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 […]
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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 Sims Perry & 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 Sims Perry & 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 Sims Perry & VanOverloop, P.C., Files Medical Malpractice Lawsuit for Delayed Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Rapoport Sims Perry & 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 […]
Air Traffic Control Transitioning from Radar to Digital Guidance
Historically, radio transmissions have been the predominant means of communication between flight crews and air traffic controllers. Times are changing, however, as air traffic increases throughout the world and digital communication becomes the norm. A single mistake in air traffic control can have catastrophic consequences, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently developing digital […]
Rapoport Sims Perry & VanOverloop, P.C., Files Lawsuit Against Chrysler
Rapoport Sims Perry & VanOverloop, filed suit against Chrysler and a maintenance supervisor today in the Circuit Court of Winnebago County, Illinois. The action arose out of an injury that occurred when a contracted security guard providing security services for Chrysler at their Belvidere, Illinois, facility was called to investigate a fire that started in […]
Ordinance Would Limit Segway Sidewalk Traffic in Chicago
FMCSA Plans to Raise Minimum Insurance for Trucking Industry
Commercial motor carriers in the United States are currently required to have a minimum of $750,000 in liability insurance. That minimum has not been raised in nearly 30 years. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), if insurance regulation in the trucking industry had been adjusted for inflation, then the minimum would now […]
Nearly 20 Percent of Elderly Patients Suffer Medical Injuries
At the very least, medical care is meant to protect patients from unnecessary injury or illness. We generally expect medical treatment to improve our health rather than harm it. However, in many cases, medical mistakes cause injuries and other medical problems that are not related to the patient’s underlying condition. A study recently published in the journal […]
David Rapoport Attends AAJ Leaders Forum Retreat
Last weekend, attorney David Rapoport participated in the annual retreat of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Leaders Forum in San Diego, California. The Leaders Forum membership includes a select group of trial lawyers from across the country who help facilitate AAJ in its efforts to protect the civil justice system by increasing financial resources for public […]
Small Portion of Product Recall to Be Funded by Buckyballs Founder
Much has been said in the last few years about the dangers posed by magnets in toys and other products available to children. As we discussed in a previous post, children have ingested these powerful magnets, which can become connected in the body and cause serious tissue damage. According to federal regulators, various kinds of small magnets […]
Rapoport Sims Perry & VanOverloop, P.C., Files Another Lawsuit Based on Failure of the Stryker Rejuvenate Modular Hip System
Rapoport Sims Perry & VanOverloop has filed another product liability lawsuit against medical device maker Howmedica Osteonics Corp., doing business as Stryker Orthopaedics, along with Stryker Corp., Stryker Sales Corporation and Stryker Ireland Limited, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. According to the lawsuit, Stryker designed, manufactured and sold a defective medical device, the […]
