Cullotta Law

Services Cullotta Law Offers

CULLOTTA LAW OFFICES, PC
Glenview, Northbrook, & Chicago Illinois

Phone: (847) 651-7191
Website: www.BrainInjuryAtty.com

PRACTICE AREAS:

- Head / Brain Injury

Our Illinois brain injury lawyers will fight to win you the maximum compensation for your present and future medical bills, loss of income and benefits, and pain and suffering. We understand that no amount of money will ever make up for the losses experienced by TBI and spinal injury victims, but we can help you and your family afford the peace of mind you deserve. The following conditions can result from a Traumatic Brain Injury:

Concussion
Skull fracture
Brain contusion
Epidural hematoma
Subdural hematoma
Brain herniation
Coma
Anterograde amnesia
Retrograde amnesia

- Medical Malpractice

At Cullotta Law Offices, PC, taking good care of the firm's clients is priority number one. The firm works to accomplish that goal by limiting the number of cases they take on and by being fully committed to preparing each case as thoroughly as possible. Led by trial attorney Josephine Cullotta, Chicago land area firm focuses on handling traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and medical malpractice cases, including medical malpractice claims resulting from causes including:

Emergency room error
Surgical error
Failure to diagnose, misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis
Obstetric malpractice
Hospital negligence
Anesthesia or medication errors
Nursing Home care abuse or neglect

- Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injuries, like brain injuries, are often caused by serious auto accidents and slip/fall accidents, and they typically result in paralysis. Living with a spinal cord or traumatic brain injury is devastating enough, but the astronomical financial costs can push victims and families into serious economic crisis.

If a negligent driver caused you or a loved one to suffer a spinal cord injury, it is important to discuss your case with an experienced Illinois spinal cord injury lawyer. Our Illinois spinal cord personal injury attorneys are rated lead counsel by other personal injury attorneys. We work closely with medical experts, accountants, economists, actuaries and other professionals to accurately gauge the full extent of your losses. Because compensation awards in these cases can be substantial, this kind of preparation is essential to achieving a result that is fair.

- Birth Injury

Failure to diagnose developing problems during pregnancy can result in birth injuries or brain damage. Often these were not emergency situations, but were simply medical negligence, such as, failure to diagnose:

Intrauterine growth (when the child stops growing, indicating a problem)
Breach birth or footing presentation, which could result in anoxic brain injury or HIE
Gestational diabetes, leading to large sized babies and delivery problems that can result in shoulder dystocia and erb's palsy
Rh factor differences between a mother and child
High blood pressure and pre-eclampsia
High risk delivery and transfer to appropriate facility

Other times, medical staff failed to provide appropriate treatment, resulting in cerebral palsy and other problems including sometimes death of the infant.

- Surgical Errors

With the increasing number of surgical procedures performed in the U.S., so are the increasing number of surgical errors. Half of the causes of surgical errors causing surgical problems could have been avoided. Errors occurring during surgery can take many forms, including:

Drug errors or prescription drug overdose
Anesthesia overdoses
Giving a patient the wrong blood type
Misreading a medical chart or medical history
Failing to review medical instructions leading to surgery on the wrong body part, removing the wrong breast, or amputating the wrong limb
Scalpel slips that cut into nearby organs, perforating bowels, uterus, bladder or ureter, causing incontinence
Improper medical clearance for surgery
Failure to diagnose and treat a post-operative infection

- Drug Overdose / Medication Errors

Drug overdoses or wrong medications cause an estimated 7,000 deaths a year. Medication errors can be avoided with proper training, technology, and standardized medical procedures. If only hospitals would make the effort.

- Failure To Remove Surgical Sponge / Instruments

Based on the nearly 29 million hospital surgeries performed each year, the researchers estimate that more than 1,500 cases of retained foreign objects (sponges, knife blades, etc) occur annually in the U.S. The Association of Operating Room Nurses has long required that only X-ray detectable sponges be used and that the sponges should be counted before and after surgery.

- Emergency Room Errors

Misdiagnoses, delayed diagnosis and misreading of medical tests- are the most common hospital emergency room errors. Emergency rooms handle critical and non-critical patients in a fast-paced environment. Staff in emergency rooms are trained in triage-the assessment of the seriousness of a medical condition in order to provide prompt care when needed. An incorrect assessment can lead to delayed diagnosis or delayed treatment, which can lead to death.

Emergency rooms are often very busy, but that is not a valid reason to provide less than acceptable medical care, to fail to review patient histories, to fail to do adequate testing, to fail to provide treatment. These failures are errors on the part of physicians and on the part of hospitals and patients' safety and patients' lives should not be jeopardized.

- Motor Vehicle Accidents

Our firm is dedicated to obtaining compensation for our injured clients for their financial losses, such as medical bills and lost wages, and for their pain, suffering, disability and loss of a normal life. The following is general information about motor vehicle accidents. Actions, on the part of either driver, that may have contributed to the accident include:

Failure to stop at a red light or stop sign
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Failure to compensate for dangerous weather conditions
Driving above or below the posted speed limits
Driver distraction caused by a cell phone, passenger, radio or another source
Failure to obey traffic laws regarding turn signals, right-of-way and other rules

- Uninsured Motorists & Underinsured Motorists

When a driver refuses or is unable to carry proper motor vehicle insurance, that driver puts more than just him or herself at risk. If the driver injures another person, the insurance will be inadequate to cover the damages. Injured parties, however, may be covered by their own insurance policies; uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage protects accident victims in these cases. If you have been involved in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver, it is important to contact an attorney to create a plan of action.

- Truck Accidents

The trucking industry is regulated by state and federal law. That means, Trucking companies are required to provide adequate driver training, maintain vehicles, and ensure drivers are accurately reporting the number of hours they drive in a given day. However, due to rising costs and increased pressure to deliver on time across Illinois State, corners may be cut and regulations may not be followed. Causes of truck accidents may be due to one or more of the following:

Excessive speeding
Driver fatigue / falling asleep at the wheel
Wide angled turns
Lane drift
Lack of a rear guard, resulting in under riding
Lack of proper safety reflectors
Tire blowout
Load shift

Injuries often sustained in a truck accident may include:

Whiplash / neck injuries
Brain damage or injury
Paraplegia / quadriplegia
Amputations
Spinal cord injury
Serious burns

- Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle accidents can include brain injury, spinal cord injuries, loss of limbs, bone fractures and other serious injuries. Cullotta Law Offices' Illinois motorcycle accident attorneys will examine the cause of the motorcycle crash, such as motorcycle maintenance (brake failure, tire blow outs), driver negligence (speeding, failure to yield, tailgating, improper lane usage, reckless aggressive driving, or unsafe driving) and other causes.

- Construction Site Accidents

After a construction accident, a workers' compensation claim and any other potential third-party liability injury lawsuit should follow to maximize recovery for the injured worker. It is important to consult with lawyers experienced in both Workers' Compensation cases and "Third Party" cases. A third party case, (personal injury or wrongful death case) is when another person or entity (e.g., a general contractors, an equipment manufacturer, a subcontractor, a property owner) who is not your employer contributed to the accident by his or its negligence. Causes of Construction Accidents, may include:

Unsafe scaffolds / a faulty scaffold
Negligent housekeeping on a construction site
Crane accidents
Ladder falls
Roof falls
Collapsing trenches

- Nursing Home Neglect / Abuse

There are many kinds of injuries that can occur to a resident that is abused or neglected while staying at a nursing home or assisted living facility.

General Warning Signs of Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect:

Bed sores
Depression
Restraints
Medication abuse
Bruising or fractures
Malnutrition
Frequent illness / failure to report illness
Sudden death or hospitalization

Warning Signs of Nursing Home Physical Abuse:

Prolonged deprivation of food or water
Medication errors
Unexplained injuries
Reports of slapping, pushing, shaking, beating
Bruising
Broken arm (humerus, radius, ulna), broken leg (femur, tibia, fibula)
Fractured skull, fractured hip, fractured clavicle, fractured, and other bones fractured or broken bones

Warning Signs of Nursing Home Neglect:

Lack of care for existing medical problems
Failure to prevent malnutrition or bed sores, infections
Failure to protect residents' from health and safety hazards
Injury or death due to resident wandering (outside facility) when staff is not aware resident is missing

- Animal Law

Animal law is a growing field that touches upon many other areas of law. It covers all aspects of the environment - such as air, water, land and forests - in all types of situations - from criminal prosecutions to civil actions to administrative functions. It encompasses all types of animals (or really non-human animals, since humans are animals too) - such as companion animals, livestock, animals used in research and those used for entertainment or sports.

For many people, companion animals are part of the family. And just like any other family member, sometimes you need or want to provide legal services for them. For example:

Veterinary malpractice
Boarding or grooming problems

- Dog Bites

If a neighbor child harasses your dog and the dog bites back, the child is told not to harass dogs anymore but your family member could be at risk for being put to death. If you believe you have a legal issue that is serious enough to require an attorney, please consider setting up an appointment.

CALL (847) 651-7191 TO SCHEDULE A FREE CASE CONSULTATION.