The death of former Atlanta Falcon player, Ray Easterling, may change how the the concussion lawsuits against the National Football League play out. Easterling was found dead in his home last week from a gunshot wound and officials have stated that it looks self-inflicted.

Easterling was one of former football players that was involved in a lawsuit against the football league after claiming that their carelessness caused him to suffer serious head injuries later in life when concussions were not treated properly.

Over 61 lawsuits representing over 1,000 former NFL players have been filed with similar claims. Because of Easterling's death, the lawsuits may change from personal injury to wrongful death cases. Sources close to the man stated that he has had a very hard time mentally for the past six months. 

The family of a 26 year-old woman who was killed by an Amtrak train two years ago has received a $6 million settlementfrom Illinois Central Railroad Co. and Wisconsin Central Ltd. in its wrongful death lawsuit.

The woman was on her way home from seeing her students at a dance competition when she was hit on the train tracks. Maintenance workers earlier that day had turned off the lights and neglected to turn them back on. Flashing lights, crossing gates, and warning bells were disabled when the woman's car was crossing the tracks.

Illinois Central Railroad Co. took responsibility for the accident and the woman's death. The settlement money will go towards a fund created in her honor.

The family of a Chicago firefighter who was killed in a fire last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Sing Way Cleaners.  The fire occurred at an abandoned building owned by the company.

In the lawsuit, the family argues that the defendant is responsible for the firefighter's death by ignoring building repairs ordered by the city.  Investigators found that if the property's owners had made the repairs or torn down the building, the firefighter would not have been killed.

Another firefighter was also killed in the blaze and 19 others were injured.  The fire caused the building's roof to collapse making the situation all the more dangerous.  

The results of an autopsy of a 42-year old Chicago police officer who recently died lead investigators to believe that his death was caused by his exposure to a cleaning product used at the police department's office.

Inhaling the fumes of an aerosol spray cleaning product used by janitors at the police department caused the officer to experience breathing difficulty and coughing, according to other police officers.  The officer eventually went to the hospital for these symptoms, was released, and later readmitted.  Eventually, the officer's lungs shut down and he had to be placed in a medically induced coma before passing away in April.

The autopsy showed that the officer's death was caused by a lung illness caused by the fumes from the cleaning spray.  The Illinois Department of Labor and Chicago Police Department will be investigating the officer's wrongful death and cleaning product. 

The father of a model that was killed in a tragic car accident in Chicago is suing the city for wrongful death.  

The accident occurred last month when the model was on her way to a nightclub in Goose Island.  The model is believed to have drowned after her car ran off Blackhawk Street and fell into the Chicago River.  In addition, the accident is believed to have occurred early in the morning while it was raining.

More than a week after the tragic accident, police officers found the model's body trapped inside her vehicle.  The lawsuit accuses the city of failing to place proper warnings, barricades, and other traffic controls at the scene of the accident.  Furthermore, the lawsuit notes that there had previously been concrete barriers and reflective signs near where the accident occurred, however they had not been properly maintained and fell into disrepair.

The wrongful death lawsuit is similar to one filed by the family of a cab driver that was killed in 1992 after his car fell into the river.  The driver's estate was awarded $500,000 in 1997.