen cities, has recently faced heat for the possibility of increasing the risk of cancer by introducing carcinogenic pollutants to the air in the area. The primary pollutant in question, ethylene oxide, has been a known carcinogen and on the federal government's official list of carcinogens since 1985.

On October 8, 2018, Hinigo Olvera, 67, struck and killed a pregnant woman near Lake Street and Park Avenue in Streamwood, Illinois at 7:30 p.m. Authorities say Olvera, who previously faced a DUI charge in 2013, was under the influence while driving his truck when he hit Aries Cobian, age 29, who was helping her cousin push their broken-down car along Lake Street. Cobian was 12 weeks pregnant at the time of the crash.

At the Law Offices of Mathys & Schneid, we are all too aware that people in Illinois and elsewhere get hurt all the time in falls. Whether you slip on wet tile at the grocery store or fall off a ladder at work, this is one way you can get seriously injured – or worse – when you least expect it.

In fact, falls happen so often across the country that the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence has designated September 23 through 29 as Fall Prevention Awareness Week. You might consider the following solutions to prevent serious injuries in a fall:

• Always use a stepping stool or ladder to reach a high place, and never step up on an unstable or wheeled object, such as an office chair.
• Clean up clutter, cords and other obstacles from walkways.
• Use extreme caution when working from heights, stepping on broken pavement or walking near a drop.
• Watch out for folded mats, wet floors, ice patches and other things you can trip or slip on.
• Wear non-slip shoes in adverse weather or if you work on slick surfaces.
• Ask your employer to provide education on avoiding falls in the workplace and to supply safety equipment when necessary.

College life comes with a great deal of responsibility, as well as rites of passage. Many of these traditions, such as making new friends, joining a fraternity or sorority and drinking responsibly, are harmless and can help you create lifelong memories about your university experience. However, at the Law Offices of Mathys & Schneid, we also know that some college traditions can be harmful, even when Illinois college students consider them harmless fun.

Hazing is one such tradition. Your college most likely has an anti-hazing policy in effect, since hazing is a crime in Illinois when it results in bodily harm or death, according to the Illinois General Assembly. What exactly is hazing, you might wonder? This “tradition” is often carried out by senior members of a fraternity, sorority, academic club or sports team upon the newer members or pledges. Fraternity pledges might be forced to endure hours of grueling emotional and physical trials before they are accepted into the group. Senior football players might require their newer team members to participate in binge drinking games, which can raise their risks of getting alcohol poisoning. In some cases, victims of hazing are abducted and even beaten.