Chicago Injury Blog

Sadly, it appears that race is an important factor in determining who gets better health care. A new study published in the Archives of Surgery shows that blacks and Hispanics are less likely to receive quality care than whites when they suffer traumatic brain injuries. Although hospitals are supposed to treat everyone the same way based on the severity of the injury, the report says they do not.

The study, which was based on data from 376,000 patients at 700 hospitals, indicates that whites who had insurance were more likely than blacks and Hispanics to survive after being treated for a head wound. In addition, blacks with insurance had a higher mortality rate than insured whites.

The last thing on your mind as you rush to the polling place on Election Day is a car crash. Yet statistics show that you have an 18 percent increased risk in death and a significantly increased chance of suffering a catastrophic injury.

So whether you plan to vote for Barrack Obama, John McCain or another candidate for President, the lawyers at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, in Chicago, urge you to take extra precautions when you get behind the wheel, especially if you’re rushing to the polling place or driving on an unfamiliar route.

Public Justice Foundation (PJF) is back before the U.S. Supreme Court in Philip Morris USA v. Williams again, filing an amici brief opposing the tobacco company's latest effort to avoid the jury's $79.5 million punitive damages award in that case. Tony Romanucci, a partner in the Chicago personal injury firm of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, serves on the board of the PJF.

The case arose out of the untimely death of Jesse Williams, an Oregon man who died from lung cancer caused by his smoking of Philip Morris' cigarettes. After being diagnosed with lung cancer, Williams told his wife that the "cigarette people" had deceived him, that he felt betrayed, and that "they were lying all the time." An Oregon state jury awarded $821,485.50 in compensatory damages and $79.5 million in punitive damages, the equivalent of two-and-a-half weeks profit for Philip Morris. The Oregon Court of Appeals and the Oregon Supreme Court twice upheld the award as entirely proper.

Continue reading "Public Justice Foundation Fights for Justice for All" »