A nursing home located in Chicago, IL has nearly 90 lawsuits filed against it and is facing yet another for abuse and negligence allegations. CBS Chicago reports Alden-Wentworth Rehabilitation is the nursing home under investigation. Here, Mary Mims’ daughter Letasha lived while she was suffering from severe mental-health issues that prevented her from being able to take care of herself. Letasha was unable to speak and couldn’t use her arms or legs which means she relied solely on the care she received from the nursing home staff working at the facility.
https://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/iStock-533913806.jpg7401024Yao Dinizuluhttps://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svgYao Dinizulu2018-01-12 13:00:282018-01-12 13:00:28Nursing Home in Chicago Hit with Nearly 90 Lawsuits Involving Neglect and Abuse
Among all types of vehicular accidents, those involving trucks tend to be the most severe. Trucks are not only traveling with hundreds of pounds of product on their vehicle, but the vehicle itself usually weighs over 30,000 pounds. The impact of a truck accident is enough to leave an individual suffering with some of the harshest injuries. In this article, we discuss spinal cord injuries as this is a common injury a truck accident victim suffers from.
https://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/iStock-618359408.jpg6831024Yao Dinizuluhttps://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svgYao Dinizulu2018-01-08 13:30:082018-01-08 13:30:08Truck Accidents and the Unfortunate Injuries Victims Often Suffer From
If you have come to terms that now is the time that your elderly loved one receives their regular care from a home health care company or in a long-term care facility, you want to be sure you place them in the right hands. But, how do you know which company or facility is licensed and qualified to provide the care and treatment you want rendered to your loved one? The truth is, it takes time and patience as this shouldn’t be a rushed process.
https://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/photodune-17904021-health-care-worker-and-elderly-patient-xs.jpg365548Yao Dinizuluhttps://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svgYao Dinizulu2018-01-02 12:35:552018-01-02 12:35:55How to Choose the Right Caregiver for Your Elderly Loved One
Robert, an aging pastor, who lived a life of service and put others first, was neglected by his care providers in an Illinois nursing home.
Robert was admitted into a nursing home with severe illnesses that required 24-hour care. Robert suffered from Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and dysphasia, among other medical conditions. Dysphasia causes one to have trouble swallowing food and therefore, the person must be monitored closely to ensure proper digestion. Failure to monitor this food intake can cause the person to choke or aspirate, meaning the food gets stuck in the throat or lung.Because of these risks, Robert should never be allowed to eat alone. What did the nursing home do to monitor these health concerns? Watch the video to learn more.
Just a few weeks after being admitted, a care giver at the nursing home noticed Robert was eating poorly and pocketing food. This is critical because since Robert was pocketing food, he could later eat that food while he wasn’t being watched and could suffocate as a result. The caregiver did absolutely nothing after noticing that Robert was pocketing food, like alerting the doctor or the head nurse.
After a few days, Robert was found to be lethargic with concealed food on him. He developed a cough and congestion, had labored breathing, and a fever. These symptoms worsened.
Finally, the nursing home sent Robert to a hospital. Only after going to the hospital was Robert diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia. You see, Robert had likely ingested the pocketed food that became lodged in his lung, causing the aspiration pneumonia. Aspiration pneumonia happens when substances, such as gastric contents, are inhaled into the lungs. This also creates a bacterial infection in the lung, leading to aspiration pneumonia.
Robert was a total-assist resident, meaning he needed to be fed, clothed, and changed. The nursing home ignored these responsibilities even though they fully understood Robert’s physical and mental limitations when they agreed to admit him into their facility.
Robert’s wife Michelle contacted the administrators at this nursing home to get them to properly care for Robert. They all made promises, yet the same pattern of unreasonable care continued.
I want all families like Michelle’s and all nursing home residents to know that nursing homes are accountable for the promises they make to you. There are remedies when nursing homes do wrong and cause you harm.
I know you may be watching this video because you probably have questions about your own loved one in a nursing home. Contact the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. We answer questions like yours every day.
https://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svg00Yao Dinizuluhttps://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svgYao Dinizulu2017-12-22 11:48:022017-12-22 11:48:02Aging Pastor Neglected by His Nursing Home Caregivers
Driver fatigue is an extremely common problem in the trucking industry. A study done by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found fatigued drivers are the #1 cause of truck collisions.
When these tired and overworked truck drivers cause accidents, as you may know, these are not minor accidents. Car drivers and passengers who are in a collision with a truck are very likely to suffer serious life-long injuries or even death.
There are rules in place to prevent these deadly accidents. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulates the hours truck drivers can spend on the road per day and per week. Watch the video to learn more.
The law is that truck drivers can work:
A maximum of 70 hrs. in 8 days if their employer operates every single day of the week. If the employer is closed any day of the week, then truck drivers can work up to 60 hrs. in 7 days.
Within these 60 or 70 hrs in about a week, truck drivers must only work a maximum of 14 hrs. per day. Only 11 of these 14 hrs. can be behind the wheel. After a truck driver has driven the maximum of 11 hrs., they must rest for 10 hrs. straight before starting work again.
After working for 8 days or 7 days as per the limit of days that applies to them, truck drivers can only restart work after resting for 34 hrs.
These safety rules were created based on many studies that examined the needs of truck drivers so that they can be alert on the road. They are safety rules that every trucking company should live by to protect us all from danger and mayhem. But many companies force their drivers to skirt these safety rules. Truck companies oftentimes push their drivers to work past the set driving limits in an effort to take shortcuts. This undermines the safety of us all. It creates an environment of fatigued and stressed drivers who are high risks on the road. These exhausted drivers end up injuring not just themselves, but our community members who will suffer more severe and oftentimes irreversible injuries or death.
Truck driver fatigue continues to harm individuals and their families. If you are watching this video because you have your own questions or have a loved one injured due to a fatigued truck driver, you shouldn’t feel alone. Contact the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. We are here to answer all your questions and help you navigate through this difficult time.
https://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svg00Yao Dinizuluhttps://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svgYao Dinizulu2017-12-22 11:29:102017-12-22 11:29:10What is the Number One Cause of Truck Accidents?
With Christmas and New Year’s only a few days away, you can expect that the roadways are going to fill up quickly with anxious travelers on their way to visit friends and family. Local residents may also be headed out simply looking for a good time. But, the holidays don’t only bring out locals. Many commercial trucks and freight shipping courier companies with also have their vehicles out driving too as gifts and packages are being sent across the country to make it in time for the holidays.
https://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/iStock-531349503.jpg484723Yao Dinizuluhttps://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svgYao Dinizulu2017-12-21 11:23:532017-12-21 11:23:53Tips to Ensure Your Holiday Drive is a Safe One
The FBI just released that 2016 was the second year in a row that hate crimes have gone up nationwide. 2017 may be the third.
In Chicago, Illinois, there have been 39 hate crimes just in the first half of 2017. The Police Department has been keeping electronic records of hate crimes since 2012. Since then, Chicago’s on the pace to hit a record high of hate crimes by the end of 2017. This shouldn’t be the pattern the nation or our city should be facing. Want to know how you can fight this disturbing trend? Watch the video to learn more.
Illinois citizens are protected under the state’s hate crime act which states:
Hate crime occurs whether the person who commits it does so by reason of the actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or national origin of another individual or group of individuals.
Effective of Jan 1, 2016 transgendered people are also protected under this law. Gender identity is now a protected provision under sexual orientation. The new law also extends protections to institutions who may be targeted because of sexual orientation or gender identity status.
Because of these protections, I was able to help a lesbian woman Danielle, who was assaulted by an apartment building security guard. The assault took place on the common grounds of Danielle’s girlfriend’s apartment complex. The security guard had continuously harassed the couple because of their lesbian status.
One night while Danielle was sitting on the steps saw alone talking on the phone, the security officer standing over six feet tall and weighing almost 285 pounds approached Danielle who stood 5’1, and weighed a mere 110 pounds. After Danielle asked the security officer to remove the light from her eyes, he turned it off and struck Danielle on her temple with the flashlight, while uttering a gay slur at her.
He later offered a defense that Danielle looked like a boy. Our civil right attorneys in Chicago identified other witnesses who came forward to support this animus the security guard had towards the lesbian community. As a result, this case settled with significant compensation for Danielle.
As hate crime and violent lashing out has become increasingly common, know that there are remedies and legal protections for such wrongful behavior, both criminal and civil. Many times, people don’t come forward because they are not sure whether what happened to them is a hate crime, or people aren’t sure if the law will guarantee them protection. But it always helps to discuss these matters with a professional and experienced civil rights trial attorney.
The Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. has won over seven figures for cases involving discrimination & civil rights cases. If you are watching this video because you have your own questions or concerns about hate crime, civil rights or discrimination, call us at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. Our Chicago-based civil rights lawyers are here for you.
https://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svg00Yao Dinizuluhttps://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svgYao Dinizulu2017-12-08 12:02:082017-12-08 12:02:08Hate Crimes Are Rising Fast. What Can You Do?
There are thousands of children and young adults livings in independent living environments facilitated by professionals. Many of these children have lost their parents to death and drugs to no fault of their own. These children and young adults have been in foster and group homes — and so many have faced unbearable abuse. When our state funds these foster, group homes and private independent living institutions, we expect that these caretakers are attentive and helpful to the needs of these children and young adults. The providers in this case failed in this sacred duty and were examined by state investigators. Watch the video to learn more.
At this facility, my client Tammy and a fellow resident Barbara didn’t get along. In fact, there was a long history of altercations between the two. One altercation turned violent resulting in the arrest of 17 year old child Barabara. While being arrested in front of her care takers Barbara yelled to Tammy my client, “I’m going to get your key and get you.”
This Barbara had lost a lot in her life and was suffering from mental health illnesses and was on psychotropic medication. Barbara had been deemed by DCFS staff as particularly violent. After three months, Barbara was released from jail.
Then, this unstable minor returned to her independent living community and tricked the manager of this institution into giving Barbara, Tammy’s keys. Barbara this disturbed young child in the middle of the night entered Tammy’s home with this key, grabbed a knife and stabbed Tammy to death.
Tammy’s distraught siblings contacted me. Our Chicago wrongful death attorneys investigated the matter and learned that the independent living institution was to meet Barbara at release, but they did not show up in time. Being concerned, one of the social workers called her manager to inform her that she was concerned for my client Tammy’s safety. You see this social worker witnessed the threat Barbara made to Tammy. We also uncovered that the entire independent living institution should have been aware that a DCFS social worker indicated that Barbara would someday kill someone.
We also were able to prove that the manager that turned over the wrong key, failed to follow the known procedures of checking the room key with the person’s name. Compounding this error, the manager failed to follow-procedure and remove Tammy from the impending danger.
No one should ever have access to your apartment without your consent, especially not a sworn enemy who in front of the police threatened to get you. After uncovering the evidence of institutional failures, this case settled for a significant amount for the death of Tammy.
If you have a question about abuse or neglect in a foster or group home, or in an independent living environment, you may need an experienced wrongful death lawyer or personal injury trial attorney. Based in Chicago, the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. handles these matters all the time. Contact our office at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW.
https://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svg00Yao Dinizuluhttps://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svgYao Dinizulu2017-12-08 11:31:332017-12-08 11:31:33One Foster Child Threatens Another – What Happened Next?
The residents who occupy the rooms of Chicago nursing homes are there for a reason. They are elderly, fragile, or simply cannot take care of themselves in the manner that supports overall health and wellness. While nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are expected to care for these individuals and protect them from danger, nursing home abuse is evident in many facilities located all across the country, not just in Illinois.
https://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/iStock-164196419.jpg6831024Yao Dinizuluhttps://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svgYao Dinizulu2017-12-01 14:26:252017-12-01 14:26:25Is Your Loved One the Victim of Resident to Resident Elder Mistreatment (RREM)?
A tragic truck accident occurred just a few weeks back leaving three people dead and one critically injured. The accident involved a semi tractor-trailer and a 2012 Chevrolet passenger car. The occupants who didn’t survive the accident were 19-year-old Julius J. Green, Precious M. Horace, 19, and Monteene D. Taylor, 21. The last passenger, who managed to survive the collision, was said to be in critical condition at Advocate Christ Medical Center. According to the Chicago Tribune, the occupants of the Chevrolet were not wearing their seatbelts and one person was partially ejected from the vehicle.
https://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/iStock-472355114.jpg5851024Yao Dinizuluhttps://dinizululawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/logo.svgYao Dinizulu2017-12-01 12:41:502017-12-01 12:41:50Commercial Truck Accidents are Among the Deadliest Types of Automobile Accidents
