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New law regarding vehicle manufacturer obligations
The Illinois Supreme Court decided that, in the case of an under ride accident where one vehicle rear-ended a truck and proceeded unimpeded under its bed, that the vehicle manufacturer has no duty to design a vehicle that is safe to collide with. The decision created an ongoing debate over the concept of “enhanced injury,” in which a manufacturer is liable for defects in the vehicles that cause injuries beyond those that occurred from the accident but due to defective design.
So far, Illinois is a state of very few that does not place a duty on vehicle manufacturers to protect non-occupants who collide with their vehicles. In 1973, the Illinois Supreme Court issued its opinion and held that a vehicle manufacturer does not owe a duty to design a vehicle with which it is safe to collide. The plaintiff brought a wrongful death suit against the driver and manufacturer of a semi-trailer truck at the decedent rear-ended while turning off a highway. The plaintiff claimed that the manufacturer was negligent in designing the truck because it did not have under ride protection (i.e. bumper, fender, and shield) attached to the rear. The plaintiff claimed that the lack of rear equipment made it unsafe because it allowed the victim’s vehicle to proceed unimpeded under the truck’s bed. The court decided that, although under ride accidents may be foreseeable, the failure to equip the vehicles with prevention did not create unreasonable danger.
Online Tool Kit to Help Families Coping with Divorce
Sesame Workshop has added divorce to its series of online tool kits, which include topics such as starting school and dealing with financial difficulties, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune. The tool kits are part of the educational organization’s "Little Children, Big Challenges" initiative, and offer hints and tips for parents guiding their young children through difficult matters.
Children who are faced with divorce may have questions that are difficult to voice or the parent may not know how to answer them. "We really try, in these resources, to say, 'It's OK that these questions come up and it's really important to help your child know they're not alone,'" says Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president at Sesame Workshop.
The online tool kit includes, for example, an online storybook about a boy who lives from time to time with his mother and other times with his father; instructions for caregivers, hints for parents on helping their children to talk about the divorce; and songs that make it easier for kids to express and recognize their feelings.
Little care or chance for recovery in nursing homes for brain-injured
When Larry Boswell arrived at Illinois’s Cobden Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in 2008, he was able to walk according to government records. He now sits slumped in a wheelchair. A lawyer who is attempting to persuade Medicaid to transfer him added that speech therapy also ended shortly after the 57-year-old was admitted.
Although much of Boswell’s speech was incomprehensible, a clear “no” was spoken when asked if he wanted to stay where he was.
Boswell is one of nearly 244,000 brain-injured people that have been stuck in nursing homes, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from U.S. Medicare and Medicaid statistics. He is also fighting first hand in a national battle to get himself and others like him out of unequipped facilities that cannot care for them.
Ashton Kutcher brings Mila Kunis home for the holidays
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis appear to be taking their relationship to the next level, going home for the holidays together. On December 24, the “Two and a Half Men” star, 34, and “Ted” actress, 29, were reportedly seen shopping together in Iowa City, Iowa, Kutcher’s hometown.
The recent sightings around the globe of the famous couple have come right on the heels of the divorce filings of Kutcher from 50 year old actress and wife of five years, Demi Moore. The couple separated officially in November of 2011, but soon after, it was reported that the divorce was being held up due to Kutcher’s attempt to let Moore file first, which she took her time with.
Ashton just recently filed for divorce, no longer waiting for Moore to take the first step. “It was a whole dignity thing,” reported TMZ. A year after their separation began; Moore made no signs to proceed, so Kutcher made the first move.
Southwest Suburban Teen Charged for Deadly Crash
According to the Chicago Tribune, last September, a single-vehicle car crash killed the passenger in the vehicle, a southwest suburban teen. The driver, who was 16 at the time of the accident, has recently been charged. According to officials, the driver has been charged with reckless homicide, aggravated reckless driving, and reckless driving. The driver’s name has not been released due to the fact that he is being charged as a minor. The driver is now 17.
The spokesman for the Will County state’s attorney’s office, Charles Pelkie stated that the charges were filed on Friday, December 14th, 2012. The homicide charge is a Class 3 Felony, so if the driver is charged as guilty he could spend anywhere from 2 years or until his 21st birthday in juvenile prison.
‘Sesame Street’ takes on divorce with help from U of I professor
When Sesame Street chose to take on the tricky subject of divorce, the writers identified four experts, including the University of Illinois professor Robert Hughes Jr., to advise them as they developed their facts for the topic.
Hughes is the head of U of I’s Department of Human and Community Development and has studied and written about the effects of divorce on families for years.
Hughes shared that “Some 40 percent of families experience divorce, so the experience is widespread, but our individual lives and crises are always uniquely our own. Children need to know that they’re not alone in these experiences and that they can bring their feelings to their parents and caregivers.”
In the divorce episode of Sesame Street, a familiar character, Abby Cadabby, has to negotiate some of the same rocky terrain that many real children are dealing with due to divorce, Hughes said. Abby’s parents have been divorced for a while, so she has had time to recover and has an easier time talking to her friends about the pictures that she has drawn of her parents’ two houses.
Maggots found in woman’s ear and hair at a nursing home
The family of a 90-year-old woman have pressed charges against a nursing home after 57 maggots were found in the woman’s ear. According to the family, poor care by the suburban nursing home allowed the maggots to grow in the Alzheimer patient’s ear- The Chicago Tribune reported a story on this rather unpleasant-sounding case.
In addition to the lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court, the family previously filed a complaint with the state Department of Public Health.
The maggot incident happened on September 16 when a nurse spotted a maggot moving in the patient’s ear. The 90-year-old patient was rushed to a hospital with an ambulance, according to the nursing home’s administrator.
The lawsuit says Catherine McCann suffered severe injuries, because the Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights failed to provide professional care. The Lutheran Home nurses 372 patients.
Sperm Donor in Kansas Asked to Pay Child Support
A man from Topeka, Kansas was online one day and noticed an ad on Craigslist. A nice lesbian couple was trying to start a family and raise a child but they needed sperm to impregnate one of the partners. William Marotta decided to help them complete their family at no charge, though it may end up costing him quite a bit of money.
That was three years ago and a lot has changed since then. The lesbian couple of Angela Bauer and Jennifer Schreiner is no longer together and their daughter is three years old. When Bauer was diagnosed with a significant illness that prevented her from working, her former partner Schreiner sought state funded health insurance for their daughter. Their application was denied until they provided information including the name of the sperm donor, which they ended up giving.
CTA Buses Crashes into 20 Parked Vehicles
According to CBS Chicago, several Chicago residents have extra reason to be thankful this holiday season. A CTA bus driver passed out behavior the wheel of the bus shortly before 9:00 A.M. on the busy route.
The accident occurred on North Kedzie Avenue in the early morning hours. The reason that the bus driver passed out is currently unknown. The scene following was scary for both riders on the bus as well as onlookers of the crash. The bus careened into several parked vehicles as well as cars that were waiting at the light for the traffic signal to change.
One witness described the scene as utter chaos as people were running all over the place to make sure that no one was injured. Another witness stated that the cars involved in the pileup looked like cars just thrown on top of each other like toys.
Dennis Rodman Has to Pay Half a Million in Child Support
Ex-Bulls star Dennis Rodman has been ordered to pay back $500,000 in child support to his ex-wife, the Chicago Tribune reported on December 7. The former basketball player was sentenced to informal probation, and Orange County Superior Court Commissioner Barry Michaelson told Rodman he might be put in prison if he refuses to pay the support. Rodman’s ex-wife, Michelle Rodman, initially claimed that Rodman owed her $850,000, but after the two parties discussed the issue outside the courtroom, they finally agreed to the $500,000 payment.
The case is not finished yet. Dennis and Michelle Rodman still have to settle custody and visitation rights for their pre-teen son and daughter in a trial next year. The couple is hoping to reach an agreement before the court date, however. The legal battle between the two has gone on since 2004, when Michelle Rodman filed for divorce.
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