Work Accidents

AMA Impairment Guidelines May Negatively Impact Injured Workers

March 18, 2013

As part of reforms in the Illinois workers’ compensation system, impairment ratings promulgated by the American Medical Association (AMA) are now used by doctors and arbitrators to decide the workers’ compensation claims of injured workers in…

Nurse Working for State of Illinois Wins Workers Compensation Award

March 8, 2013

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) has decided a case of a nurse who slipped and fell during an authorized break in favor of the worker. The nurse, who worked for the State of Illinois, was…

Injured Woman Sues Chicago Go-Kart Facility

January 28, 2013

A customer at a go-kart racetrack in Beford Park is suing the facility’s ownership and management. She claims the seat belt on the go-kart she was driving did not function properly and as a result, she…

Illinois Businesses Illegally Classifying Employees as Independent Contractors

January 14, 2013

State agencies including the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission are joining together to crack down on businesses that improperly classify employees as independent contractors. In contrast to employees, independent contractors who get hurt while working are not…

Woman Allegedly Files Fraudulent Workers’ Compensation Claims

December 27, 2012

A woman living in McHenry, Ill., faces multiple charges after being arrested for filing fraudulent workers’ compensation claims against three separate employers. Tracy Williams, 43, is charged with workers’ compensation fraud, insurance fraud, aggravated fraud, and…

Study Shows Race-Based Disparity in Illinois Workers’ Compensation Awards

December 15, 2012

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health have released a study that shows workers’ compensation settlements awarded to white, non-Hispanic construction workers in Illinois are, on average, higher than those award…

Illinois Supreme Court to Hear Workers Comp Case

December 13, 2012

The Supreme Court of Illinois is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case of Skokie Castings, Inc. v. Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund. The case arises from a Skokie Castings employee who sustained a permanently disabling…

Firefighter Will Not Receive Workers Comp Benefits After Horseplay

November 5, 2012

A firefighter/paramedic who was injured after giving a coworker a bear hug will not receive workers’ compensation benefits, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) has ruled. The commission decided that the worker’s personal actions constituted horseplay…

Number of Workers Comp Cases Is Decreasing

November 3, 2012

The number of new workers’ compensation cases filed is decreasing in Chicago and throughout the state of Illinois. According to data from the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC), in fiscal year 2010, 20,272 new workers’ comp…

State Trooper Who Caused Fatal Crash Will Not Receive Workers Compensation

October 25, 2012

Matt Mitchell, the former Illinois State Police Trooper who pleaded guilty to reckless homicide in a car crash that killed two women and injured two others, will not receive workers’ compensation payments for injuries that he…