The Illinois Personal Injury Weblog of Schaeffer & Lamere P.C.

Easing ER Crowding

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Hospitals ease ER crowding with ward beds in halls," by Carla Johnson--

There's no phone and no television. Only a screen offers privacy. But heart patient Edward Gray understands why the hospital put him in a cardiac unit hallway.

"They sent me up here to make room for other emergency patients," Gray, 78, said last week from his bed in the hall of a New York area hospital. "This is the way things are in hospitals."

--Posted by Edwardsville Illinois personal injury lawyers and the Alton Illinois truck accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C., handling Illinois car accident, Illinois personal injury, products liability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, truck accidents, and all other types of injury cases.

World Markets, Down Again

From Reuters via Yahoo! News: "Global stocks slide anew, dollar sets 2-year high"--

Stock markets around the world fell sharply again on Wednesday after concerns about economic recession and falling commodity prices were fueled by a fresh spate of gloomy corporate earnings.

Emerging markets were hardest hit by the global retreat and the fresh commodity pressure, with the U.S. dollar and government bonds the big gainers.

--Posted by Edwardsville Illinois personal injury lawyers and the Alton Illinois truck accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C., handling Illinois car accident, Illinois personal injury, products liability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, truck accidents, and all other types of injury cases.

Suicide Rates and Middle Age

From the Reuters via Yahoo! News: "Middle-aged women drive rise in U.S. suicides: study," by Maggie Fox--

U.S. suicide rates appear to be on the rise, driven mostly by middle-aged white women, researchers reported on Tuesday.

They found a disturbing increase in suicides between 1999 and 2005 and said the pattern had changed in an unmistakable way -- although the reasons behind the change are not clear.

--Posted by Edwardsville Illinois personal injury lawyers and the Alton Illinois truck accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C., handling Illinois car accident, Illinois personal injury, products liability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, truck accidents, and all other types of injury cases.

Markets Decline Following Rally

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "World stock markets drop after 2-day rally," Pan Pylas--

European and Asian stock markets mostly fell back Wednesday after a two-day rally amid profit-taking and concerns that the global efforts to restore confidence in the battered financial system will not be enough to stave off a deep recession.

The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 130.91 points, or 3.0 percent, at 4,263.30. Germany's DAX was 127.03 points, or 2.4 percent, lower at 5,072.16, while France's CAC-40 was 85.29 points, or 2.4 percent, down at 3,543.23.

--Posted by St. Louis personal injury lawyers and the St. Louis Missouri truck accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C., handling Missouri car accident, Illinois personal injury, products liability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, truck accidents, and all other types of injury cases.

Independents Split

>From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Independents split evenly between Obama and McCain," by Alan Fram--

Jack Marshall says he's voting for Barack Obama this year.

That's ominous news for John McCain. "I like Obama, he has fresh ideas on things," said Marshall, 59, an independent who hasn't backed a Democrat for president since Bill Clinton. "McCain has George Bush's ideas on things, and I don't think that's such a hot deal right now."

--Posted by St. Louis personal injury lawyers and the St. Louis Missouri truck accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C., handling Missouri car accident, Illinois personal injury, products liability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, truck accidents, and all other types of injury cases.

Obama Rising

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Obama opens 5-point lead on McCain," by John Whitewides--

Democrat Barack Obama has opened a 5-point lead over Republican rival John McCain in the White House race and expanded his support among women voters, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released Friday.

Obama leads McCain 48 percent to 43 percent among likely U.S. voters in the national poll, up slightly from a 4-point advantage for Obama Thursday. The poll has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.

--Posted by Alton Illinois personal injury lawyers and the Edwardsville Illinois truck accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C., handling Illinois car accident, Illinois personal injury, products liability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, truck accidents, and all other types of injury cases.

Fed Cuts Interest Rates

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Fed orders emergency rate cut, other banks follow," Jeannine Aversa--

The Federal Reserve, acting in coordination with other global central banking authorities, cut a key U.S. interest rate by half a percentage point Wednesday to steady a teetering economy.

The Fed reduced its key rate from 2 percent to 1.5 percent.

--Posted by Alton Illinois personal injury lawyers and the Edwardsville Illinois truck accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C., handling Illinois car accident, Illinois personal injury, products liability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, truck accidents, and all other types of injury cases.

Lehman and Its Executives

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Congress opens hearings on financial meltdown," by Julie Hirschfeld--

Days from becoming the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, Lehman Brothers steered millions to departing executives even while pleading for a federal rescue, Congress was told Monday.

As well, executives who feared for their bonuses in the company's last months were told not to worry, according to documents cited at a congressional hearing. One executive said he was embarrassed when employees suggested that Lehman executives forgo bonuses, and cracked: "I'm not sure what's in the water."

--Posted by Edwardsville Illinois personal injury lawyers and the Alton Illinois truck accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C., handling Illinois car accident, Illinois personal injury, products liability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, truck accidents, and all other types of injury cases.

How Important Was the VP Debate?

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Campaign trajectory remains unchanged," by Jonathan Martin--

John McCain has become the candidate of change, while Barack Obama would be happy with more of the same – at least when it comes to the last month of the presidential campaign.

For the conclusion of Thursday's debate failed to alter a trajectory that has favored the Democratic ticket. The campaign is still handcuffed to the nation's financial crisis, with voters willing to take a risk on change and reminded of what they don't like about Republicans and the Bush administration.

--Posted by Edwardsville Illinois personal injury lawyers and the Alton Illinois truck accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C., handling Illinois car accident, Illinois personal injury, products liability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, truck accidents, and all other types of injury cases.

More Work on Bailout

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Stocks extend declines after snapback rally," by Tim Paradis--

Financial markets showed further signs of dejection Wednesday, with stocks extending this week's gyrations as investors prepared for a possible Senate vote on the government's proposed $700 billion financial sector bailout. The Dow Jones industrials at times lost more than 200 points in their third triple-digit move this week, while credit markets remained extremely tight.

Stocks also fell on disappointing economic news. In its report on the manufacturing sector in September, the Institute for Supply Management revealed a troubling drop in new orders. The group's overall index of manufacturing activity fell to 43.5 in September from 49.9 in August. Wall Street had expected a reading of 49.5, according to economists polled by Thomson/IFR.

--Posted by Edwardsville Illinois personal injury lawyers and the Alton Illinois truck accident attorneys of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C., handling Illinois car accident, Illinois personal injury, products liability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, truck accidents, and all other types of injury cases.