On behalf of Cannizzaro, Bridges, Jillisky & Streng, LLC posted in Civil Litigation on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Ohio Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a wrongful death suit, in which the Ohio city of Canton is accused of being responsible for the 2007 death of a driver who was killed in an accident with a fire truck.
The accident, which sparked the wrongful death case, occurred when an 82-year-old driver drove his van through an intersection and was struck by an oncoming fire truck, which had run a red light on its way to a fire. The fire truck did not have a siren activated, but its driver claimed he activated the vehicle's emergency lights and used the air horn to warn motorists. The driver of the van was killed in the accident, while his wife sustained serious injuries.
On behalf of Cannizzaro, Bridges, Jillisky & Streng, LLC posted in Workers’ Compensation on Monday, February 13, 2012
The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation has denied benefits to a man who claimed his wife's fatal heart attack was related to her work. The woman died in 2005 after suffering an apparent heart attack in her car. She had parked a block from her place of employment at the Ohio Education Association after finding her handicapped parking spot blocked.
The woman's widower sought workers' compensation benefits from the BWC, claiming his wife's death was caused by overexertion, suggesting that the heart attack was directly related to her employment.
On behalf of Cannizzaro, Bridges, Jillisky & Streng, LLC posted in Civil Litigation on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Ohio Supreme Court is scheduled to begin hearing oral arguments in a lawsuit regarding a 2008 traffic accident that left two people dead. An Ohio woman filed the wrongful death lawsuit in 2009 after her 72-year-old husband and 4-year-old step-grandson were killed after their vehicle was struck by a fire truck while traveling to a vehicle fire.
The suit accuses the firefighter who was operating the truck of driving at unsafe speeds given the severity of the emergency. The lawsuit names the town of Massillon, Ohio, as the defendant.
On behalf of Cannizzaro, Bridges, Jillisky & Streng, LLC posted in Civil Litigation on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
An Ohio woman will spend five years in prison for her role in a car accident that left a 19-year-old man dead in 2010. She was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, tampering with evidence and leaving the scene of an accident in March 2011, but has been freed since paying the $15,000 bond.
According to police records, the car accident occurred as the victim walked along the southbound side of the road with his girlfriend. Witnesses say a car traveling the same direction then struck the teenager and stopped for a moment before continuing onward. The victim, who was thrown approximately 20 feet by the car, was killed at the scene. Police established a basic description of the suspect's car and were able to seize the vehicle within hours.
On behalf of Cannizzaro, Bridges, Jillisky & Streng, LLC posted in Personal Injury on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Police are attributing the deaths of two Ohio teenagers and the serious injury of a third in a car crash to their failure to wear seatbelts. Officers with the Ohio Highway Patrol say the car accident occured shortly after 4 a.m., when a car's 19-year-old driver lost control of her vehicle and struck a sign on the side of the Interstate 71. This caused the vehicle to overturn and slide back into the roadway, throwing two passengers from the back seat. The car rolled over one of the ejected passengers, killing him instantly. The second passenger was crushed to death when a semi-truck ran over her.
After the car overturned, it was struck by an oncoming sport utility vehicle. The driver of the flipped car sustained severe injuries and was transported to a nearby medical care facility for treatment. The third passenger of the car was also hospitalized with minor injuries. Police are currently investigating whether any of the drivers involved in the accident were intoxicated.
On behalf of Cannizzaro, Bridges, Jillisky & Streng, LLC posted in Personal Injury on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Several ex-National Football League players have filed a lawsuit against the league they played in, arguing that brain injuries, such as concussions, that they sustained while playing have left them with chronic medical problems.
A former player for Ohio's Cleveland Browns filed the personal injury lawsuit with three other players, alleging the NFL knew about the risks the players faced, but did nothing with the information. In fact, the players say the NFL was aware of the dangerous side effects of severe concussions in the 1920s, but did not release the information until 2010.
On behalf of Cannizzaro, Bridges, Jillisky & Streng, LLC posted in Workers’ Compensation on Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Ohio's Bureau of Workers' Compensation recently marked its 100th anniversary, with its CEO noting that the agency's formation was views as a "bold step" in improving the lives of Ohio workers and the Ohio economy. Admitting that many critics have called for reform in the way the agency deals with changing timelines, benefits and markets, the CEO said the agency continues to be a critical factor in Ohio's plan for economic growth.
The said the BWC does have problems that demand addressing, noting that Ohio has the highest long-term costs for workers' compensation claims in the nation, as well as rising lost wages and medical costs. The last four years has seen a decrease in the number of workers who are able to return to their jobs within a year of being injured, dropping from 75 percent to 69 percent.
On behalf of Cannizzaro, Bridges, Jillisky & Streng, LLC posted in Workers’ Compensation on Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Average workers' compensation benefits and salaries increased in nearby Franklin County, Ohio, in 2010, but a recent federal report from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that such figures are still significantly lower than national averages, despite outpacing the rate of inflation.
Franklin County, home of the state capital of Columbus and located directly next to Marysville's Union County, saw an increase in average workers' compensation benefits of about 2.2 percent to $57,246 between 2009 and 2010. However, nationwide average benefits increased by 2.7 percent to $58,451. During the year the data was taken from, inflation rose by approximately 1.8 percent.
On behalf of Cannizzaro, Bridges, Jillisky & Streng, LLC posted in Personal Injury on Thursday, December 29, 2011
An Ohio doctor and his fiancée have been awarded $11.35 million by a jury, after suing an aviation repair facility responsible for maintaining the man's personal airplane. The couple suffered severe injuries when the airplane crashed due to engine problems soon after taking off in August 2007. Both individuals suffered third-degree burns covering close to 40 percent of their bodies. Doctors placed the man in an induced coma following the crash, preventing him from returning home until several months later.
The personal injury lawsuit claimed that the repair facility failed to overhaul the rear engine and perform other maintenance actions to ensure that the plane was airworthy. The plaintiffs also alleged that the facility, Winner Aviation, did not investigate its mechanics' work on the craft, ultimately leading to a misdiagnosis of the plane's problems. They say that the facility's failure to properly identify and correct the problem caused the plane to lose power at a critical moment.
On behalf of Cannizzaro, Bridges, Jillisky & Streng, LLC posted in Criminal Defense on Tuesday, December 20, 2011
A 34-year-old man is in police custody after agents with the Central Ohio Drug Enforcement Task Force allegedly found powder and crack cocaine in his apartment. The suspect has been charged with one count of first-degree felony drug possession. Police say he will face additional charges for drug distribution.
Authorities say they began investigating the suspect after receiving a tip from an informant, who claimed the man possessed a large quantity of cocaine. Officers then obtained a search warrant for the man's apartment and a second for his business, a local barber shop. Upon entry to the residence, the officers claim to have discovered tools typically used in the manufacturing of crack cocaine.
