Uninsured/Underinsured Accidents

Facts: An 8-year-old child and a 2-year-old child were occupants in their relative’s vehicle. The vehicle was traveling eastbound on Interstate 80, during a snowstorm in Bureau County, Illinois, when the driver lost control of her vehicle, crossed the center median and came to a rest in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 whereupon it was then struck by another vehicle.

Client’s Injuries: The older child was deceased at the scene. The younger child suffered a right occipital skull fracture, extending down to the condyle; severe traumatic brain injury; posttraumatic hydrocephalus; left temporal intracranial hemorrhage and contusion; subdural hygroma (interval development); ruptured spleen; bleeding in the left chest cavity; left proximal femur fracture; bronchial trauma; respiratory failure; and left liver lobe laceration.

The next of kin of the deceased child received $450,000.00. The younger child, who was hospitalized for nearly two years, received the remaining $1,650,000.00.

Facts: Our client was a passenger in an SUV that was stopped for a red light when it was rear-ended by a van while exiting Midway Airport.

Client’s Injuries: Disk herniation at C4-5, C5-6 and C6-7 requiring an anterior cervical discectomy, decompression and fusion with plating on two occasions. After the second operative procedure, our client continued to have pain issues that were not resolving, resulting in a diagnosis of permanent nerve damage at C-6 and complex regional pain syndrome.

Facts: Our client was traveling northbound in the right lane on a public highway when the defendant who was also traveling northbound made a right-hand turn from the left lane in an attempt to turn onto the eastbound intersecting street.

Client’s Injuries: Right knee injury which developed into Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

Facts: In the early morning, our client was awakened to a sound of what she described as rainfall which seemed to be coming from the basement of her duplex apartment. As she got up, she began walking on the hardwood floors toward the stairs leading to the basement to check on her daughter was asleep downstairs. However, before reaching the stairs, she was caused to slip and fall on water that had emanated from the kitchen due to the kitchen sink pipes that had burst. Our client had previously notified the property manager multiple times of the issue with the kitchen sink pipes.

Client’s Injuries: Cervical disc herniation requiring a multi-level anterior cervical discectomy and spinal fusion.

Facts: Our client was operating a CTA Flex bus which was stopped at a bus stop when her vehicle was struck from behind by a Tractor Trailer.

Injuries: Our client received extensive injuries to her neck and back including a cervical fusion 7 the doctors recommended she undergo a micro discectomy to her lower back.

Facts: Our client was a passenger in an automobile that was stopped for a red traffic light at North Avenue and Ashland Avenue when it was rear-ended by a CTA bus.

Client’s Injuries: Aggravation of pre-existing lumbar disk disease and lumbar stenosis that had been operated upon one year prior to this collision, resulting in a revision surgery consisting of a decompressive laminectomy from L2-S1 with pedicle screw instrumentation and posterolateral fusion. The client also suffered from a postoperative infection.

Facts: While on active duty as a Chicago police officer, our client was operating an SUV that was struck by another vehicle that disobeyed a stop sign.

Client’s Injuries: Headaches and hearing problems; left shoulder contusion resulting in a left avulsion scapular fracture, a shoulder labral tear derangement, traumatic acromioclavicular shoulder joint osteoarthritis, a shoulder strain and suspraspianatus tendinopathy causing severe should pain, tenderness and swelling; a left forearm contusion resulting with 8×4 cm abrasion and a radial fracture causing a large opened wound, an elbow fracture; a chest wall contusion causing left rib fractures sharp left side torso pain, shortness of breath, tenderness, stiffness, swelling and dizziness; a foot contusion and a 5th metatarsal base fracture on the right foot resulting in sharp right foot pain radiating into the toe, swelling and the need to wear a cast, a cam walker boot, cane, and use of crutches.

Facts: Our client was employed as a car salesman in Libertyville, IL. A fellow employee had requested that our client accompany him in order to pick up a car at another dealership and drive it back to their employer’s dealership when the vehicle was rear ended by the Defendant.

Client’s Injuries: Neck and back pain; cervical and lumbar strain; contusion of the lower back; injury affecting the posterior neck and C-spine including myofascial pain syndrome; radiculopathy; chronic pain; anxiety; depression; cognitive deficits; history of brain injury; difficulty ambulating; and, balance impairment.

Facts: Our client was a pedestrian crossing Ashland Avenue on Division Street when she was struck by a Doordash delivery driver.

Client’s Injuries: Fractures to the Superior Lateral left Orbital Rim with extension to the sinus region; depressed fracture of the inferior orbital wall; fractures of the anterior and posterior wall of the left maxillary sinus; fracture through the nasal arch with additional fractures in the remaining septum; and fractures in the left periorbital, left pre-maxillary and nasal bridge. Our client was also diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, a brain bleed, and serious facial scarring.

Facts: Our client was traveling northbound on Lake Shore Drive on his Yamaha motorcycle when he was rear-ended by the defendant’s vehicle causing him to fly off the motorcycle and sustain injuries. The defendant attempted to claim that our client merged directly in front of him at which point he was unable to stop in time. Our client denied ever merging into the defendant’s lane of traffic.

Client’s Injuries: Acute comminuted displaced fracture of the distal shaft of the right tibia requiring debridement and open reduction surgery.

Facts: At the intersection of 34th Street and 61st Court in Cicero, Illinois. The plaintiff, Alicia Padilla, was traveling eastbound on 34th Street and the defendant Mussa Muhammed was traveling northbound on 61st Court at the time of the occurrence. It was alleged that the Mussa Muhammad failed to yield the right of way to Alicia Padilla.

Client’s Injuries: Ruptured intervertebral disc at L4-L5 requiring a lumbar laminectomy.

Facts: Our client was driving down a road when the defendant, suddenly and without warning, made a left hand turn, striking our client and his vehicle.

Client’s Injuries: Fractured hip which required surgery.

Facts: Our client was a passenger in a vehicle traveling on Lake Shore Drive when he was struck head on by the defendant’s motor vehicle.

Client’s Injuries: Cervical spine strain; sprain and lumbos-sacral spine strain/sprain; right shoulder strain/sprain with rotators cuff injury; low back pain syndrome.

Case Name: Robert Ruyle v. State Farm Insurance Company American Arbitration Association Case No.: 51 2000 01398 04

Facts: A retired high school shop teacher was driving an automobile that was stopped for a red light at Lincoln and Veterans’ Parkway in Bloomington, Illinois, when it was rear-ended by a car operated by another driver. Our client incurred $70,531 in medical bills and incurred an additional $129,000 in damages for contractors he had to hire to finish a home remodeling project that he was engaged in at the time of the collision. Shelter Mutual Insurance Company had previously paid its entire $50,000 policy limits.

Client’s Injuries: Broad based disk protrusions at C4-C5, C5-C6, C6-C7 and C7-T1 with bilateral neural stenosis and encroachment upon the thecal sac; spurring at C3-C4 to the right side with compression to the right neural foramen with facet joint arthropathy, degeneration/desiccation of the L2-L3, L4-L5 and L4-S1 intervertebral disks, 3mm right paracentral herniation of the L5-S1 disk, hypostasis of 2nd and 3rd finger of left hand, and chronic C8 radiculopathy in the right arm. As a result of the injuries that he sustained in this occurrence, he underwent an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion at C4-5, C5-6 and C6-7.

Facts: Our client was traveling southbound on Clinton Street in downtown Chicago and was approaching an intersection with a green light. The Defendant who was traveling westbound on Tilden and who had a stop sign, pulled out directly in front of our client causing our client to strike the Defendant’s vehicle.

Client’s Injuries: Fracture of the right distal radius which required surgical repair.

110,000 ($100,000 policy limits from one driver and $10,000 from another driver)

Facts: Our client was traveling southbound on a public highway while the first Defendant was traveling northbound. Suddenly and without warning, a second Defendant was traveling westbound and had a collision with the first Defendant which in turn, collided into the vehicle being operated by our client.

Client’s Injuries: Sprains and strains of shoulder and upper arm, superior glenoid labrum lesion.