Cook County Jury Awards $25 Million Schaumburg Car Accident Lawsuit to Partial Paraplegic
In Cook County, Illinois, a jury has awarded $25 million to a man who is now a paraplegic after he was injured in a Schaumburg car accident in April 2004. Andrzej Chraca can only walk using a cane and leg braces because he fractured a vertebra in his spine.
The Cook County car accident happened as Chraca’s vehicle and a car driven by Steve Miles crossed an Elgin O'Hare Expressway intersection at the same time. Both men have argued that each of them had the right-of-way. Miles, who was working for the Illinois Department of Transportation at the time of the Schaumburg, Illinois auto crash also sustained permanent injuries, including a mild traumatic brain injury and partial paralysis to the right side of his body. Chraca and Miles haven’t been able to go back to work since the auto accident happened.
Even though investigators were not able to figure out who ran a red light and witnesses at the Chicago personal injury trial offered contradicting testimony, the jury ruled in favor of Chraca—although they did find him 5% responsible for driving too fast—because Miles’s car struck Chraca’s vehicle.
After making a slight deduction for comparative negligence, Chraca’s $25 million award was reduced to $23,838,668. The IDOT is responsible for $2 million because Miles was operating IDOT equipment when the deadly Schaumburg car accident happened.
Proving liability in a Chicago car accident can be complicated. There may be inadequate evidence and conflicting testimony from various witnesses.
Schaumburg man gets $24 million judgment in crash suit, The Daily Herald, September 9, 2009
Cook County jury awards $24M to man hurt in Schaumburg crash, Sun Times, September 9, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Spinal Cord Injury : Quadriplegic and Paraplegic Injuries, Apparelyzed
This is one of the many reasons you should speak to an experienced Chicago car crash lawyer about your case.
