GWC attorney Bennett J. Baker has obtained a $400,000.00 settlement for a Teamster who fractured her ankle in a truck accident.
Teamster Dragged Under Truck
GWC’s client was a 41-year-old cashier at the Soldier Field parking lot and a proud member of the Teamsters for many years. In December 2018, she was working at a booth at the stadium’s parking lot entrance, collecting fees from fans attending the Chicago Bears game that day. The Teamster was standing directly outside of the booth on the concrete island that houses it.
The client had been standing on the island and carrying out the duties of her job without incident for approximately ten to twenty minutes when an extra-wide Dodge Ram pickup truck attempted to enter the parking lot near her booth. The truck’s driver negligently failed to keep a proper lookout or control his vehicle and he pulled partially up onto the island. He then struck the client and dragged her under the truck, crushing her right leg beneath its tires.
Three Surgeries for Injured Teamster
As a result of this incident, the Teamster sustained a displaced trimalleolar fracture of the right ankle. After an initial closed reduction proved ineffective, she was forced to undergo an open reduction and internal fixation of the bimalleolar ankle fracture, as well as an open reduction and internal fixation of the syndesmosis with the insertion of pins and plates.
Six months later, the client had a second surgery to remove a screw from her ankle in an attempt to alleviate persistent pain. She was later diagnosed with a fibular nonunion, requiring a third surgery in July 2020 in the form of an open reduction and internal fixation with the use of a bone graft.
In addition to her three surgeries, the client required extensive physical therapy, a myriad of oral pain medications, epidural steroid injections, and the use of crutches and an orthopedic boot.
The client also missed several months of work throughout the course of her treatment. Fortunately, she was ultimately able to return to her job full duty.
GWC Firmly Establishes Driver’s Sole Liability
The Teamster retained GWC Injury Lawyers LLC to help her obtain fair compensation from the truck driver and his insurance company. In order to firmly establish the driver’s sole liability in this case, Mr. Baker used his own words against him.
“In a recorded statement shortly after the accident, the driver admitted that he ‘never saw’ our client before hitting her,” said Mr. Baker. “It is well established in Illinois law that it is negligent to fail to see what there is to be seen.”
Mr. Baker subsequently got the driver to confirm and expand upon his earlier statement in a sworn deposition, during which he said that the client “came out of nowhere,” that he did nothing to try to avoid striking her, and that he never even looked at his outside mirror before she started screaming. He also admitted that he knew of nothing that the client did to cause the accident.
Additionally, Mr. Baker deposed the driver’s passenger, who swore under oath that the driver told him that he “didn’t see nobody” before he struck the Teamster.
Thanks to Mr. Baker’s thorough investigative work and the damning statements he was able to obtain in these depositions, GWC successfully negotiated a $400,000.00 settlement on behalf of the client.
Justice for Illinois Pedestrians
When pedestrians are struck by large vehicles, they can sustain punishing, sometimes life-changing injuries, often at significant financial and personal cost. If you are the innocent victim of a pedestrian accident and want to maximize the amount of compensation that you receive from the at-fault parties, consider doing what so many others have done before you and retain the pedestrian accident attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers LLC.
With over $2 billion recovered in verdicts and settlements, GWC is one of the leading Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation law firms in Illinois. Our dedicated car accident attorneys have the experience, the determination, the resources, and the reputation you need to get you and your family the justice you deserve.
Contact GWC today for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation with one of our truck accident attorneys. You may call our office at (312) 464-1234 or click here to chat with a representative at any time.
<< BACK TO BLOG POSTS