Chicago resident Michael Cordell Payne died at the scene according to the Cook County Medical Examiner, when a Chicago Transit Authority bus struck him on the city’s south side.

According to Chicago’s WBBM News Radio 780, Payne, 51, was hit by a No. 14 Jeffrey Ave. bus heading north. Payne was neither boarding or exiting the bus, and the bus driver was very shaken-up after the accident.

Witnesses of the accident say conflicting things, and an autopsy will be performed to help determine any possibility of foul play. The bus was in service and had passengers on board - but no one on board was injured.

At this point, there are no injury lawsuits. No further information is currently available.

Almost everyone flies at some point these days, and in our modern, fast-paced society, travelers wish to arrive at destinations the quickest way possible.

Some may have fears about planes crashing - but even the experience of a bumpy ride can be disconcerting.

According to a Washington Post report, in the past year, there have been eight incidents in which passengers suffered serious injuries from turbulence, and 42 incidents where minor injuries have occurred from rough rides in the air.

The Federal Aviation Association (FAA) reports that turbulence is the leading cause of injuries to both passengers and airline staff. For some it has caused severe injuries and there are even reports of death.

One Florida woman found out the dangers of turbulence on her flight back to Tampa, Fla. Jeanne Holton Carufel was using the restroom on a United Airlines flight when she heard the announcement to stay in your seats and to buckle the seat belts as the flight was experiencing turbulence. But unfortunately she did not arrive to her seat in time and suffered injuries to her head and back.

According to the Washington Post Holten Carufel said she “couldn’t’ get back to her seat fast enough. The plane took a big dive and she hit the roof of the plane and fell back to the ground.”

The paramedics arrived at the airport at 9:30 p.m. when the plane landed, and Holten Carufel was taken to the Reston Hospital Center where she was treated for her head and back injuries. She was never actually admitted to the hospital for these injuries, and was set to fly home a couple days after the incident.

The New York Times reports that most turbulence-related injuries occur when people are not seated with their seatbelts securely fastened. In most cases flight attendants advise fliers to remain seated during the flight especially if turbulence occurs, but they do not force anyone to take a seat.

United Airlines did confirm there was turbulence but will not release any other information about the flight. There is no information as to whether any personal injury lawsuits have been filed or even if they could be - since sufficient warnings are issued by the airlines when turbulence occurs.

Laser hair removal has become a popular cosmetic procedure - and it’s admittedly painful - but that’s just part of the procedure, right?

Not for all patients. Filing personal injury lawsuits against spas that perform laser hair removal is not that out of the ordinary. According to a report from News Inferno, regulations at the facilities that handle the procedures are not incredibly strict, which could lead to a plethora of lawsuits in the future.

The procedures can burn and scar patients - causing sometimes severe injuries - and that is what is sparking the lawsuits. The spas need to make sure all the risks are made known to patients, and require a signature - if that isn’t already required.

Prison inmates have their rights, too. In the Dallas County jail, two different inmates and their families filed injury lawsuits against the county, claiming they were neglected and denied much-needed medical treatment.

According to a report from the Dallas Morning News, the county paid out nearly $500,000 in damages for the two cases. The first suit was filed as a wrongful death in 2005, when a schizophrenic inmate died of pneumonia and the prison guards did not take her to the infirmary for medical treatment after she was found in her cell lying in her own waste. Her family will be awarded $250,000 in compensation.

The second lawsuit involved an inmate who was punched in the eye by another inmate, and clearly needed medical attention after losing his vision because of the blow. Guards refused to send him to doctors, and he never received the surgery he needed to properly fix his severely bruised eye. He will receive $190,000 for compensation.

An injury lawyer helped with the injury settlements in both of these cases.

The Dallas Morning News article also cited other cases of neglect of inmates needing medical treatment in the Dallas County jail in the past decade.

Moral of this story? If you ever find yourself inprisoned in Dallas, don’t get hurt, or you may never receive treatment.

It seems like New York City Transit and the Metropolitan Transit Authority have seen quite a bit of news coverage in the past few months - and almost all of it has been linked to injuries and lawsuits.

According to a New York Daily News report, NYC Transit officials say legal quirks in the law make the organization an easy target for lawsuits. In the past 20 years, the MTA has paid out more than $1 billion in personal injury lawsuits.

The organization has tried to get the state to pass legislation protecting its rights when it comes to personal injury suits - but to no avail. The MTA pays for lawsuits involving very drunk passengers who fall on the tracks or voluntarily walk on the tracks because of their own impaired judgement. This is not something that a transit organization should be paying for.

As a result of the money put toward lawsuits, the MTA has less funding to do good things for transit, like update train tracks and increase service lines and times.

Unfortunately the New York legislature in Albany has not yet passed any laws that could protect the MTA against frivolous lawsuits for which it should not be held responsible, according to the New York Daily News.

If such legislation were to be passed, NYC Transit would save millions of dollars each year because of fewer personal injury lawsuits, and there would be greater strides taken to improve public transit in NYC.

Michael Jackson’s recent passing has touched the world in a way I don’t think anyone expected. Through the years, Jackson has been the center of numerous lawsuits - in all areas of law. As one CNN reporter said, “Michael Jackson was a one-man cottage industry for the legal profession.”

Among the lawsuits involving Jackson were some out-of-court settlements as well. Back in 1992 when Jackson started a friendship with the then-13 Jordan Chandler, Chandler’s family did not approve.

The relationship continued, and in the summer of 1993 Chandler’s father, on behalf of his son, accused Jackson of sexual abuse. The story was all over tabloids and other media, and had an immense effect on the pop-singer’s career.

After the accusations and descriptions of Jackson’s actions and a physical description of his genitals from Jordan Chandler, the allegations were settled outside the courtroom. In January of 1994, Jackson ended up paying the Chandler family $22 million for the civil suit.

This incident marked the first accusation against Michael Jackson for sexual abuse. In the years following, other accusations were made blaming Jackson for other personal injury issues, and there were criminal trials involved.

This pop icon had a tumultuous relationship with the media, and with the public. His popularity ebbed and flowed like the tide, and though Jackson is sadly no longer here to perform his planned come-back tour, his ‘thrilling’ music and contributions to pop culture will not soon be forgotten.

Read more about Michael Jackson’s criminal defense trials: Criminal Defense Blog

America’s Watchdog - a national organization that serves as an advocate for consumer rights - has branched out into a new genre for its services.

The Nursing Home Complaint Center is a new organization under the America’s Watchdog parent company designed to help people who have suffered, or have relatives who have suffered, from elder abuse or nursing home neglect.

The goal of the organization is to pair with personal injury lawyers across the country to help get justice for elderly abuse victims and their families.

With this system, victims, families, nursing home employees and the American taxpayer will all be protected. Some things the organization plans to focus on include:

• Medicare over-billing
• Improperly compensated employees
• Neglectful or inadequate/unprofessional care

Patients or family members who believe they or their loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse should not hesitate to talk to a personal injury attorney to help find out what options are available.

Nursing home abuse and improper care are not new problems in the world of personal injury - and it can be difficult to prove the offenses and take action against elder care organizations. It’s great that America’s Watchdog has recognized the problem and is taking measures to help everyone potentially involved.

According to a Chicago Tribune article, city officials in Crestwood, Ill. have been lying to residents and the EPA about the town’s water source.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed a lawsuit against the village of Crestwood, which alleges that the village has lied more than 120 times to the state EPA about the source of water. The village has claimed that all the water being used comes directly from Lake Michigan - when in fact the water has been coming from a contaminated well containing cancer-causing chemicals.

Sounds a little bit similar to the situation Erin Brockovich handled in Hinkley, Calif. back in the late 1990s.

Crestwood mayor, Robert Stranczek, his father and former town mayor Chester, and Crestwood’s certified water operator, Frank Scaccia could be facing millions of dollars worth of fines if a Cook County Circuit Court agrees with Madigan’s allegations, the Tribune reported.

These three city officials have been lying to state officials and Crestwood residents about the village’s water source for more than 20 years - and Madigan now wants to see them held accountable for their actions, and use this as an example so nothing like this happens in Illinois again.

Hopefully her tactics work - the residents have been drinking water from a contaminated well - and not just any contamination. The well in question contains vinyl chloride, which is so toxic the U.S. EPA says there is no safe level of exposure.

Personal injury lawyers could help Crestwood residents file a class-action lawsuit against village officials, and residents could win a lot of money for their damages from drinking a lifetime of dangerously contaminated water.

To read the full article about Madigan’s lawsuit and the severity of Crestwood’s situation, see the Tribune’s report.

Johnson & Johnson - when you hear this name, you probably think of a comforting household brand that has been happily serving American families for generations. You wouldn’t hesitate to wash your child’s hair with Johnson & Johnson’s gentle shampoo or use the company’s soothing powder when changing your baby’s diaper.

Unfortunately, recent accusations might just change your mind about the trusted name. This morning on JusticeNewsFlash.com, a report from Newark, N.J. said that lawyers have filed a product liability claim against Johnson & Johnson, Proctor & Gamble and other personal care product companies because many soap products are produced using harmful chemicals like formaldehyde.

The claim says that these companies are allegedly using known carcinogenic chemicals in several personal care products that are a daily staple in many peoples’ lives.

If this is truly the case, it’s time to rethink the toiletries you are using on your skin and hair every morning in the shower. Learn more about personal injury and find out if you might be able to file a claim against these companies, or if there is potential for a class action lawsuit in this situation.

After a typical rowdy and probably incredibly fun spring break in 2008, some scandalous photos of high school senior Jessica Logan, 18, began circulating throughout four Cincinnati-area high schools via text message.

Just four months later, Jessica killed herself - seemingly as a result of the unending torment and embarrassment the “sexted” naked pictures caused her.

According to Fox 19 in Cincinnati, Jessica’s parents, Albert and Cynthia Logan, have filed a lawsuit against the local police department and Jessica’s high school administration for knowing about the problem but not taking steps to remedy it.

The lawsuit includes charges for wrongful death, negligence and dissemination of private material.

This upsetting story is one of many examples of personal injury lawsuits filed for wrongful death and negligence. When faced with such a tragedy, many people and families might not realize what options they have. Talking with a personal injury attorney at no cost is helpful if you have questions about your specific situation.