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Recent Court Decisions on Illinois Personal Injury Lawsuits
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City is not liable for pothole injury
When a homeless person wandered into a vacant lot owned by the City of Chicago, he stepped into a pothole and fractured his ankle. The ankle was so severely injured that he required $110,163 in medical bills. A jury found that the City was not liable, because the man was not an intended user of the lot. Furthermore, the City did not have any notice of the pothole before the accident.
School bus company is liable for rear-ending a driver
When a driver was rear ended by a school bus, a generator in the back of the driver's van was pushed forward into the driver. The bus company admitted negligence, but argued that the driver's injuries were minor. The driver sustained a mild traumatic brain injury and his foot was permanently inverted almost 90 degrees. The bus company offered $2.5 million. A jury awarded the driver $6 million.
Store liable for falling inventory
A shopper was injured in a store when a George Forman grill fell from a shelf, down an escalator shaft, and onto the shopper's head. The shopper was left with fractured ear bones, broken teeth, and a variety of neck and back injuries. A jury found the store liable for $212,859.
A 62-year-old woman stood on a deactivated escalator to watch a horse race. At some point during the race, the escalator was activated and suddenly jolted back and forward. As a result, the woman fell down 20 to 30 stairs and suffered a number of fractures. The racetrack owner admitted liability and offered $400,000. A jury found the owner liable for $640,000.
17-year-old driver liable for a child's death in a car accident
A 17-year-old driver made a left turn out of an intersection, but she did not yield onto an oncoming driver. As a result, the two cars crashed, and the oncoming driver's 6-year-old daughter was killed by the impact. A jury entered a verdict against the 17-year-old in the amount of $3,509,971.
Driver rear-ended after stopping for an ambulance
A 45-year-old male driver stopped his car to allow an ambulance to proceed through an intersection. Subsequently, the driver behind him, a 19-year-old male, collided into the rear end of his vehicle. The 45-year-old male sustained a concussion from the accident, which resulted in dizziness, slurred speech, psychomotor retardation and memory loss for months after the accident. A jury awarded the injured driver $38,328.
Feeding tube injury is not the result of an auto collision
A 60-year-old female plaintiff was stuck when another driver entered her lane. The collision was low impact, but the plaintiff claimed that she immediately noticed that her feeding tube was causing her pain after the accident. Several months later, the plaintiff's feeding tube was replaced. A jury decided that the feeding tube injury did not result from the low impact accident, and that the other driver was not liable for the medical bills.
Motorcyclist struck by driver
When a driver attempted to pass a motorcyclist, she struck the rear turn signal of the bike and the motorcyclist's arm. The motorcyclist claimed cervical strain, and soft tissue injuries, which resulted in $10,820 in medical expenses. The defendant driver admitted liability but contested the injuries. A jury gave the motorcyclist a verdict of $6,605.
Patron is attacked after getting kicked out of tavern
After engaging in a fight, a 24-year-old male plaintiff, and a group of other men were kicked out of a tavern. The tavern's staff broke up the fight and escorted the plaintiff and the other men out separate doors. Outside the tavern, the fight continued and the plaintiff was seriously injured. He sustained multiple facial fractures. A jury found the tavern liable for $34,674.
After hitting another patron over the head with a beer bottle, a 21-year-old male was forcefully removed from a bar by security personnel. During the removal, the patron sustained a severely broken leg. The patron sued the bar for use of excessive force. A jury decided that the bar was not guilty, because the patron instigated the situation with his behavior and under the circumstances the bar used reasonable force.
Driver rear-ended by school bus
A driver was stopped while waiting to make a left turn when his van was rear-ended by a school bus. Upon impact, a generator in the back of the van was pushed forward and hit the driver. The driver sustained a mild traumatic brain injury, nerve damage, and his foot was permanently inverted almost 90 degrees. The driver refused treatment by paramedics and continued to work as a construction supervisor after the accident. The bus company admitted negligence but argued that the driver's injuries were minor, and offered $2,500,000. A jury gave the driver a verdict of $6,000,000.
Bus passenger is injured in collision with car
When a bus entered an intersection on either a yellow or red light, it was broadsided by another vehicle. When the bus was broadsided, a 61-year-old passenger injured her shoulder, back and knee. The plaintiff was awarded $450,000 and the bus company was liable for 99.75% while the other driver was liable for .25%.
Parents sue college for daughter's death
A 19-year-old female college student was beaten to death in the stairwell of her student union. The offender was a mentally ill student, who pled guilty and was sentenced to 60 years in prison. Later the parents of the deceased student filed a civil lawsuit against the college for inadequate campus security. The campus contended that the man who attacked the student was the proximate cause of her death, and it would have happened regardless of the adequacy of campus security. A jury awarded the parents $1,050,000.
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