Midwest News

County Agrees to $12.2M Settlement with Man Who Was Jailed for Drunken Driving, then Lost His Hands

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota county agreed to pay a $12.2 million settlement to a man who was jailed on suspicion of drunken driving but ended up losing both his hands and suffering a heart attack, a stroke and skin …

5 Died of Exposure to Chemical in Central Illinois Crash, Preliminary Autopsies Find

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Five people died from exposure to a chemical that spilled after a semitruck overturned in central Illinois, according to autopsies conducted Monday. Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said official results from the autopsies won`t be available …

Attempt to Pass a Tanker May Have Led to the Deadly Chemical Crash in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The tanker truck crash in central Illinois that killed five people may have started when another vehicle tried to pass the chemical- laden truck, a federal transportation official said Sunday. The tanker truck was carrying caustic …

Viewpoint: Cook County Class Action Litigation Under the Genetic Information Privacy Act

This year, the Cook County docket has seen an influx of class action claims seeking redress under an older Illinois privacy statute, the Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA), no doubt due to the statute’s extreme statutory damage provisions. GIPA, enacted …

Investigation Continues into Deadly Central Illinois Truck Crash that Caused Toxic Chemical Leak

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Authorities resumed their investigation Sunday of a central Illinois truck crash that killed five people, injured five others and prompted an evacuation for hundreds of residents after a toxic chemical leak. The tanker truck, which was …

Illinois Appellate Panel Relieves Freight Broker of Liability for $18M Jury Verdict

A freight broker is not liable for an $18 million jury award to the mother of a teenage boy who suffered a brain injury when he was struck by a truck, an Illinois appellate court ruled Wednesday. A panel of …

Chicago Sues Monsanto, Univar for Contaminating City’s Water

Chicago is suing Bayer AG’s Monsanto and Univar Solutions Inc. for polluting the city’s water, air and soil with chemicals the companies knew were harmful to humans. The complaint, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, seeks financial compensation for expenses …

Fire at Michigan Paper Mill Closes Roads, Residents Told to Shelter in Place

CHEBOYGAN, Mich. (AP) — Residents near a northern Michigan paper mill that caught fire Wednesday, prompting the closure of several roads and a lock and dam on a nearby river, have been told to shelter in place until Thursday afternoon …

Viewpoint: Ambiguous Language Forces Insurer to Pay Losses It Didn’t Intend to Cover

Insurers often complain that their insureds do not read the insurance policy and compel them to fulfill all policy terms or receive nothing. In my experience almost no one reads an insurance policy until there is a dispute over a …

Explosion, Fire at Archer Daniels Midland Facility in Illinois Injures 8 Employees

DECATUR, Ill. (AP) — An explosion and fire at an Archer Daniels Midland facility in Illinois injured eight employees and sent a tower of smoke into the air Sunday evening, officials said Monday. The explosion occurred shortly after 7 p.m. …

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