We also have extensive experience with a number of other personal injury law areas, such as: Car, Truck & Motorcycle Accidents Pedestrian & Bicycle Accidents Drunk Drivers & Dram Shop Claims Defective Products Traumatic Brain Injury Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death Rideshare, Uber, & Lyft Accidents

Personal Injury

Other Personal Injury Practice Areas

At McDevitt & Cobb, we have substantial experience handling serious personal injury and wrongful death cases that arise in a variety of settings. Although many of the cases we have handled involve motor vehicle collisions, construction accidents or premises liability claims, we have experience handling a wide range of other claims as well.

Medical Negligence:
We have handled cases involving medical negligence by hospital staff including nurses and doctors. Our experience includes cases involving emergency room care, obstetrics, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, general surgery and primary care. We have handled cases involving the failure of hospital staff to communicate with each other, the failure of a doctor’s office to contact the patient with respect to a test result and surgical errors to name a few. Medical negligence cases are challenging and expensive. We have the experience and resources necessary to handle serious personal injury and wrongful death cases arising from physician or nursing staff conduct.

Nursing Home Abuse:
Illinois has approximately 1,200 long-term care facilities serving more than 100,000 residents. More people require the types of services that a nursing home is supposed to provide than ever before. When a loved one is injured in a nursing home, an attorney should be involved to evaluate the potential liability of the nursing home for the injuries suffered. In Illinois, this typically involves the evaluation of the record associated with the treatment in the nursing home, whether the Nursing Home Care Act was violated and whether any additional claims are available.

The Nursing Home Care Act provides protection to residents who suffer injury due to inadequate care in a nursing home. The Act provides that an owner, licensee, administrator, employee or agent of a nursing home facility shall not abuse or neglect a resident.

“Neglect” means a failure to provide adequate medical or personal care or maintenance, which results in physical or mental injury to a resident or in the deterioration of a resident’s physical or mental condition. “Abuse” means any physical or mental injury or sexual assault inflicted on a resident other than by accidental means in a facility.

We have experience handling nursing home cases in a variety of settings. We have handled cases that involve the onset and progression of pressure ulcers. There are guidelines for the management of pressure ulcers and steps that should be taken by nursing staff to avoid and manage ulcers in patients who are likely to develop them. A patient is especially likely to develop a pressure sore when they are unable to ambulate and spend significant time in bed. When a resident develops the type of severe pressure sore which goes untreated or appears to be inadequately assessed, a claim may arise under the Nursing Care Act.

Residents of a nursing home often require assistance to walk. A care plan should be in place for all nursing home residents which addresses this issue. If the resident is likely to fall or has difficulty maintaining their balance, precautions should be put in place. Nursing staff may be required to assist the resident when walking, use a restraint to help transfer the patient from their bed or use the side rails on the bed to make sure the resident is safe. A thorough review of the record including the details of the care plan for the patient, the nursing home records and the patient’s limitations must all be considered in evaluating whether the Nursing Home Care Act was violated.

At McDevitt & Cobb we have handled a wide range of allegations against nursing homes including the failure of nursing staff to appropriately communicate with the attending physician, the failure to take appropriate action on behalf of the resident or the failure to fully evaluate the condition of the resident.

If a resident is injured due to the negligence of nursing home staff, that person may be entitled to compensation for their medical bills, their pain, suffering, and loss of their normal life. If you have questions or concerns regarding the care you or a loved one received at a nursing home, contact McDevitt & Cobb for a free case evaluation at 312-757-8046.

Dog Bite & Other Animal Injuries:
Animal Control Act- An attack or bite by a dog or other animal can result in serious injury and the need for extensive medical care. When an individual is bitten or attacked by an animal there are several potential claims which should be evaluated. This includes a negligence claim against the owner of the animal as well as a claim pursuant to the Animal Control Act. McDevitt & Cobb has the experience to effectively evaluate these cases for our clients.

The Illinois Animal Control Act provides that if a dog or other animal, without provocation, attacks or injures any person who is peaceably conducting himself in any place where he may lawfully be, the owner of the dog or animal is liable for damages to such person for the full amount of the injury sustained.

The Animal Control Act applies not just to the person who purchased the dog but also may include those temporarily keeping the animal such as a kennel or even a friend of the purchaser of the dog who agrees to harbor the animal. However, an absentee landlord who allows his tenants to have pets on the premises is not an owner and therefore is not liable for injury suffered under the Animal Control Act.

It need not be a bite by an animal to be a case worth pursuing. If a dog jumps and knocks an individual down that may be actionable as can be a case involving a leash tripping a client causing them to fall. We have the experience necessary to evaluate and prosecute cases involving an animal causing injury.

Other Types of Cases:
Serious injury and wrongful death cases can arise in unexpected ways and the diversity of our experience in identifying the legal issues at the heart of the case and implementing a litigation strategy in such cases distinguishes our firm from others. We have handled cases involving the failure of a community home to supervise a resident and allowing her to become pregnant, her pregnancy to go unnoticed and for medication to be given that damaged her unborn baby. We have handled cases that involve the failure of a lifeguard to properly supervise children in a pool or a gym teacher’s failure to properly supervise students which resulted in the drowning death of a 14 year old high school student. If you or a loved one have suffered serious injury as the result of another conduct, please contact us. We can help.