Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

The Collins Law Firm Preparing to File a Case Against CTA for Train Crash Victim

November 23, 2023 | Margaret Collins

The personal injury attorneys at The Collins Law Firm are representing a passenger injured in the recent train crash in Chicago and preparing to file a case against the Chicago Transit Authority.

Chicago-CTA-1-300x244 The CTA train crash—which occurred when a Yellow Line train struck a CTA snow plow train doing scheduled training in the Howard rail yard– injured 38 people and was the largest train crash in decades. This tragic and unexpected crash sent 23 people to the hospital, including three in serious condition. Commuter train crashes like this are relatively rare, but when they do happen, they can injure or kill dozens of passengers. After a crash like the one in Chicago, the injured victims will need an experienced train accident attorney to safeguard their legal rights.

CTA, Metra, and Amtrak are the most well-known trains in the Chicago area. However, Illinois’ train system is much larger than that. Illinois has 41 railroads currently operating, with about 9,982 miles of railroad tracks. When you compare those numbers with the fact that, on average, a train accident occurs every 3 hours in the United States, you may feel a little uneasy. Most of those accidents, however, involve freight trains moving at low speeds and do not result in serious injuries. By contrast, passenger trains travel much faster and do not require any special protection–such as seatbelts– for passengers. So, when a passenger or commuter train is involved in a crash, it can result in severe, life-threatening or catastrophic injuries. Having an experienced train accident attorney from the Collins Law Firm will help to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve if you are injured in a train accident.

Shawn Collins’ Feature Interview in Lawyer Monthly Magazine

September 4, 2023 | The Collins Law Firm, P.C.

Partner Shawn Collins is featured in an interview in Lawyer Monthly magazine this month. Below is an excerpt from the article.

Lawyer-Monthly-headline-with-photo Leading the Charge Against America’s Biggest Polluters

Instances of harmful pollution and ecological disasters have grown unsettlingly commonplace in the US – despite environmental regulations that appear strict on paper. Why is this, and how can polluting corporations be held responsible for the damages they cause? Enter Shawn Collins, the ‘environmental lawyer for the people’. In this exclusive interview, Shawn shares a look at the work he does and the clients who come to him, as well as a glimpse into the ongoing battle to hold polluters accountable in the US.

Toxic PCBs in Schools: Why Aren’t States Protecting Children?

August 8, 2023 | Thomas Sheridan

classroom-2-300x200 PCBs – the common term for polychlorinated biphenyls – are toxic manufacturing compounds that do not occur in nature and have been linked to various health problems with the liver, thyroid, skin, and eyes. Moreover, they have been classified as probable human carcinogens by the EPA and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), based on animals studies that provided conclusive evidence that PCBs cause cancer. And they are commonly found in light ballasts and building materials in schools.

PCBs were manufactured by Monsanto for use in a multitude of products, from floor finishers and oil paints, to caulk, carbonless copy paper, and the ballast contained in fluorescent lights. They are nonflammable, chemically stable, and excellent electrical insulators, making them convenient and versatile in the manufacturing process. However, the price for these manufacturing conveniences – the disastrous consequences they can have on health – is far too steep to pay, and in 1979, they were effectively banned by the U.S. government. But this should have been only the first step – and the next steps have been slow in coming.

The health threats posed by products containing PCBs didn’t disappear with the manufacturing ban. PCBs have very slow decomposition rates and retain their toxicity even in very low concentrations. Animals that ingest them can then pass them up the food chain and contaminate an entire ecosystem. And this isn’t even touching on schools – where testing consistently turns up high concentrations of PCBs.

Illinois General Assembly Passes Bill to Hold Gun Manufacturers Accountable

June 28, 2023 | Thomas Sheridan

Gun-violence-protest-300x225 A new bill has passed the Illinois General Assembly that will help make it easier for victims of gun violence to receive justice, and to protect Illinois residents before they experience the horrifying consequences of gun violence themselves. Both the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate have passed the Bill, and Governor J.B. Pritzker only needs to add his signature for the Bill to officially become law. Pritzker has already confirmed his intention to do so.

House Bill 218, also referred to as the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, aims to open gun manufacturers to civil lawsuits from the Illinois Attorney General and citizens of Illinois for marketing their products fraudulently or deceptively. The law specifically outlaws gun advertising, manufacture, or sale that encourages illegal paramilitary activity or targets children under 18.

Illinois’ Firearm Industry Responsibility Act intends to define the limits of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PCLAA) passed by the Bush Administration in 2005, which has been wrongfully used by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and lawmaking groups as a means of sheltering gun manufactures from any legal accountability or consequence when their guns are used for criminal activity.

Pesticide Companies Accused of Withholding the Truth from Regulators

June 9, 2023 | Margaret Collins

agriculture-g318048f3a_1280-2-300x172 The big pesticide companies are once again being accused of manipulating science to get what they want; this time by withholding evidence of pesticide toxicity from European Union (EU) regulators in order to get their pesticides approved. The tactic is not only unethical but is against the law. And finally, researchers are starting to shine a light on this scandal.

New research from Swedish researchers, chemist Axel Mie and toxicologist Christina Ruden, published in the journal Environmental Health reveals that several pesticide manufacturers withheld unfavorable results of toxicity tests for the developing brain from European authorities. The manufacturers–including Bayer, Syngenta, and Nissan Chemical–had conducted developmental neurotoxicity tests to win regulatory approval for their products and submitted them to the US EPA but not to the European Food Safety Authority.

The Swedish researchers discovered that 9 out of 35 developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) studies were withheld from EU regulators despite clear legal requirements to disclose them. In fact, the EU authorities did not even hear about these tests until years later. As a result, the negative studies were not considered by EU regulators during their first authorization of the nine pesticides: abamectin, ethoprophos, buprofezin, fenamidone, fenamiphos, glyphosate-trimesium, pymetrozine, pyridaben, and fluazinam. The pesticides were used on tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes, and eggplants.

Top Motorcycle Safety Tips for Summer

April 26, 2023 | The Collins Law Firm, P.C.

motorcycle-rider-300x195 As the weather warms up, many motorcycle riders are eager to hit the road and enjoy the freedom and thrill of riding in the summer months. However, it’s important to prioritize motorcycle safety to ensure an enjoyable and accident-free riding experience. Here are some top motorcycle safety tips for summer to keep in mind before you rev up your engine and head out on your next ride.

Tune-Up Your Bike

While it is a given that you should maintain your motorcycle regularly, it is important to pay extra attention before summer arrives. If your vehicle has not been on the road for months, take it out on short rides before planning any longer trips.

EPA’s Air Pollution Standards for Particulate Matter are Too High to Protect Against Heart Disease

April 19, 2023 | Thomas Sheridan

air-pollution-1-300x200 Particulate matter is in the air all around us. Emitted from sources like industrial plants, fossil fuel burning, power plants, and wildfires – they are everywhere and can have dire consequences for human heart health. Regulatory agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are in place to ensure that things like particulate matter are kept sufficiently in check to protect American citizens. But are they doing enough to curb particulate matter to truly keep Americans safe?

Two facts:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) summarizes its mission on its own website in one unambiguous sentence: “The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment.”

Have You Been Bitten by a Dog? Here’s What You Need to Know

April 12, 2023 | The Collins Law Firm, P.C.

dog-bite-photo-300x216 Dogs are often referred to as man’s best friend, but sometimes these furry friends can be dangerous and bite. In fact, the American Veterinary Medical Association reports that approximately 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the United States. This equates to about one in every 73 people. Our dog bite attorneys regularly represent people who have been injured in an unprovoked dog attack.

Why Do Dogs Bite?

Dogs may bite for various reasons. They may feel threatened, scared, or anxious. They may also be protecting their territory, food, or puppies. Some dogs may bite because they have not been properly socialized or trained. It’s essential to remember that every dog is capable of biting, no matter how friendly they may seem.

Board Ignores the Dangers of Carcinogenic Diesel Exhaust and Approves Railroad Merger

April 4, 2023 | Shawn Collins

Train-diesel-exhaust-300x169 Just weeks after America witnessed a black plume of toxic murk billowing above East Palestine, the Surface Transportation Board inexplicably decided to increase the chance of an identical derailment horror, right here in the Chicago area.

When the Board approved America’s first big railroad merger in 25 years, it ensured that there will be a 300-600% increase in freight train traffic each day in our communities. That means 11,000 more rail cars filled with toxic chemicals will lumber down the tracks through Chicago and its surrounding suburbs each year. We don’t know what those chemicals will be—carcinogenic? combustible? explosive?—and the towns along the rail lines that will be forced to respond to any derailment won’t know, either.

Board Chairman Martin Olberman defended his approval of this grotesquely-timed merger with vague assurances that transportation of dangerous chemicals by rail is safer than by truck.

Contaminated Groundwater is the Greatest Potential Threat in East Palestine, Ohio

March 17, 2023 | Shawn Collins

The greatest enduring threat to the residents of East Palestine is contaminated groundwater. Fast remediation — and not empty political assurances — can solve the problem.

Aerial_view_Norfolk_Southern_freight_train_derailment_Feb_2023 The director of Ohio’s Department of Health sought to assure East Palestine residents of their safety by remarking that the cancer-causing solvents from the derailment now in the town are no cause for concern, because these chemicals are already “a part of our everyday life.”

What a terribly callous, ignorant, thing for a health official to say. Just because there were some carcinogens in East Palestine before the train derailment does not excuse Norfolk Southern dumping tens of thousands of pounds more of them onto the small town. Plus—and the director should know this—where it comes to carcinogens, there is no such thing as a safe level. That means that every bit dumped by Norfolk adds to the town’s danger.