Posts by Regina P. Etherton & Associates, LLC

If you are hiking in a state park or a public hiking trail and you fall and/or suffer an injury as a result, can anyone be held liable for that injury? If the hiking trail you are on is within a state or national park, the government entity responsible for the park may be liable…

Imagine you are going for a jog in your neighborhood. You pass by another person walking their dog and their dog lunges and bites your leg, causing severe injuries. Is the dog owner liable for any injury you suffer? What if the dog is in the front yard by itself when it bites you? Is…

In Illinois, a personal injury victim is able to recover compensation for emotional harm as well as any physical harm that they may suffer. The threshold question in emotional distress cases is whether an ordinary person could be expected to endure the emotional harm. There must be evidence that a person suffered emotional distress through…

Social media is everywhere, but can it be brought into the court room? If you have filed a lawsuit for personal injuries, can you bring the social media history of a party into the court room? Or could they bring in your social media history? The answer to that depends. Social media posts, like other…

Fireworks are a fun and exciting way to celebrate holidays and special occasions. However, in Illinois, the laws regarding fireworks are quite strict. In Illinois, fireworks are illegal to purchase, possess, or use without a valid permit. This means that if you want to set off fireworks in Illinois, you need to obtain a permit…

A common concern is how circumstances on vacation, especially where alcohol is involved, might be grounds for a lawsuit. Illinois has a law about making alcohol available at social events, where the person hosting and providing the alcohol may have exposure to liability. There is “social host liability” where the host has responsibilities for their…

If you live in Illinois but you are injured outside of the state while on vacation or, alternatively, if you live in another state but are injured while on vacation in Illinois, can you file the lawsuit in Illinois? It is important when considering filing a lawsuit to understand what venue you can file in. Typically,…

If you are injured in the workplace, there are two legal avenues you may pursue for compensation: worker’s compensation and third-party personal injury claims. Worker’s compensation claims provide recourse against the employer of an employee who suffers work-related injuries. Worker’s compensation is a no-fault system that provides compensation to employees injured during the course of…

If you are injured due to another person’s negligence, it is crucial to know the statute of limitations that may apply. In Illinois, generally, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim. However, the statute of limitations varies depending upon the type of case that you are pursuing.…

Under the Illinois Snow and Ice Removal Act, homeowners are not liable for injuries that occur as a result of falls on icy sidewalks in front of their home, unless they have voluntarily undertaken a duty to take some action relative to the condition and, in doing so, have made the area more dangerous and…