Ah, the holidays.  Mini Vans and SUVs recklessly driving in and out of traffic, blazing through red lights, running Indy 500 like race circuits from mall to mall, all in search of just a “few more gifts” for the holidays. The holidays can be stressful enough, but when those stressed out, last minute, texting maniacs get in their vehicles and needlessly endanger the lives of other people (pedestrians, their own passengers or passengers in other cars and trucks), their actions can result in serious property damage, personal injury and even death.

If you or a loved one are injured in a vehicle collision, or know someone who has died because another driver caused needless harm, you need an attorney who will aggressively work to “right the wrong.”  Vehicle collisions can result in traumatic injuries, brain injuries, spinal injuries and even death.  The attorneys at DeBlasio Law Group will fight to obtain the justice you deserve.

Antonio DeBlasio is the founding member of the DeBlasio Law Group.  He has been selected by Super Lawyers® for Business Litigation in 2008 and in each year from 2014 through 2025. Only 5% of attorneys receive this distinction. For a free injury case consultation, contact Antonio DeBlasio directly at 630.560.1123.  For more information on our law firm, visit our website at www.DGLLC.net.  We look forward to discussing the merits of your case with you.

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Recently, one of our clients was tragically run over by a car that was backing up in the parking lot of a government building.  She sustained many personal injuries, including bone fractures.  When she contacted our DuPage County trial lawyers, we immediately deployed to the scene of the accident to investigate.  One of our personal injury team members identified surveillance cameras in the parking lot.  We took quick action and requested copies of the surveillance camera video footage.  The video captured the entire accident on tape from beginning to end.  Case closed.  Within days, the insurance company for the negligent driver paid the full insurance policy limit to settle our client’s claim.  That crucial video evidence  could have been lost if our client had done nothing for weeks.  Instead, she wisely contacted our DuPage County personal injury lawyers as soon as possible.

Call NOW (630) 560-1123 for a free personal injury consultation with one of our DuPage County trial lawyers or contact us via our website https://www.DGLLC.net/contact.  We serve clients throughout the Chicago area, in state and federal courts, including the Circuit Court of Cook County, the DuPage County Circuit Court in Wheaton and the Will County Circuit Court in Joliet.  www.DGLLC.net.

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Not surprisingly, the money damages recoverable in a wrongful death case can be significant.  For example, the death of a spouse, especially a bread winner, can have devastating economic consequences on a family.  But even the loss of an elderly family member can warrant a significant damage award under the Wrongful Death Act.  In fact, where the decedent leaves direct lineal kin, or a widow or widower, there is a presumption under the law that they have suffered substantial pecuniary loss by reason of the death. Ferraro v. Augustine, 45 Ill. App. 2d 295 (1st Dist. 1964); Hall v. Gillins, 13 Ill.2d 26 (1958).  This presumption of substantial damages applies even where the decedent was an adult and the next of kin are also adults.

Recently, the trial attorneys at our firm recovered substantial damages under the Wrongful Death Act for 10 half-siblings of a young woman who was tragically shot by an off-duty Chicago police officer.  We also recently obtained substantial damages Wrongful Death Act for the children of an elderly woman who suffered a massive brain bleed after she was left unattended at a rehab hospital and hit her head on the hard floor in her room.

Under the Wrongful Death Act, the term “pecuniary injuries” has been interpreted to include benefits of a pecuniary value, which includes money, goods, and services received by the next of kin of the deceased.  When there are surviving children, it also includes the instruction, moral training, and superintendence of education that the children would have received from the deceased parent. “Pecuniary injuries” has also been held to include the loss of consortium by the surviving spouse (e.g., the society, guidance, companionship, felicity, and sexual relations with the spouse) Elliott v. Willis, 92 Ill.2d 530, (1982); the loss of a minor child’s society by the parents, Bullard v. Barnes, 102 Ill.2d 505 (1984); the loss of an unmarried adult child’s society by the parents, Prendergast v. Cox, 128 Ill. App. 3d 84 (1st Dist. 1984); the loss of a parent’s society by an adult child, In re Estate of Keeling, 133 Ill. App. 3d 226 (3d Dist. 1985); and the proven loss of a sibling’s society, In re Estate of Finley, 151 Ill.2d 95 (1992).

For a consultation in a wrongful death case, call the trial lawyers at DeBlasio Law Group at (630) 560-1123 or contact us via our website www.DGLLC.net/contact.  Our attorneys have the experience to face the most difficult challenges in court, including the Circuit Court of Cook County, the DuPage County Circuit Court in Wheaton and the Will County Circuit Court in Joliet.   www.DGLLC.net.

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Cerebral palsy is one of the most common crippling diseases among young children.   A common cause of cerebral palsy is lack of oxygen to the brain that leads to brain damage.  Birth asphyxia – also known as perinatal asphyxia and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (or “HIE”) –can cause brain injuries that lead to cerebral palsy.  In fact, research has shown that birth asphyxia causes about ten percent of cerebral palsy cases.  Birth asphyxia occurs when there is lack of oxygen to a child’s brain during labor or delivery.   If this occurs, medical professionals must respond promptly and accurately or they can be liable for medical negligence.

If you recently gave birth and one of your doctors or nurses mentioned any of the terms above, you should contact an attorney immediately.  If a medical professional was at fault, they may be required to pay for the compensation that will be needed to care for your child with cerebral palsy.

If you have any questions about birth asphyxia for your child, contact the attorneys at DeBlasio Law group today, at 630-560-1123.  www.DGLLC.net.

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1.  A trucker cannot drive his vehicle for more than 11 cumulative hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty or for any period after the 14th hour after coming on duty.

2.  A trucker cannot drive if he or she has been on duty 60 hours in 7 straight days.

3.  A trucker cannot drive if he or she has been on duty 70 hours in 8 straight days.

4.  In order to start a new 7 or 8 day period, the trucker must be off for at least 34 or more consecutive hours.

A violation of these rules is often linked to the cause of an accident and can be the key to establishing liability in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.

The injury attorneys at DeBlasio Law Group have the ability to aggressively pursue a claim for damages against negligent trucking companies and drivers.  Our law firm provides free consultations in personal injury and wrongful death cases.  To speak with one of our attorneys, call us at (630) 560-1123 or visit our website at www.DGLLC.net/contact.  You pay no attorney’s fees until we successfully resolve your case.

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According to the Mayo Clinic, the medical cause of tinnitus is inner ear cell damage, when the delicate hairs deep inside the ear are broken or bent, causing electrical impulses to be randomly leaked into the brain in the form of sound.  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tinnitus/symptoms-causes/syc-20350156.  The Mayo Clinic cites many causes of tinnitus, including loud noises, such as those from heavy equipment, as well as head or neck trauma.  If you suffer from tinnitus as the result of trauma or exposure to loud equipment at work, our attorneys may be able to help.

In January 2013, our trial attorneys won a substantial trial verdict for a client in the Circuit Court of Cook County.  Our client suffered significant injuries in a gas station explosion, including tinnitus.  Our client was an individual who, upon leaving a Shell Gas Station retail facility in Summit, Illinois, headed for home through the alley behind the gas station.  While standing in the alley off of the gas station property, our client struck his lighter which produced a spark and resulted in a loud explosion.

At the time, a tanker truck was delivering gasoline into Shell’s underground storage tanks.  The vapors from delivery were required to be vented directly back into the tanker truck by way of a vapor recovery system which is connected to the tanker truck as well as the underground storage tank.  The vapor recovery system was either not connected, or not connected properly, causing an invisible cloud of highly flammable and explosive vapors to be present in the alley near our client.

The personal injury attorneys at DeBlasio Law Group are committed to fighting for the rights of our clients who have been injured by the negligent conduct of others.  Our law firm provides free consultations in personal injury cases.  To speak with one of our attorneys, call us at (630) 560-1123 or visit our website at www.DGLLC.net/contact.   We are here to help. There are no attorneys’ fees for our services unless we successfully resolve your case.

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The most common events leading to PTSD include combat, rape and child abuse.  But many other traumatic events also can lead to PTSD, including fire, natural disaster, mugging, robbery, assault, car accident, plane crash, torture, life-threatening medical diagnosis, and other extreme or life-threatening events.  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/DS00246/DSECTION=risk-factors.  If you or someone you love suffers from PTSD as the result of someone else’s negligence, our attorneys may be able to help.

In January 2013, our trial attorneys won a substantial trial verdict for a client in the Circuit Court of Cook County.  Our client suffered significant injuries in a gas station explosion, including PTSD.  Our client was an individual who, upon leaving a Shell Gas Station retail facility in Summit, Illinois, headed for home through the alley behind the gas station.  While standing in the alley off of the gas station property, our client struck his lighter which produced a spark and resulted in a loud explosion.

At the time, a tanker truck was delivering gasoline into Shell’s underground storage tanks.  The vapors from delivery were required to be vented directly back into the tanker truck by way of a vapor recovery system which is connected to the tanker truck as well as the underground storage tank.  The vapor recovery system was either not connected, or not connected properly, causing an invisible cloud of highly flammable and explosive vapors to be present in the alley near our client.

The blast from the explosion caused our client to suffer third degree burns to his face, neck, hands and arms, as well as hearing loss and other injuries.  Our client developed PTSD, which severely impacted his ability to live a normal life.  For example, he suffered nightmares where he re-lived being engulfed in flames.

The personal injury attorneys at DeBlasio Law Group are committed to fighting for the rights of our clients who have been injured by the negligent conduct of others.  Our law firm provides free consultations in personal injury cases.  To speak with one of our attorneys, call us at (630) 560-1123 or visit our website at https://www.DGLLC.net/contact.  We are here to help. There are no attorneys’ fees for our services unless we successfully resolve your case.

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A drunk driver has been charged in the death of a young couple in Chicago.  It has been reported that Delia Aguila, 27, has never earned a driver’s license and her blood alcohol content was more than double the legal limit when she hit the victims as they were changing a tire by the side of the road on the 3800 block of West 87th Street.

William Brunson, 39 was hit as he crouched near the side of the car and Victoria Means, 34, was hit as she walked around the rear of the vehicle, prosecutors said.  Brunson was thrown about 200 feet by the force of the impact and pronounced dead at the scene.  Means was thrown about 125 feet was pronounced dead a short time later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.  To read more, click here.

Nothing can bring back the victims of this horrible tragedy.  But, negligent drivers should still be held responsible for their behavior.  In addition to criminal charges, the family of victims may bring a wrongful death suit seeking compensation for medical bills, funeral expenses and other losses.

Our law firm provides free consultations in wrongful death and personal injury cases.  To speak with one of our attorneys, call us at (630) 560-1123 or visit our website at www.DGLLC.net/contact.  We are here to help. There are no attorneys’ fees for our services unless we successfully resolve your case.

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At the time, a tanker truck was delivering gasoline into Shell’s underground storage tanks.  The vapors from delivery were required to be vented directly back into the tanker truck by way of a vapor recovery system which is connected to the tanker truck as well as the underground storage tank.  The vapor recovery system was either not connected, or not connected properly, causing an invisible cloud of highly flammable and explosive vapors to be present in the alley near our client.

As a result of the explosion our client suffered second and third degree burns to his face, neck, arms and hand; partial hearing loss; tinnitus; and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other injuries.  Prior to trial, defendants offered to settle the case for $125,000.  On the eve of trial, all defendants admitted liability on the condition that plaintiff accept 10% responsibility, which arrangement was accepted by our client.  At trial, the defendants argued that our client’s injuries were, at most, worth only $50,000.  On January 31, 2013, the Circuit Court of Cook County awarded our client $575,000 in damages against Shell Oil and all other defendants, and then reduced the award to a total judgment of $517,500 pursuant to the 10% contributory negligence stipulation of plaintiff.

The personal injury attorneys at DeBlasio Law Group are committed to fighting for the rights of our clients who have been injured by the negligent conduct of others.  We have the experience to take on billion dollar companies such as Shell Oil in the case here and are not deterred by the size of the companies that cause injury to our clients.

Our law firm provides free consultations in personal injury and wrongful death cases.  To speak with one of our attorneys, call us at (630) 560-1123 or visit our website at www.DGLLC.net/contact.   We are here to help. There are no attorneys’ fees for our services unless we successfully resolve your case.

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What is Wrongful Death?

When tragedy strikes unexpectedly to a loved one, the loss is felt in many ways.  Loss of a companion or spouse, loss of a wage earner, the list goes on and on.  The law provides a right of recovery – called a Wrongful Death Claim – if a person or entity caused the death.  Examples include deaths caused by a drunk driver, a dangerous product, nursing home carelessness, and car or truck accidents.  Of course, other types of tragic events also give rise to a Wrongful Death Claim.

Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit?

Typically, a wrongful death lawsuit is filed by a single family member on behalf of all family members and next of kin, such as a spouse of the person that lost their life due to the wrongful conduct of another person or entity.  Typically, if the person that died had a will, the executor of the will would have the duty to file the Wrongful Death lawsuit.

What Damages Can Be Recovered?

Family members and next of kin may be entitled to recover damages for various forms of losses and injuries arising from the Wrongful Death of a loved one, including, but not limited to:

• Medical Expenses and Funeral Bills
• Grief, Sorry and Mental Anguish by the Survivors
• Pain and Suffering of the Decedent Prior to Death
• Loss of Consortium / Loss of Society
• Loss of Economic Support from the Decedent
• Lost insurance benefits

Experience to Help You.

The Wrongful Death attorneys at DeBlasio Law Group pride themselves on taking care of their clients and their loved ones.  If you have lost a loved one unexpectedly, our Wrongful Death attorneys can help you determine who in your family may file a Wrongful Death lawsuit.

Our law firm provides free consultations in personal injury and Wrongful Death cases.  To speak with one of our attorneys, call us at (630) 560-1123 or visit our website at www.DGLLC.net/contact.  We are here to help. There are no attorneys’ fees for our services unless we successfully resolve your case.

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