Articles Posted in Intersection Crash

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On April 26, 2009, Julie Paterson was driving westbound at Route 116 in Fauber Road in Germantown Hills, Ill.  The defendant, Corey Funk, was driving northbound, did not yield the right-of-way and struck Paterson’s car in the intersection.  Paterson was going about 55 mph. The impact caused Paterson’s car to roll over.

Paterson suffered a laceration above the elbow with a possible tear of the common extensor tendon, scarring and residual pain treated with physical therapy and massage therapy.  It was determined that plastic surgery would not resolve Paterson’s scar.  Paterson had $4,200 in medical bills and four days lost from her job as an office manager.

The defendant admitted negligence.  After the verdict, the parties agreed to a judgment of $54,300 to conform to the evidence presented in the case.

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On Oct. 20, 2009, Nazmi Nomat was driving eastbound on 167th Street in Hazel Crest, Ill., when a westbound van made a left turn on Western Avenue. The left front end struck the driver’s side of Nomat’s vehicle in the intersection.

Nomat, 47, suffered multiple disc herniations that required fusion surgery, cervical disc protrusion and herniations and a right ankle sprain.  Nomat incurred $913,793 in medical expenses. He also had over a $1 million in lost income as a butcher because of his injuries. 

The defendants argued that Nomat was not injured to the extent that he claimed. They also claimed that any objective finding pre-existed this crash, most of his medical care was unnecessary and he never intended to take the butcher job that was offered months before the date of the crash.  The defendants’ attorney recommended at trial a verdict of $50,000.

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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 the Boyle car in the intersection.

Boyle, 29, was knocked unconscious and suffered a forehead laceration, which required five stitches, neck and shoulder sprain and chronic low back pain as a result of the crash.  Boyle also claimed $2,700 for lost time from his job as a funeral director because of his injuries.

The Boyle car was destroyed in the crash.  Photos of the damage to the vehicles were allowed into evidence by the court to prove the force of the impact, which was hard.

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On Jan. 21, 2009, Jasmine Crawford was driving northbound on Bruce Avenue in Flossmoor, Ill.  Her vehicle was hit on the driver’s side door by the defendant, Christine Rothchild, who was traveling eastbound on Wallace Drive. 

Crawford, a 32-year-old homemaker, suffered neck/back soft tissue injuries and a dislocated right shoulder, which required two surgeries. Ms. Crawford also underwent a Bristow Procedure (open surgery) in November 2009 to stabilize the shoulder and to prevent further recurrent dislocations. The Bristow Procedure is an operation in which the biceps muscle at the top of the shoulder joint is moved down slightly to repair the injured area. Because she continued to have shoulder pain, she later had arthroscopic surgery in October 2012 to remove scar tissue that developed following the first surgery. 

Ms. Crawford argued that Rothchild chose not to yield the right of way at the uncontrolled intersection. Crawford’s car was to the right of Rothschild’s car at the time of the collision. 

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On Aug. 29, 2010, Rachel Deglman was driving eastbound on Wellington Avenue when southbound defendant Brittney Gurrola, 18, did not stop at the stop sign at Natchez Avenue in Chicago. Gurrola’s car entered the intersection and crashed into Deglman’s vehicle.

There was no stop sign for oncoming traffic on Wellington Avenue. Deglman, 23, who was a student, maintained that the impact caused her to suffer herniated discs at C5-6 and C6-7 with associated cervical radiculopathy. 

Gurrola claimed that Deglman was speeding and was contributory negligent for her own injuries. Gurrola also argued at the trial that Deglman was not injured to the extent that she claimed, and some of her medical treatment was not necessary. The jury’s verdict of $34,752 was reduced by 5 percent for the contributory negligence that it found to be attributable to Deglman. The verdict of $33,014 was made up of the following damage

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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 collided with Lindsey’s vehicle in a head-on impact. Lindsey is a 17-year-old student.  She sustained a medial meniscus tear in her right knee, which required surgery. 

The defendant argued at the trial that the torn meniscus came from  Lindsey’s long dancing career and was not related to the collision because it was not diagnosed until March 2011, almost two years after the crash.

The jury, however, had a different opinion.  The jury’s verdict of $51,361 was made up of the following damages:

  • $27,361 for medical expenses; and 
  • $24,000 for pain and suffering.

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