Chicago Personal Injury Law Blog

After being sedated, many patients are oblivious to what is going on with their surgery. They trust that the medical staff is operating on them to the best of their abilities, but what would patients find if they were secretly awake during a surgery? After a recent survey completed by health care workers, many Chicago residents would be surprised to learn that

77 percent said they witnessed disrupted behavior by physicians.

Between physical threats and verbal outbursts, many health care workers have claimed to of been bullied by their co-worker physicians. This potential hospital negligence has lead to many medical errors, according to the recent survey. 71 percent of those surveyed said such behaviors have caused medical errors in the operating room. When a doctor is distracted and takes time to yell or scold another employee, they are being distracted from their patient, leaving room for error.

Distracted driving is one the biggest contributing factors to teen car crashes. From texting while driving to having multiple peers in the car, teens are prone to distractions. The inexperience and recklessness of a teen driver can cause harm to both passengers and other drivers. Recently a fatal Illinois automobile accident caused by a teen took the life of a 15-year-old girl and caused a personal injury to another.

Police believe the tragic accident was caused by distracted driving. It all started after a car full of four teens - a 17-year-old male driver and three 15-year-old female passengers - was driving down the road when the driver disobeyed a stop signed and continued through the intersection. Another car that had the right of way in the intersection was T-boned the car full of teens on the driver's side.

Imagine telling a Chicago resident from the 1940's or '30's that robots would be doing surgery in 2013. Many would probably pass it off as science fiction, but in today's medical world using robots to perform surgery is becoming more mainstream. From prostate surgery to a hysterectomy, robots are now completing advanced surgeries. But just how safe are they? Since robots were first introduced to the medical world, several patients have filed medical malpractice claims against the technology.

From a case of a robot accidentally nicking a blood vessel that apparently killed a man, to a patient getting hit in the face with a robot arm, more of these robotic horror stories have popped up in recent years. Most of these robots are controlled by a surgeon. Robots do not have shaky hands and are usually error free, but they are still missing one very valuable tool: a human brain. Last year there were 367,000 robot-assisted surgeries, many of them resulting in success. The question is, are these robots doing more good than bad?

The world is wide open with possibilities for many 17-year-old Chicago teens. The future is often on their minds. Teens often dream of becoming anything they want when they grow up. From becoming anything from a professor to an astronaut, many teens have bright dreams of the future. It is always tragic when these dreams are derailed due to the negligence of another. Recently, a 17-year-old high school student was struck by a Jeep which caused her to suffer a serious brain injury. Despite all odds, the teen is not giving up.

Two teens were out for a jog when they were hit by a Jeep that was going too fast. Both girls survived, but one of them suffered a traumatic brain injury while the other suffered only minor injuries. The 22-year-old driver who struck the joggers was charged with driving with a suspended license and driving too fast for conditions. After three weeks in an intensive care unit, the teen was transferred to another center where she will continue treatment and rehabilitation. The family of the 17-year-old has said she is doing great and hopes to one day have her dreams back on track.