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Recent Blog Posts
Will My DUI Charge Be a Felony in Illinois?
Drinking and driving is a major cause of fatal car accidents, even when only one car is involved. The state of Illinois, therefore, takes people driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol very seriously, and certain DUI charges may even be prosecuted as a felony DUI. Criminal DUI charges can impact your employment prospects, driving privileges, and relationships for long into the future; if you have recently been charged with a DUI in Will County, Illinois, you may be wondering what the likely consequences are.
First and Second DUI Charges
If there are no other additional charges, such as property theft or vehicular homicide, a person’s first and second DUI charge will usually be a Class A misdemeanor. While a misdemeanor may sound less serious than a felony, Class A misdemeanors are the most serious type of misdemeanor charge and carry serious consequences, including up to a year in jail and up to $2,500 in fines. A judge can also order probation, court supervision, a breath alcohol ignition interlock device, and counseling for DUI charges.
What is the Difference Between Workers’ Comp and Social Security Disability Benefits?
When someone is seriously injured or has ongoing health issues, their ability to go to work every day can be threatened. Unfortunately, injury and illness can result in job loss and the disastrous consequences that come with it - unpaid bills, food insecurity, and even homelessness. Fortunately, there are options to replace your income if you are unable to work due to serious illness or injury: Social Security Disability (SSD) and workers’ compensation benefits. Although these are similar, they are not the same and it is important to understand the difference between the two, especially if you sustained a work-related injury that has kept you from earning a paycheck.
What is Workers’ Compensation?
Nearly all Illinois employers are required to have workers’ compensation insurance, which allows employees to receive benefits after a workplace-related injury or illness. The upside to workers’ compensation benefits is that, in most cases, workers are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits even if they were at fault for the injury or illness. The downside is that workers’ compensation usually shields employers from lawsuits after an employee has been injured or made ill through no fault of their own. Workers’ compensation can cover medical expenses, lost wages, and sometimes even job training if the employee is unable to return to their former profession.
I Was Delivering a Package and Got Attacked by a Dog. What Can I Do?
The classically antagonistic relationship between dogs and postal workers has been the subject of many comedy skits and great movie scenes. While most dogs are friendly to visitors and the vast majority of the millions of deliveries in America each day are made safely, it is unfortunately true that people who deliver mail, packages, and food are sometimes viciously attacked by dogs through no fault of their own.
Dog attacks can be terrifying to experience and can have serious physical and emotional consequences. Injuries sustained in dog attacks can require expensive treatment, including surgery and physical therapy, and may even cause lifelong physical deformation. If you were delivering a package and were attacked by a dog, you may want to meet with an Illinois dog attack lawyer.
Common Dog Attack Injuries
Dog attack injuries can vary widely in their seriousness and in the level of treatment they require. However, common injuries sustained in dog attacks include:
Construction Sites Pose Risk of Serious Work Injuries in Illinois
Of all the jobs in Illinois, construction work exposes workers to some of the most consistently dangerous conditions. Throughout the United States, heavy machinery, slippery conditions, unstable scaffolding, and other risk factors contributed to over 1,100 construction worker deaths in 2019 alone, with many tens of thousands of construction site injuries. While most injuries are not life-threatening, others are serious enough to take a worker off the job for months and sometimes even permanently. Here are some of the most common injuries sustained by construction workers in Illinois.
Common Construction Site Accidents
The United States Department of Labor keeps statistics on construction industry accidents. According to their estimates, the most common cause of injuries and fatalities were falls, slips, and trips. Most fatalities occur when someone falls to a lower level. Other common causes of serious accidents include:
What Can I Do if I Got Caught With Oxycodone or Other Opioids in Illinois?
Getting caught with illegal drugs carries serious penalties in Illinois, especially as the attention of courts and society at large is drawn towards the dangers of the opioid pandemic. In general, more dangerous drugs carry more serious penalties, and while people may disagree with the classifications, drugs are nevertheless divided into strict classes that make determining criminal punishments easier.
The least serious drugs are classified as Schedule V drugs, which includes things like cough syrup and other substances that are unlikely to be abused. On the other end of the spectrum are Schedule I drugs, including heroin, ecstasy, and, on the federal level, cannabis. Oxycodone is a Schedule II drug, and along with other opiates, it has a high potential for addiction and abuse. If you have been charged with possession or distribution of Oxycodone or another illegal drug, it is important to get the help of an Illinois criminal defense attorney.
How Can I Post Bail in Will County, Illinois?
Much has been made in recent years of necessary reforms to the criminal bail system. Nevertheless, until bail is no longer required or there is another way to ensure people charged with crimes appear in court, bail will continue to plague people who have yet to be proven guilty. If you or a loved one has been arrested and charged with a crime in Illinois, you should know as much as you can about how the bail system works.
What is Bail?
When someone is accused of a crime in Illinois, the state has several options. Depending on the severity of the crime, the alleged perpetrator may be kept in jail, released on bail, or released without having to post bail. If someone has enough money to pay the full amount of bail with cash, he or she can do that. If not, a jail may allow a surety bond, which lets the defendant out of jail after 10 to 15 percent of the bail is posted. No matter what happens, the defendant never gets back the 10 percent of a surety bond because the court keeps it as a fee.
Will I Go to Jail for Getting My First DUI in Will County, Illinois?
It is the morning after a fun night with friends. You wake up, your head hurts, and then your stomach sinks as you remember - you were arrested last night for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This happens to about 35,000 people every year in Illinois and even though you may have never thought it would happen to you, now you have to deal with the consequences.
Will I go to jail? Will I lose my license? All of these are questions we frequently hear from first-time DUI clients. While the specific punishments can depend on the case and your previous criminal record, it is important to take your first DUI seriously and hire an Illinois DUI defense lawyer so you can make the appropriate amends and avoid harsher sanctions in the future.
What Are the Penalties for a First-Time DUI in Illinois?
Someone’s first DUI offense is a Class A misdemeanor. Class A misdemeanors are the most serious misdemeanor charges and one could land you in jail for up to a year, along with up to $2,500 in fines. For strictly first-time DUI offenses, it is rare to be hit with the harshest penalties available - more often, there will be a mandatory $500 minimum fine, probation, and possibly substance abuse counseling.
Help! I’ve Been Accused of Child Endangerment for Running Errands With My Child in the Car
As any parent of a young child knows, sometimes running errands while constantly buckling a tantruming or sleeping child in and out of a car seat is simply too much to ask. Frustrated and exhausted, parents will often lock a child in a car and quickly run into the grocery store or post office, complete their business, and hurry back out to find all is well.
Unfortunately, even if the parent feels the child is safe, this may result in criminal charges. Under certain circumstances, Illinois law prohibits leaving young children unattended in a vehicle because doing so can place a child at significant risk. If you have been charged with child endangerment for leaving your child in a car, read on.
Is Leaving a Child in a Car Really Child Endangerment?
Many parents, especially those living in rural areas who grew up with plenty of independence, have a hard time understanding how a cautious parent who leaves a sleeping child in a car could be guilty of child endangerment. Yet a child left alone in a car is subject to many hazards, including:
What Happens if I Carry a Gun in Will County Without a Concealed Carry Permit?
Having a gun on your person or in your car in Illinois without a concealed carry permit is a gun crime. Illinois does not allow open carry, which is the practice of openly having a firearm in public. Therefore, in order to go anywhere with a gun outside of your home, you must have a concealed carry permit in Illinois (excluding transportation of firearms, which only requires the gun to be contained in an enclosed case).
Only people who are 21 and older, who have completed the appropriate training course, and who have a Firearm Owners Identification Card (FOID) may have a concealed carry permit, and only handguns may be concealed. While following these rules may seem onerous, they are absolutely essential for preventing criminal charges. If you have been charged with a concealed carry permit violation, you may want the help of a criminal defense attorney.
Can I Refuse a Field Sobriety Test in Joliet, Illinois?
Being pulled over on the suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) can create a situation where people feel the need to prove their innocence then and there. In doing so, they may think that they have no choice other than to complete a field sobriety test when prompted by the officer who pulled them over.
While the logic makes sense, in all actuality, you do not have to agree to a field sobriety test in Illinois. Many people are not aware of this, but that is often because officers do not offer up that information unprovoked because it is not in their best interest to do so.
However, knowing your rights is in your best interest, including the right to refuse a field sobriety test in Illinois.
What is a Field Sobriety Test?
A field sobriety test is often referred to as a singular test, but this is misleading as there are actually three field sobriety tests, all of which serve a singular purpose. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there is the one-leg stand test, the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, and the walk-and-turn test.
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