Many states across the country have legalized the use of recreational marijuana, with Illinois following suit. For Illinois, the beginning of the year brought the legalization of recreational marijuana, but it also brought concerns about marijuana-related DUI’s. Illinois now permits adults who are age 21 or older to purchase and consume cannabis, though the drug still remains highly controlled. Adults are only permitted to purchase and possess certain amounts of marijuana and are only permitted to ingest the drug in certain places. Like alcohol users, marijuana users are subject to charges if they are caught driving while under the influence.

Illinois’ Marijuana DUI Laws

The 2020 Illinois DUI Factbook states that drivers in Illinois are not permitted to operate a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or other drugs such as cannabis, whether it was used for medical or recreational purposes. Like alcohol, the state has placed a limit for what is considered to be a legal amount of THC (the intoxicating compound in marijuana) in a driver’s blood. While the intoxication limit for alcohol is a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08, the intoxication limit for THC is no more than 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood or 10 nanograms of THC per milliliter of another bodily substance.

The issue with marijuana-related DUI’s is that they are not as clear cut as alcohol-related DUI’s. One of the reasons why marijuana-related DUI’s are a bit of a gray area is because there is no 100 percent accurate way of determining how intoxicated a person is when under the influence of cannabis. When it comes to alcohol, most people are impaired when their BAC is 0.08 or more. When it comes to the legal THC limit, some people can feel intoxicated with less than 5 nanograms of THC in their blood, while other people may sincerely not be intoxicated with more than 5 nanograms of THC in their blood. There is also the issue that traces of THC remain in a person’s body for weeks after using marijuana.

Are You Facing an Illinois DUI Charge? A Skilled Tinley Park, IL, DUI Defense Attorney Can Help

If you have been charged with a marijuana-related DUI, it is important to understand that you have options. Our knowledgeable Cook County DUI defense lawyers know that a prosecutor’s job of proving marijuana intoxication can be difficult. At the Fotopoulos Law Office, we understand how a DUI can impact your life and we will do everything in our power to help you. To schedule a free consultation, call our office today at 708-942-8400.

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Minor Crashes and ‘Whiplash’ in the United States

You Still Can’t Smoke Weed and Drive – but Tests to Prove Impairment Murky

Hospitals are supposed to be some of the safest places we can go – they are where we go to be treated when we are sick or injured. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. According to The Leapfrog Group, an independent hospital safety organization, as many as 440,000 people die annually as a result of hospital errors, accidents, injuries, and infections. This makes medical errors the third leading cause of death for Americans, right behind heart disease and cancer. Fortunately, many medical errors are preventable. Here are four medical mistakes and what you can do to minimize the chance that they happen to you:

1. Medication Mix-Ups: There are a lot of moving parts in hospitals and multiple ways a medication mix-up can occur. Getting the wrong medication or the wrong dose of a medication can cause you more problems and can even be deadly. Before you take your medication, you should verify that the nurse gave you the correct medication and the correct dosage.
2. Infections: This is one of the most infamous causes of death in hospitals. With so many people touching you and so many objects being inserted into you, it is easy to pick up an infection while in the hospital. To try to lessen your risk of catching an infection, remind your health care professionals to wash their hands before they touch you.
3. Falls: Though this may not seem like a medical mistake, hospital staff are responsible for protecting you from falling. It is important to tell nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and patient aids about your fall risk before you start moving. They might give you a cane or a walker to help stabilize you. Also, you should ask for help before you get out of bed or try walking.
4. Being Discharged Too Soon: Leaving the hospital prematurely is also a culprit of injuries, accidents, and infections. You may suffer if your health professional discharges you before you are actually ready to go home. Before you leave the hospital, make sure you and your companion both understand all of the discharge instructions, medication instructions and care instructions that are given to you. If you are unsure of something, ask questions.

Get in Touch With a Cook County Medical Malpractice Attorney

Medical errors have quickly become a top cause of death in the U.S., which is problematic and disturbing for many reasons. You should be able to trust and rely on your physician and health care team to heal you – not worry that they will harm you. If you think you may have been a victim of a medical error or medical malpractice, you should immediately contact a skilled Orland Park medical malpractice lawyer today. At the Fotopoulos Law Office, we can help you recover any damages that you may be entitled to. Call our office today at 708-942-8400 to schedule a free consultation.

Sources:

10 Medical Errors That Can Kill You in the Hospital

Errors, Injuries, Accidents, Infections

5 Common Preventable Medical Errors

5 Common Medical Mistakes to Avoid in the Hospital

If you have a child, you know that your first priority is making sure they are safe at all times. Even though we strive to keep our children out of harm’s way, sometimes things happen that cause our children to be put in danger, whether it is our fault or not. Having a child in the vehicle when you are arrested for driving under the influence is a serious situation. Not only do you face consequences if convicted for driving while under the influence, but that could be just the beginning of your worries. Illinois law has provisions for what happens when a person is arrested and convicted of DUI when there is a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle with them.

Consequences for First-Offense DUI with a Child in the Vehicle

Consequences of being convicted of a DUI for a first offense can vary depending on the judge, but there is a good chance that you can receive court supervision as a sentence, which could keep a conviction off your criminal record. As long as you follow the rules of your court supervision, which typically include attending drug/alcohol counseling and/or community service, your case will be dismissed at the end of the supervision period. However, if a child was with you in your car during your first DUI, you face a minimum fine of $1,000 and at least 25 days of community service in a program benefiting children.

Consequences of Felony DUI with a Child in the Vehicle

There are some situations in which you could be charged with a felony because you were carrying a child in the vehicle when you were arrested for DUI. If you got into a car crash while driving under the influence and a child was injured, you can be charged with a Class 4 felony, which comes with the possibility of up to three years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines. In addition to that, you face a mandatory fine of $2,500 and 25 days of community service in a program benefiting children. Penalties increase for second or subsequent offenses.

Contact Our Cook County DUI Defense Attorney Today

If you have been arrested for DUI and you had a child in the vehicle with you, you need to immediately contact a skilled Tinley Park, IL, DUI defense lawyer. At the Fotopoulos Law Office, we know how serious of a situation it is when you are charged with a DUI with your child in the vehicle. We have the experience you need to defend you against any charges you face pertaining to DUI or child endangerment. Call our office today at 708-942-8400 to schedule a free consultation.

Sources:

Cyber Driveillinois

Parenting is hard work. You spend years of your life raising your child from a bouncing baby boy into the strapping young man he is becoming. You would like to think that he has a good moral compass and a sense of what is right and what is wrong. The last thing you want to hear is that your child has gotten himself into trouble with the law. That phone call can be devastating, but now there is one question that keeps running through your mind: what will happen to my child? Depending on what your child has done, he may be eligible to participate in a juvenile diversion program, which is one of the more favorable outcomes of a juvenile offense.

What is a Diversion Program?

Juvenile diversion programs were designed as an alternative to juvenile detention. Juvenile offenders who are convicted of minor offenses can participate in diversion programs. These programs are typically community-based and smaller-scale, which make them more effective at addressing and preventing future delinquency.

The primary goal of juvenile diversion is to reduce the number of juveniles in out-of-home placements after a conviction. Each diversion program is different, but they all have the same end goal: to educate and rehabilitate the juvenile offenders in an effort to prevent future delinquency and mold them into law-abiding citizens. Juvenile diversion programs typically offer services such as:

• Education and tutorial services;
• Substance use education and counseling;
• Mental health treatment;
• Crisis intervention;
• Family counseling;
• Job skills training; and
• Recreation and organized sports programs.

Benefits of Diversion Programs

There are many benefits of juvenile diversion programs, including:

• A reduced number of children serving out-of-home sentences for relatively minor offenses;
• The ability to give struggling youth the services they need;
• An increased focuses on education and rehabilitation, rather than punishment;
• Letting children gain a sense of community by letting them stay in their home environments; and
• A reduced cost, when compared to court processing and traditional detention.

An Orland Park Juvenile Crime Defense Lawyer can Help

It is widely known that teenagers can make poor decisions. Their brains are still developing, and many teens do not have the mental capacity to see how their actions will pan out in the future. One small mistake should not dictate the rest of your son or daughter’s childhood. If your child has been charged with a minor crime, such as retail theft or underage drinking, you should contact a Cook County juvenile crime defense attorney. At the Fotopoulos Law Office, we will fight to ensure your child receives a fair trial and push for alternative sentencing, like juvenile diversion programs, whenever possible. To schedule a free consultation, call us today at 708-942-8400.

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Diversion Programs

At some point during the day, we are all pedestrians. If you are not in a motor vehicle, you are a pedestrian. During the warm-weather months, the number of people walking from place to place greatly increases. Unfortunately, so does the risk that they will be involved in a car accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were nearly 6,000 pedestrians killed in traffic accidents in 2017. Though this is less than the number of pedestrians killed in 2016, pedestrian fatalities still remain a large issue in our country.

Pedestrian accidents can result in serious injuries, if not death. A 150-pound human is no match for a 3,000-pound car, especially if the vehicle is traveling at a relatively high rate of speed. Fortunately, pedestrian accidents can be avoided with a little effort from both drivers and pedestrians.

Tips for Drivers

In many areas, pedestrians have the right of way, meaning you must yield to them while they are in the street. Even if the pedestrian does not technically have the right of way, you are in a vehicle while they are unprotected; you could cause serious damage to them. Here are a few tips to help avoid a pedestrian accident:

• Always keep your eyes open. You never know when a pedestrian could appear;
• When you are in urban or suburban areas, you should exercise even more caution. These areas are where you are bound to see more people on the sidewalks and streets;
• Always yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Never try to pass a vehicle that is stopped at a crosswalk – there could be pedestrians crossing in front of them; and
• Never drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Not only is this illegal, but it also decreases your ability to notice potential issues, such as pedestrians.

Tips for Pedestrians

It is not just drivers’ responsibility to keep pedestrians safe – you also must exhibit a certain level of responsibility for your own safety. Here are a few tips to help keep yourself safe on the road:

• Try to be as predictable as possible. If you are trying to cross a street, use a crosswalk if one is available. If not, cross at an intersection where drivers are more likely to expect you;
• Be as visible as possible. If you are walking at night, try to stay in well-lit areas. If the areas are not well-lit, wear bright colors or reflective materials to increase your visibility to drivers;
• Always use sidewalks if they are available. If there is no sidewalk, walk as far away from traffic as you can and walk facing traffic; and
• Be aware of your surroundings. Try not to let your cell phone or other electronic devices distract you. You should also not have headphones or earbuds covering both ears.

A Cook County Pedestrian Accident Lawyer can Help

If you have been involved in a car accident and have suffered injuries as a pedestrian, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Your first step is to contact a knowledgeable Orland Park, IL, pedestrian accident lawyer. At the Fotopoulos Law Office, we understand how catastrophic injuries sustained by a pedestrian can be. We will fight to get you the compensation that you deserve for your pain and suffering. Call our office at 708-942-8400 today to get started and schedule a free consultation.

Sources:

Everyone is a Pedestrian!

Traffic Safety Facts