On Jan. 21, 2010, Dean Economos, 18, was driving eastbound on Peterson Avenue near Rogers Avenue in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago when he rear-ended the plaintiff’s car, which was stopped. Economos’s car was traveling at 30-35 mph. One of the plaintiffs, 23-year-old Ana Aguilar, sustained soft tissue neck…
On Dec. 1, 2008, Sarah Conway, Kathleen O’Toole and Mary Heidkamp were passengers in Joan Steenveld’s car when it was broadsided by the defendant, Lynnard McCullough, who was driving a tractor-trailer. All but Steenveld perished in the crash. Both of the vehicles skidded off a snowy, icy road. Steenveld’s southbound…
A $41,418 jury verdict was entered by a DeKalb County, Ill., jury for Victoria Polastrini, who on Jan. 10, 2008 was stopped in a line of cars at a red light on southbound Sycamore Road (Route 23) at Dresser Road in DeKalb, Ill. When she was stopped, her car was rear-ended by…
On Nov. 30, 2010, Matthew Boyle was driving southbound on Forest Preserve Drive when he made a left turn with a green arrow onto eastbound Irving Park Road in Chicago. The defendant, 25-year-old Erica Rodriguez, ran the red light while traveling westbound on Irving Park and her car collided with…
Illinois law provides for losses suffered when an Illinois insurance company goes bankrupt, is liquidated or cannot meets its obligations. The Illinois Insurance Guarantee Fund is available to step in when an insurance company fails. In this case, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed and remanded a decision written by the…
Sarah Burns, 29, left work early on June 22, 2010 because she was not feeling well and had a migraine headache. She was driving her car northbound on Route 53 in Palatine, Ill., around 12:40 pm, when she was forced to merge into the adjacent lane in front of defendant’s…
The Illinois Appellate Court has affirmed a decision made by a Cook County Circuit Court judge regarding a twice-filed injury case. Michael Fiorito and Joseph Bellocchio were involved in a traffic collision on Oct. 19, 2001. Fiorito was injured and hired a lawyer to sue Bellocchio. In August 2003, the attorney…
Illinois has adopted House Bill 1247, which puts an end to the uncertainty as to whether drivers around the state can use hand-held wireless telephones while driving. Under the bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn, a person may not operate a vehicle on a roadway while using…
On Sept. 24, 2006, the car being driven by Keisha Geans, who was driving while under the influence of alcohol, crashed into a concrete barrier, overturned and collided with the Miranda family car. Marco Miranda, who was 12, was left permanently disabled after suffering a serious brain injury. Geans’ blood alcohol level…
On Aug. 12, 2009, Jaime Lindsey’s vehicle was stopped on northbound Hawthorne Road (Route 59) awaiting a red light at Dundee Road in Barrington Hills, Ill. At that point, the defendant Stephen Pernal lost control of his car while turning from Dundee Road (Route 68) onto southbound Hawthorne; his car…