The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children be placed in car seats until at least the age of 5. All children less than 57 inches tall should use a car seat or a booster seat. Having your child secured in the right seat, installed in the correct manner, is not always a […]
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Victim’s Compensation Expert Raises GM Death Toll to 21
The compensation expert chosen by General Motors has increased the number of deaths attributed to defective ignition switches to 21. The number is expected to rise higher. The victim’s compensation fund has now received 143 claims involving a traffic fatality and a total of 675 claims involving injuries caused by the defective switches. The fund manager, Kenneth […]
Report Critical of NHTSA Response to GM Ignition Switch Issue
The House Energy and Commerce Committee released a report concerning the ignition switch defects plaguing General Motors, as well as the response of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to the faulty vehicles. The report leveled criticism as GM for failing to take action to protect consumers. It further criticized the NHTSA, claiming that the administration […]
Investigation into the Speed of Vehicle Recalls
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is tasked with reducing motor vehicle accidents and losses that result. Among the responsibilities taken on by the NHTSA is the duty to investigate motor vehicle defects and determine whether a recall should be ordered for a vehicle with a safety concern. The actions surrounding the ignition switch defects in […]
New Technology for Combating Distracted Driving
General Motors is investing in new technology designed to track the eyes and face of the people driving their vehicles. The information gathered is used to determine whether a driver is succumbing to fatigue or distraction. If a driver turns his or her attention away from the road for too long, such devices could trigger […]
A New Tool for Finding Auto Recall Information
When car makers discover a defect that impacts the safety of a vehicle, they are required to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as well as vehicle owners, dealers and distributors. What those groups do with that information varies. Accidents continue to cause injuries and deaths even after safety problems are identified and these parties are […]
The Impact of Texting Bans on Fatal Accidents
Recent research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health analyzed the impact of texting bans and found that they have been effective. Illinois was one of 24 states to ban texting by drivers of any age during the period analyzed in the study, 2000 to 2010. An additional seven states banned […]
Controversy Over Veto of Truck Speed Limit Law
A measure that passed unanimously in the Illinois House and Senate was vetoed by Governor Quinn this week. The law would have raised the speed limit for trucks traveling on interstates in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties from 55 miles per hour to 60. The law was positioned as a return to […]
The Growing Problem of Truck Accidents
From 2009 to 2012, car accident fatalities dropped 1.74 percent according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The drop was typical of the past 15 years during which fatal crashes fell substantially. NHTSA data indicates that there were 42,013 motor vehicle deaths in 1997 compared to 33,561 in 2012. That decrease occurred despite a […]
David Rapoport Begins Second Year as National Board of Trial Advocacy President
The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) Board of Directors met in Baltimore, Maryland, last week. The meeting marks the beginning of Mr. Rapoport’s second year as the President of the National Board of Trial Advocacy Board of Directors. The NBTA is the oldest American Bar Association (ABA) accredited attorney board certifying agency in the […]
David Rapoport Accepts Invitation From the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys to Serve as Regional Chair
David Rapoport of Rapoport Weisberg Sims & VanOverloop was recently invited by the President of the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys to serve as Regional Chair in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. Mr. Rapoport agreed to take on this new role in support of the ABPLA and its mission. For more than four decades, the […]
Log Book Violations and Drowsy Driving
Last week’s tragic truck accident on Interstate 55 near Elwood has renewed concerns about log book practices and overworked drivers. The driver in that case is accused of falsifying his log book entry. His paper log book indicated he began working around 6-6:30 a.m. Investigators have uncovered evidence that he actually started work at around […]
Bill Proposed to Help Truck Accident Victims Gain Proper Compensation
Following a serious truck accident, victims and their families often must turn to the truck company’s insurance provider to obtain proper compensation. The minimum insurance policy a truck company can hold under the law is $750,000. This level was set in 1985, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Due to rising medical costs […]
David Rapoport Takes On Volunteer Role With American Association For Justice
David Rapoport of Rapoport Weisberg Sims & VanOverloop has been appointed to serve on the Public Education Committee of the American Association for Justice. Mr. Rapoport is a long-standing supporter of the AAJ and is a member of the Leaders Forum. The American Association for Justice is the largest trial bar in the world. The […]
Proposed Bill Addresses Ride-Sharing Insurance in Illinois
Taxi drivers in Chicago are subject to specific requirements regarding background checks, drug testing, vehicle inspections and proper insurance. However, the same regulations, which are in place to minimize uncertainty and protect passengers and pedestrians from injury, don’t apply to the emerging ride-sharing companies such as UberX and Lyft. These companies offer private cars for […]
Ignition Interlock Devices and Drunk Driving Deaths
Roughly one-third of all traffic fatalities are caused by drunk drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In an attempt to reduce these deadly incidents, new legislation has been proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives. If passed, the law would require all 50 states to order mandatory ignition interlock devices for people convicted […]
New Legislation Proposed Following Ignition Switch Defect Recall
The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has announced his intention to propose new auto safety legislation later this year or early next year. The announcement joined several other proposals intended to combat the problems demonstrated by the General Motors ignition switch failures and subsequent recall. The proposal would overhaul the Transportation Recall Enhancement, […]
Chicago Officials Working to Improve Pedestrian Safety
Chicago city officials have set a goal to reduce serious pedestrian injuries by 50 percent over the next five years. The goal is eliminate such accidents completely in the five years following that. According to the executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance, 7-8 pedestrian injuries occur each day in Chicago. Pedestrian-vehicle collisions cause more than 3,000 […]
Toyota Issues New Worldwide Recall over Airbag Defect
Toyota recently announced a second worldwide recall of vehicles with defective airbags. The problem is that the passenger-side airbag has a defective inflator that, if cracked, could allow metal fragments to get into the compartment, potentially causing injuries when the airbag inflates. The defect could also leave the instrument panel with “thermal damage.” Toyota said […]
Rapoport Law Offices, P.C., Files Medical Malpractice Lawsuit for Delayed Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Rapoport Weisberg Sims & VanOverloop filed a medical malpractice case today in the Circuit Court of Dane County, Wisconsin, on behalf of a 32-year-old woman for the delayed diagnosis of her breast cancer. The lawsuit alleges the woman’s doctor improperly assessed a mass on the woman’s breast and said it was not suspicious rather than referring the […]
