Accidents involving trucks, due to those vehicles’ sizes and weights, have a significant chance of causing massive injuries, whether the truck collides with a driver, passenger, bicyclist or pedestrian. These serious accidents can take place, even if the truck was traveling at a low speed. If you are hurt by a commercial truck, you may be entitled to a wide array of types of damages. To ensure that you get the compensation you deserve, make a prompt move to contact a skilled Chicago injury attorney right away.
One commercial-truck-versus-pedestrian case from Chicago, as reported by the Cook County Record, settled recently. The pedestrian, C.P., was walking near the University of Illinois at Chicago in September 2015. The woman was walking near an intersection when a commercial truck slammed into her. Unfortunately for the woman, the truck did not stop right away. After the truck ran over her, it dragged her for another 60 feet.
In any type of case where you, as a pedestrian, are hit by a large truck, the injuries have the potential to be massive or even catastrophic. That’s true if the collision is just a straightforward impact. When you combine being dragged for 60 feet on top of an impact with a massive vehicle, you have a scenario where severe injuries are a near certainty.
According to the Record, C.P. suffered major and multiple injuries to her pelvic area. Her skin was completely ripped off her body in places. The injuries left C.P. permanently disabled. C.P.’s evidence was designed to show a lifetime of pain and problems caused by the accident. This proof was enough to secure a settlement in the amount of $35 million.
The defendants’ willingness to settle the case for $35 million raises the possibility that they believed a jury verdict could have result in an even larger payout to the injured woman. Back in January, the City of Chicago agreed to pay a dancer who was paralyzed by a falling shelter at O’Hare Airport $115 million.
In Illinois, there are several different types of damages you can recover. Some of these things may be relatively tangible things like past and future medical expenses and past and future lost wages. You may also be able to recover an award for pain and suffering. In a specific type of case, a plaintiff may also be entitled to an award of punitive damages. Punitive damages are, as the name implies, intended to punish the wrongdoer (as well as discourage others from engaging in similar wrongful conduct in the future). To obtain an award of punitive damages, you need proof that the defendant not only engaged in a wrongful act (or inaction), but that the defendant did so either with an “evil motive” or else a “with a reckless and outrageous indifference to a highly unreasonable risk of harm.”
If you’ve been injured in an accident with a truck, you may be entitled to various forms of compensation. To obtain all of those damages, though, you’ll need to present the right kind of evidence and make effective, legally substantive arguments. Talk to the experienced Chicago injury attorneys at Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca about your case. Our attorneys have helped out many families harmed by others’ negligence, including those impacted by negligent truck drivers. To set up a free case evaluation and learn how we can put our experience to work for you, contact us at 312-724-5846 or through our website.
More Blog Posts:
A Chicago Driver Receives a $4.75M Settlement After Her Collision With a Municipal Garbage Truck, Chicago Injury Attorneys Blog, May 10, 2018
Rockford Jury Returns $15M Damages Verdict in Wrongful Death Truck Accident Case, Chicago Injury Attorneys Blog, Oct. 24, 2017