The Illinois Appellate Court has affirmed the decision by a Cook County associate judge who ordered the removal of the guardian of a disabled person. On Feb. 24, 2009, Patricia Herard was adjudicated by the court to be disabled. Herard was diagnosed with “profound mental retardation and legal blindness.” It was…
Ana Reyes was the owner of a motor vehicle and was the sole named insured. She purchased auto insurance from American Access Casualty Co., and the policy specifically said there would be no liability coverage for any accident in which she was operating a motor vehicle. On Oct. 30, 2007,…
Leroy Walker Jr. was working as a flagman for Curran Contracting on May 1, 2008. He was directing traffic on Route 173 near Lorelei Drive in Zion, Ill. Walker was standing in front of a construction site where a new Super Wal-Mart store was being built. The defendant, Steven Kruglar, was driving…
Adam Nowak was installing electrical equipment at an energy plant when a crane hook fell about 60 feet from an overhead crane, which struck and killed him. Mr. Nowak was an electrician working for Matrix Service Co., and he was installing electrical equipment at the Veolia Energy’s Schuylkill Steam Plant. The lawsuit…
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…
Officials at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) believe that U.S. truck and bus regulators are not catching on to serious safety hazards before fatal crashes occur. The NTSB has stated that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has known about deficiencies in bus company practices before some fatal crashes, but…
Every school day, children are loaded onto school buses around the country. Most school districts contract with school bus companies and drivers to transport our children to their schools. If something goes terribly wrong and a child is injured in a school bus crash, you need someone to advocate and…
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has stated that U.S. truck and bus regulators are not taking steps to prevent serious safety hazards before fatal crashes. The NTSB claims that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has known about deficiencies in bus company practices before some fatal crashes but took no…
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…
On Sept. 18, 2007, Kimberly Vinci entered Balmoral Nursing Home as a resident. Vinci was to receive general nursing and rehabilitation care. Balmoral has 200 patients who are largely unsupervised. The Balmoral staff is often present and the exit doors are equipped with alarms, although there are no security guards or cameras…