It’s been 20 years, but I still remember injuring my knee in 1996 and seeing a doctor who was supposed to be “the best” there is for knee problems. I had never met someone more arrogant and rude before so I saw him only once and he did nothing for me. I left that doctor … Continue Reading
No, not talking about feeling cold in the winter. Do you have pain and stiffness in your shoulder that has gotten worse over time? Has it gotten to the point where you no longer can physically move your shoulder? Did a slow dull pain begin in your shoulder that has gradually limited the way you … Continue Reading
One fact I accepted a long time ago is that I can’t help everyone. And if I tried to help everyone, I’d limit my ability to help everyone because there is only so much time in the day. So in reality I’d be helping no one. As a result we don’t take every case that … Continue Reading
For most Illinois work injuries, if it happens to you, you’ll have heard of it before. Athletes tear their ACL’s all the time and hurt their back, neck, rotator cuffs, etc. You of course don’t want those injuries, but it can be a little re-assuring to know that you aren’t the only one who has … Continue Reading
A case came to us recently in a peculiar way. A woman called looking for an attorney for a guardianship case. Her cousin had died and left behind a young child. Nothing about that screams work comp, right? The logical question after offering condolences was, “How did she pass away?” The answer was that she … Continue Reading
Recently I attended a training seminar where I stood at a table all day and answered questions. Mind you that I’m in pretty good shape and work out every day. This type of activity would be considered sedentary and of course pales in comparison to the hard work done by most of my callers and … Continue Reading
I’ve blogged on this before, but it still comes up a lot and recently came up when I got a call from someone looking to know whether they should hire an Illinois work comp attorney or just give up and put everything through their group insurance. In a nutshell, the injured worker hurt his knees … Continue Reading
A very sweet woman called me looking for help. She had just had neck surgery as a result of a herniated disc. She wanted to know if she could file a workers’ compensation claim. She had asked her surgeon if her injury was work related and he told her, “no because under Illinois law you … Continue Reading
One of the great parts about Illinois workers’ compensation law is the fact that having a pre-existing condition does NOT bar you from bringing a claim if your job aggravates or accelerates your condition. Every injury has to be looked at on a case by case basis. If you’ve been treating for back problems for … Continue Reading
Although I work for myself, I’ve had great employers in the past save my first law firm boss who was the classic entitled rich kid type who acted as if he created the firm that he inherited from his Dad. But most places I’ve worked were run by good people and I believe my employees, … Continue Reading
A lawyer I’m friends with was complaining about a Chicago workers’ compensation attorney who has kind of a sleazy way about himself. The complaint though was that the lawyer pushes most of his clients to a certain doctor who has a pretty bad reputation at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission and is known as someone … Continue Reading
I was flipping around the television the other night and stopped on an episode of Pawn Stars. They have a trivia question every show, usually related to their business. But this question had to do with work injuries. The answer is slip and fall accidents. Apparently there are more than one million such accidents every … Continue Reading
Here’s one that’s nuts. A reader of our blog tells us the following. He was working in Chicago and was painting a floor when he twisted his knee. This happened because a co-worker had removed grates that covered the floor, so he fell in to a hole. The end result was that he tore his ACL. Prior … Continue Reading
By rule, we almost always recommend to an injured worker that they formally file their case. Once we are representing them we can protect them from nurse case managers who are ill intentioned and guide them through the process. It also allows us to act fast if their case is denied for any reason. There … Continue Reading
I was reading a question from an injured worker on a legal website that I thought would be a good question for our readers. Long and short is this guy tore his rotator cuff and had surgery. That surgery usually only takes 45 minutes or so, but the recovery time is long, often up to … Continue Reading
A very nice woman called in to my office. She worked on an assembly line and noticed her hands were hurting at the end of her shift. She took some Tylenol and worked through the pain. As time passed, her pain got worse. One morning she woke up and her hands were swollen. She also … Continue Reading
I get calls like this all of the time. “Who’s the best RSD lawyer in Chicago?’ Or Peoria, Rockford, Urbana or any other city in Illinois. The answer is always the same. It depends. The best RSD (or CRPS) attorney in Chicago for a work injury wouldn’t be the same as the best one for … Continue Reading
I talk to people every day who have unfortunately sustained terrible injuries. But every now and then I get someone who tells me what’s wrong with them and I’ll ask who their doctor is. This can be insightful as I know hundreds of doctors throughout Illinois and every now and then I know if they … Continue Reading
Most injuries are straight forward. You injure that body part, it gets treatment, you get better and you move on with your life. Fortunately most of the cases we see follow that pattern. In some cases though, something that is unexpected, at least to the injured worker, happens. Case in point, a recent caller to … Continue Reading
Workers’ compensation helps injured employees get back to work after a job injury. The laws vary from state to state, but the system in Illinois entitles injured workers to coverage of their medical bills and payment of lost wages. Those with any permanent impairment usually will be compensated for that, as well, once their medical … Continue Reading
One thing we mention on this blog a lot is the importance of being honest. Don’t lie about how you hurt yourself. Don’t exaggerate your symptoms. If you are truthful, things will usually work out. When you start to lie you end up giving the insurance company a reason to deny your case. A FCE … Continue Reading
Most Illinois work injuries involve damaged muscles, ligaments or broken bones. Sure we see concussions, RSD and stuff like that, but the most common cases are torn rotator cuffs, ACL tears and herniated discs. A little less common, but still seen a lot are cases where you don’t have a physical injury, but instead have a … Continue Reading
It’s no secret that the way insurance companies make money is by minimizing the amount that they pay out. It’s pretty simply that if they collect 50 million dollars in premiums, but only have 10 million in expenses, they will be making a lot of money. From the insurance company standpoint, they know that they … Continue Reading
If your work injury led to back surgery and you still have significant pain, then it might be Failed Back Syndrome (also called Failed Back Surgery Syndrome or Failed Fusion Syndrome). It’s a condition that results when surgery fails or doesn’t fix the problem. Illinois workers’ compensation provides benefits for workers who are injured on … Continue Reading
