Posted on December 12, 2018 in Personal Injury

New research out of the University of Buffalo suggests that the price of your vehicle may help predict your likelihood of getting injured in a car crash. It may sound odd, but when you start to think about it, it makes sense. After all, if a Cadillac Escalade gets in a collision with a Fiat, odds are the driver of the SUV is going to walk away with fewer injuries than the person in the small car. Researchers also noted that vehicle type and total weight also play a significant role in predicting injuries.

“We found that vehicle type, curb weight and price are all significant predictors of personal injury cost,” said Dietrich Jehle, a professor of medicine and biomedical research at the University of Buffalo.

According to researchers:

• For every additional $10,000 you spend on your purchase price, injury likelihood drops by nearly 12 percent.
• For every 1,000-pound weight increase, vehicles were 19 percent safer.

“More expensive cars are typically safer in a crash due to the greater weight of the higher value vehicles, the presence of more sophisticated safety features and the fact that SUVs, which tend to be the safest vehicles on the road, are priced higher than the average passenger vehicle,” Jehle said. “In our study, we found that nearly one-third of this increased safety is due to the greater weight of the vehicle and 11 percent is a result of the type of vehicle driven such as an SUV versus a sub-compact. Sophisticated safety features can explain much of the remaining benefits.”

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 Posted on December 05, 2018 in Personal Injury

Ejection from a vehicle during a car crash is typically associated with the most severe types of injuries. That’s why it’s so important to always wear your seat belt when you’re in a moving vehicle. The problem is, not everyone buckles up all the time, and that can leave you susceptible to major injury. Today, we take a closer look at injuries caused by an ejection.

Car Ejection Causes

Most people believe an ejection occurs when an unbelted rider if thrown forward through the windshield, but that’s not always the case. A person can be ejected from the vehicle through the windshield, through a side window, or out the car door. Some factors that can contribute to an ejection include:

• Vehicle rollover
• Speed at the time of crash
• Seat belt malfunction
• Faulty door latches
• Weak side windows

There are two types of ejections a person can suffer during a car crash:

• Partial Ejection – As the name implies, when part of a body is thrown through the glass or outside the body of the car, this is known as a partial ejection.

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 Posted on November 28, 2018 in Personal Injury

A car accident is a physically and emotionally traumatic experience that can leave you asking the question, “Where do I go from here?” That’s why we’re here; to help you get on the road to recovery. Today, we share some tips for handling physical and legal issues after a car accident.

Steps To Take After a Car Accident

Here are some steps that can help you care for yourself after an auto accident.

1. See a Doctor – If you’ve suffered any type of injury, no matter how minor, it’s important to swing into an injury clinic. This is helpful for numerous reasons. First, they can help diagnose your injury, address your wounds and prescribe medication to assist in the healing process. Also, in the event that you want to file an injury claim, you’ll want to have had your immediate injuries documented by a physician.
2. Rest and Watch for Symptoms – The next thing you’ll want to do is take it easy for a few days and let your body recover. This is also a crucial time to listen to your body, as sometimes injuries and symptoms take a few days to arise after an accident. This is particularly true with concussions, so if you are feeling groggy, confused or have regular headaches, it’s probably worth another visit to a physician.

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 Posted on November 21, 2018 in Traffic violation

Drunk driving is a dangerous choice that can have fatal consequences, but thousands of people make the decision to drink and drive every day. To get a better idea of just how problematic drunk driving is in the United States, we’re sharing this infographic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Contact Appelman Law 

If you are in need of legal representation for a criminal or civil matter, look no further than the lawyers at Appelman Law. Our attorneys have decades of combined experience representing clients for a wide variety of charges – including dui, driving with a suspended license, drug crimes, and more. Contact us today at Appelman Law for a free initial consultation on your criminal or civil matter. Our office is in Naperville, but we represent clients throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.

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 Posted on November 07, 2018 in Criminal Law

Most criminal cases do not go to trial in Illinois. This can happen for a variety of reasons. In this article, we are going to examine why this is the case.

Plea Deals & Case Strength

Often when the government does not have a strong case they make an offer to reduce the charges and give a small fine and much lighter punishment to the defendant. Since trials have uncertain outcomes, the defendant often opts to take the guarantee that the government offers. When the government has a strong case (video evidence, multiple eye witnesses, good forensic evidence, etc.), the defendant will often take the deal, or plead guilty and argue what an appropriate sentence would be.

Contact a Naperville Criminal Lawyer

At Appelman Law LLC, our attorneys have decades of experience assisting clients in criminal and civil matters. We can work with you to make sure that you know what’s happening and that you feel comfortable throughout the extent of your case. Contact us today at Appelman Law to set up your free consultation. Our office is located in Naperville, but we represent clients throughout the state of Illinois.

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 Posted on April 18, 2017 in Traffic violation

If you’re like most drivers, odds are you’ve spotted the red and blue cherries of a police cruiser in your rearview mirror at one point or another. Hopefully you weren’t going too far above the speed limit, but you can still end up schilling out hundreds of dollars even if you were only going a couple miles faster than the posted limit. Today, we take a closer look at the hidden costs of a speeding ticket, and we get to the bottom of the true cost of a speeding ticket in Illinois.

Speeding Ticket Cost In Illinois

Speeding costs typically vary a little throughout the state. Here’s a rough breakdown of the base fine you can be expected to pay based on your speed:

• 1 to 20 mph over the speed limit – $120 fine.

• 21 to 30 mph over the speed limit – $140 fine.

• 31 mph or more over the speed limit – $160 fine.

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 Posted on April 05, 2017 in Traffic violation

If you’ve been ticketed or charged with a crime, one of the first things you’re probably thinking about is whether or not it is in your best interest to hire an attorney. Yes, hiring an attorney will cost you money, but pleading guilty to a charge can cost you a lot more in the long run. Today, we help explain when it is worthwhile to hire an attorney.

Should I Hire A Criminal Defense Lawyer?

Since we are criminal defense lawyers, it is much easier for us to explain situations where it is in your best interest to hire an attorney. If your arrest involves any of these factors, it is likely a wise move to lawyer up.

1. Drugs/Drunk Driving – Although you may not need to serve jail time for some crimes involving drugs or drunk driving, a conviction can seriously impact your ability to get a job, keep a job, get into college or have your rental application approved. Don’t just pay the fine and try to keep the charge from being discovered, because it will show up on background checks.

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 Posted on March 28, 2017 in Traffic violation

An Illinois legislator has introduced a proposal that would make wrong-way driving an aggravating factor in determining sentences for DUI offenders.

Wrong way DUIs don’t occur all that frequently in Illinois, but when they do, they can easily be deadly. State data suggests that wrong way impaired drivers have caused more than 50 deaths and more than 300 injuries over the past decade.

Upon hearing about the proposal, the advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving applauded the move, saying “the punishment doesn’t fit the crime for DUIs.”

Wrong Way DUI Proposal

The proposal, introduced by Rep. Michael Zalewski, D-Riverside would mean a wrong way DUI driver could be charged with an aggravated DUI even if no other aggravating factors are present. Under the current law, anyone convicted of an aggravated DUI must serve at least 85 percent of the minimum sentence. This means if a person commits a wrong way DUI that results in a potential 90-day sentence, the person would be forced to spend at least 77 days in jail.

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 Posted on March 23, 2017 in Law

Lawmakers introduced a bill on Wednesday that would legalize recreational marijuana use in Illinois, but a vote on the issue likely won’t surface until next year.

Under the proposal, it would become legal for adults over the age of 21 to possess, grow and buy marijuana in Illinois. If passed, Illinois residents would be able to possess up to 28 grams of marijuana and grow up to five marijuana plants. The measure would also establish safety regulations such as chemical testing and labeling requirements.

Legalized Marijuana in Illinois

Illinois is considering legalizing marijuana after witnessing the financial success Colorado has had after legalizing the drugs. Estimates suggest that legal marijuana could generate between $350 million and $700 million in sales per year.

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 Posted on March 21, 2017 in Law

Governor Bruce Rauner signed a bill last week that will expand the types of crimes that will be eligible for probation and rehabilitation in lieu of a prison sentence. Additionally, the bill will look into building trauma centers in state prisons to ensure prisoners have better access to physical and mental health needs while behind bars.

“This will help keep our community safer, help victims of crime recover, and help those who committed a crime get the rehabilitation they need,” said Rauner. “Prison should not just be about punishment [and] locking people away. It needs to be about preventing the individual offender from committing crimes again.”

Rehab Vs. Prison

Some people may read the first two sentences of this blog and think that Illinois is going “soft” on crime, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, offenders need to be punished for their actions, but in order to prevent future crime or cases of recidivism, we need to focus on the mental rehabilitation aspects that are involved.

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