Articles Posted in Lawsuits

Personal injury lawyers at Abels and Annes, working with co-counsel, have filed a lawsuit stemming from an auto accident that occurred in Chicago, Illinois.

The plaintiff was injured when the automobile he was driving was hit head-on by a vehicle driven by a negligent driver. Our client was driving eastbound on Grand approaching its intersection with Mulligan in Chicago, Illinois. The defendant was driving westbound on Grand, approaching its intersection with Mulligan.

The other driver signaled his intention to turn left onto southbound Mulligan. Plaintiff was driving straight and had the right-of-way, so he proceeded into the intersection at Mulligan. The defendant failed to yield the right-of-way to our client and turned left, hitting the front of our vehicle with the front passenger’s side of his vehicle.

The fact pattern in this claim is very common. Our office has seen many, many accidents over the years caused by a motorist failing to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic while making a left turn.

The force of the impact was so great that it pushed our client’s car off the road and into a parked car.

The Chicago Police Department responded to the scene of the collision. After speaking with both parties, the police determined the collision was the result of the defendant’s failure to yield the right-of-way.

We are alleging the negligent driver failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to stop and/or reduce his speed to avoid a collision, failed to yield the right-of-way, was driving at an excessive rate of speed, and failed to exercise due care for the safety of those in the area, including Plaintiff.

Following the collision, the plaintiff had an immediate onset of neck, back and head pain.

Shortly after the collision, he sought medical treatment from a physician. The plaintiff complained of pain in his back, neck and head as well as pain in his knee. A history was taken and he was examined. Upon exam, he had paraspinal tenderness that was most severe at L4-S1, left knee pain and limited range of motion in his left knee. The doctor diagnosed him with bursitis, contusion, and a knee injury, prescribed him pain medication, and instructed him to follow up as needed.

Due to ongoing and increasing pain, our client sought follow up medical care with another physician. At that time, he continued to complain of neck pain, headaches, and back pain. A history was taken and he was examined, revealing tenderness to palpation over C1-7, T1-12, L1-S1 and bilateral sacroiliac joints, tenderness to palpation over the bilateral trapezius muscles and the occipital region of the head. The doctor noted subluxations throughout his cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine as well as muscle spasms along the spine, severe at the cervical level. His range of motion was limited in his cervical and lumbar spine. The physician ordered x-rays of his cervical and lumbar spine, which revealed a loss of normal cervical lordosis and pelvic and sacral unleveling.

The doctor diagnosed the plaintiff with cervical brachial syndrome, muscle spasm, lumbar facet syndrome, cervical, thoracic and lumbar segmental dysfunction, and sacroiliac dysfunction. He ordered a course of treatment to consist of neuroelectrical muscle stimulation, thermal modalities, and manual therapy to the spine, sacroiliac joints, and soft tissue areas where he experienced pain. Treatment was ordered to reduce his spasms, normalize his muscle tone, decrease his pain, increase his range of motion, normalize joint function and return him to his pre-injury status.

Pursuant to doctors orders, our client began a course of therapy. He engaged in twenty-four (24) sessions over several months, after which time he was discharged.

Due to the collision, our client has incurred thousands of dollars in medical bills. Today, is still having low back pain on a regular basis, some days worse than others. His pain affects the activities of his daily life and restricts him from engaging in some activities as he did prior to the collision.

A lawsuit was filed in Cook County Circuit Court due to the fact that the defendant’s insurance carrier failed to make a reasonable settlement offer out of court.

Continue reading

While Illinois injury lawyers at our office are usually able to settle most claims out of court, sometimes insurance carriers are unreasonable and lawsuits need to be filed. Here are the facts of one case that is headed to Court in Cook County.

The claim arises out of a Chicago automobile collision which took place in December, 2010. Our client was injured when the automobile he was driving was hit head-on by a 2000 Chevy Impala driven by the defendant.

The plaintiff was driving eastbound on Grand Avenue in his 2008 Ford 250 approaching its intersection with Mulligan. The defendant was driving westbound on Grand, approaching its intersection with Mulligan.

As our client was driving straight and had the right-of-way, he proceeded into the intersection at Mulligan. The Chevy driver failed to yield the right-of-way and turned left, hitting the front of the plaintiff’s vehicle with the front passenger’s side of his vehicle. The force of the impact was so great that it pushed the Ford off the road and into a parked car.

The Chicago Police Department responded to the scene of the collision. After speaking with both parties, the police determined the collision was the result of the other driver’s failure to yield the right of way. They ticketed the negligent driver.

Following the collision, our client had an immediate onset of neck, back and head pain.

Shortly after the crash he sought medical treatment from a doctor. Our client complained of pain in his back, neck and head as well as pain in his knee. A history was taken and he was examined. Upon exam, he had paraspinal tenderness that was most severe at L4-S1, left knee pain and limited range of motion in his left knee. The physician diagnosed him with bursitis, contusion, and a knee injury, prescribed him pain medication, and instructed him to follow up as needed.

Due to ongoing and increasing pain, he sought follow up medical care with another doctor on December 22, 2010. At that time, he continued to complain of neck pain, headaches, and back pain. A history was taken and he was examined, revealing tenderness to palpation over C1-7, T1-12, L1-S1 and bilateral sacroiliac joints, tenderness to palpation over the bilateral trapezius muscles and the occipital region of the head. The physician noted subluxations throughout his cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine as well as muscle spasms along the spine, severe at the cervical level. His range of motion was limited in his cervical and lumbar spine. He ordered x-rays of our client’s cervical and lumbar spine, which revealed a loss of normal cervical lordosis and pelvic and sacral unleveling.

Continue reading

An Illinois auto accident lawyer at our firm, working with co-counsel, recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of two Chicago residents who were injured in December, 2010.

The plaintiffs, a driver and a passenger, were rear-ended by a vehicle driven by a negligent driver. The clients were traveling in a 2005 Range Rover southbound on I-90. The at fault driver was operating his 2002 Chevy Impala southbound on I-90, behind the plaintiff’s vehicle.

The plaintiff’s automobile stopped for traffic ahead of it. The defendant failed to stop and/or reduce the speed of his vehicle he was driving, and struck the Range Rover from the rear. The force of the initial impact propelled the plaintiff’s vehicle to the right off of the roadway, striking a concrete wall, which was adjacent to the right lane of traffic.

The Illinois State Police responded to the scene of the accident. Their investigation placed the defendant at fault for the accident.

Our lawsuit alleges the defendant failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to stop and/or reduce the speed of his vehicle to avoid a collision, was driving at an excessive rate of speed, and failed to exercise due care for the safety of those in the area, including our clients.

Following the collision, the plaintiff who was a passenger had an immediate onset of neck pain, back pain and left shoulder pain. Shortly after the collision, she sought medical treatment at Our Lady of the Resurrection Hospital’s Emergency Department. There, she initially complained of neck pain, back pain, and left shoulder pain. A history was taken and a physical examination was performed. She was diagnosed with musculoskeletal pain and a muscle strain. She was prescribed pain medication and instructed to follow up with a physician.

Over the next couple weeks, the plaintiff’s pain increased significantly. She sought follow up medical treatment from a medical doctor. She complained of neck pain, and back pain. A history was taken and an examination was performed. The physical examination revealed tenderness in the paracervical muscles and left trapezius muscle, as well as pain and muscle spasm on palpation of the lumbar area. The physician diagnosed her with a cervical spine sprain/strain and lumbar spine sprain/strain. The doctor ordered x-rays of her cervical spine and lumbar spine, prescribed pain medication and recommended that she begin additional physical therapy.

Per the doctor’s recommendation, she began an additional course of physical therapy on December 21, 2010. She attended twenty (20) sessions of physical therapy which ended on March 11, 2011.

She obtained x-rays of her cervical spine and lumbar spine. The cervical spine x-ray revealed straightening of the normal lordotic curvature.

On January 4, 2011, the plaintiff returned to her docotr for follow up treatment. A physical examination revealed pain on palpation of the paracervical muscles, right trapezius muscles, and back muscles. At that time, her physician instructed her to continue physical therapy and pain medication.

Continue reading

A couple weeks ago model Irma Sabanovic drove into her watery death during a car accident in Chicago that left her car submerged in the Chicago River on the 1100 block of West Blackhawk Street, according to My FOX Chicago.Now, victims and safety advocates are searching for somewhere to rest the blame and the City finds itself the focus of that wrath. The city has placed a number of reflectors and barricades in these areas in an attempt to warn motorists of the water dangers.

Our Chicago car accident attorneys understand that the water around our city, and the river running through it, pose a threat to motorists in the event of an accident. Knowing what to do in the event of a submersion accident can mean the difference between life and death.

Sabanovic reportedly neglected to notice the end of the road meeting the beginning of the river as she drove her car directly into the water. She was reportedly submerged in the water nearly an hour before she drowned.

The family of the model filed a lawsuit against the city. They claim that the city of Chicago neglected to place barricades or any significant warning signals near the scene of that accident to warn motorists of the dangers. Reports indicate that there was no signage at the site aside from one “No Outlet” sign. Abels & Annes is not affiliated with any of the parties to the lawsuit.

“(The street) was well-lit, there was a ‘No Outlet’ sign prominently displayed at the entrance to the street and there was an 8-inch curb at the end of the street, which is four times higher than the average city curb,” spokeswoman for the city’s Law Department Jennifer Hoyle said.

This accident mirrors the 1992 death of Rick Roman, Director of Improv Olympic Theatre, in which he plunged into the same river, according to the Chicago Tribune.

According to SafetyIssues.com, more than 300 motorists die from submersion accidents each year. More specifically, they drown in their vehicles. This means, more than one person dies every 29 hours from these accidents.

Safety advocates still rely on the POGO Method as the best tool to help you escape a submerging vehicle:

–Pop off your seat belt, and everyone else’s seat belt in the vehicle.

–Open the window. Break it open if necessary.

–Get everyone out of the vehicle.

–Out. Once you’re out of the vehicle, assess the water currents. Be sure to swim with the current to safety. Swimming against currents can only tire you and put you at a greater risk of drowning.
Continue reading

Illinois car crash lawyers from Abels & Annes, working in conjunction with the Elman law group, have filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County stemming from an accident that occurred back on April 14, 2009. The accident occurred at the intersection of Division Street and Leamington in Chicago, Illinois around 10 PM.

At that time, the plaintiff was driving a 2005 Mercury Sable eastbound on Division Street. As he was passing by Leamington, the defendant failed to yield coming out of a stop sign and caused a collision in the intersection. The plaintiff had no stop sign, and therefore had the right-of-way.

Our driver sustained low back and left knee injuries in the accident. He was seen shortly after Rush Oak Park Hospital.

Illinois accident attorneys have filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County stemming from an accident that occurred on the movie set of Transformers 3 that left a woman with brain damage, according to the Associated Press.

The Chicago area accident took place when the victim was working on the movie set as an extra on September 1, 2010. She was making minimum wage and an additional $25 because she was using her own car.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the lawsuit alleges that the victim was driving her blue Scion as part of a stunt as the movie was being filmed on a roadway in Hammond, Indiana. At that time three flatbed trucks and two stunt cars going in excess of 50 mph were moving towards her vehicle on the opposite side of the roadway. Two trucks involved were pulling cars with steel cables.

Illinois car crash attorneys from Abels & Annes have recently filed another personal injury lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The case stems from an accident that took place on November 19, 2008 at 21 W. 95th St. in Chicago.

Our clients, who were a driver and passenger in 1997 Chevrolet Blazer, were stopped in traffic when they were rear-ended by the driver of a 1997 Dodge Dakota. Our driver sustained low back injuries and the passenger sustained back and neck injuries in the accident.

Due to their injuries, the driver was seen at the ER at University of Chicago Hospital, while the passenger was seen at the Holy Cross Hospital emergency room.