August 4, 2010

Parents turn efforts to pool safety

Although swimming pool safety has improved, all summer swimmers should swim with caution, and parents must pay close attention to their children. A heart-breaking story of a boy drowning led two Connecticut parents to spread the word about swimming pool safety. As
a personal injury attorney, I join them in their mission to keep kids safe while swimming.

Karen and Brian Cohn of Greenwich, Connecticut, who lost their 6 year old son, Zachary, in a swimming pool accident three years ago after his arm became trapped in a suction drain, are “campaigning for tougher laws and to raise awareness about the dangers that surround pools.” (J. Christoffersen ,AP, 8/2). The Cohns, formed The Zac Foundation in memory of their son Zac, have turned their efforts towards adamantly fighting what they say are “efforts to weaken pool safety laws.” Although a spokeswoman for the pool industry denies any efforts to weaken pool safety, I, like the Cohns, believe you can never be too safe, and one life lost is one life too many.

Bookmark: Bookmark Parents%20turn%20efforts%20to%20pool%20safety at del.icio.us Digg Parents%20turn%20efforts%20to%20pool%20safety at Digg.com Bookmark Parents%20turn%20efforts%20to%20pool%20safety at Spurl.net Bookmark Parents%20turn%20efforts%20to%20pool%20safety at Simpy.com Bookmark Parents%20turn%20efforts%20to%20pool%20safety at NewsVine Blink this Parents%20turn%20efforts%20to%20pool%20safety at blinklist.com Bookmark Parents%20turn%20efforts%20to%20pool%20safety at Furl.net Bookmark Parents%20turn%20efforts%20to%20pool%20safety at reddit.com Fark Parents%20turn%20efforts%20to%20pool%20safety at Fark.com Bookmark Parents%20turn%20efforts%20to%20pool%20safety at Yahoo! MyWeb

November 23, 2008

City of Chicago has laws in place to make winters easier on handicapped

Snowy sidewalks make city life difficult for the Chicago’s handicapped population. Unfortunately there are no Chicago laws that require owners of private property to remove snow from private walks and drives however, under the Chicago City Code, landlords are required to keep emergency exits accessible. Clearing snow and ice from building doors and steps fall under that category.

Local fair housing laws closely mirror federal requirements that landlords provide "reasonable accommodations" for renters with disabilities. The goal is to allow a disabled tenant to "enjoy" the property equally as all the other tenants, but not be given overly burdensome favors. Under Illinois law, in certain circumstances, owners who do a careful job of snow removal from public walks are protected from personal injury lawsuits.

Most court decisions require a tenant to put requests for accommodation in writing to trigger their rights—but the accommodations that are required vary case by case. If you have been injured as a result of a fall at someone else’s property, the Premises Liability attorneys at Hurley McKenna & Metz, PC may be able to help. Please contact us at (312) 553-4900 for a consultation.

Bookmark: Bookmark City%20of%20Chicago%20has%20laws%20in%20place%20to%20make%20winters%20easier%20on%20handicapped at del.icio.us Digg City%20of%20Chicago%20has%20laws%20in%20place%20to%20make%20winters%20easier%20on%20handicapped at Digg.com Bookmark City%20of%20Chicago%20has%20laws%20in%20place%20to%20make%20winters%20easier%20on%20handicapped at Spurl.net Bookmark City%20of%20Chicago%20has%20laws%20in%20place%20to%20make%20winters%20easier%20on%20handicapped at Simpy.com Bookmark City%20of%20Chicago%20has%20laws%20in%20place%20to%20make%20winters%20easier%20on%20handicapped at NewsVine Blink this City%20of%20Chicago%20has%20laws%20in%20place%20to%20make%20winters%20easier%20on%20handicapped at blinklist.com Bookmark City%20of%20Chicago%20has%20laws%20in%20place%20to%20make%20winters%20easier%20on%20handicapped at Furl.net Bookmark City%20of%20Chicago%20has%20laws%20in%20place%20to%20make%20winters%20easier%20on%20handicapped at reddit.com Fark City%20of%20Chicago%20has%20laws%20in%20place%20to%20make%20winters%20easier%20on%20handicapped at Fark.com Bookmark City%20of%20Chicago%20has%20laws%20in%20place%20to%20make%20winters%20easier%20on%20handicapped at Yahoo! MyWeb