News and Press

Neighbors Ask Whether Collision in Chatham Could Have Been Prevented

September 22, 2016

On the night of Tuesday, September 13th, an 11-year-old girl was struck by an SUV and pressed against a porch in the Chatham neighborhood of Chicago. She was walking into a snack shop in the neighborhood,…

State Governments Rolling Back Workers’ Compensation Protections

September 19, 2016

In Illinois and other states around the country, workers’ compensation is under attack. A recent investigation by NPR and ProPublica found that since 2003, more than 30 states have enacted legislation that either cuts benefits for…

Trucking Industry Lobbies Congress to Relax Safety Rules, Making Truck Accidents More Likely

August 17, 2016

Even after high-profile accidents put truck safety in the national spotlight, the trucking industry has spent millions of dollars lobbying Congress to increase limits on truck size, relax restrictions on driver rest time, and delay rule-making…

Pharmacy error causes woman to become comatose and suffer memory loss

July 29, 2016

A woman from Cook County, Chicago, filed a lawsuit against Walgreens, alleging that a pharmacist gave his recommendation that she take two incompatible drugs, which caused her to lapse into a coma, and experience memory loss.…

Confusion over drug names leads to medication errors

July 22, 2016

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), some physicians and pharmacists are experiencing some confusion over the similarity of the names of an antidepressant and a blood-thinning medication. Although the FDA claims it is unaware…

OSHA investigates garbage hauler’s death in landfill accident

July 15, 2016

A man died after being crushed under the weight of an overturned garbage truck and its concrete debris at Winnebago Landfill in Rockford, Illinois. Gonzalo Trevino Sr., 54, worked as a hauler for a garbage company.…

Illinois excavation company cited for endangering trench workers

July 8, 2016

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited an Elgin, Illinois, excavation company for allegedly failing to implement safety measures while employees were working in an underground trench. Kellenberger Plumbing & Underground was issued one willful…

How a worker lost six fingers due to his employer’s safety violations

June 21, 2016

A 21-year-old temporary employee’s six fingers were amputated during a workplace accident on November 4, 2015. He had been working for four weeks at Custom Aluminum Products, a metal manufacturer based in South Elgin, Illinois. The…

OSHA fines four Illinois companies after construction worker’s death

June 16, 2016

An employee sustained fatal blunt force injuries while working at a wastewater treatment plant in Springfield, Illinois, in October 2015. The 42-year-old man was testing joints for leaks inside a 54-inch pipe when an inflatable bladder…

The occurrence of pharmacy errors after hospital discharge

June 7, 2016

As reported in the Chicago Tribune, two weeks after a patient named Joyce Oyler was discharged from the hospital, she had sores in her mouth and throat, and blood was flowing from her nose and bowels.…