Forest Preserve Worker Illegally Parks Truck Which Results in Death of 69-year-old Man & $1.24 Million Verdict
Plaintiff’s investigation showed that a 69-year-old man suddenly found himself stuck in traffic behind an illegally parked Cook County Forest Preserve truck on a busy street with a 45 mph speed limit. While the man was able to fully stop his car, the driver behind him could not and the collision forced the 69-year-old man’s car into the back of the truck. The collisions caused the 69-year-old man’s head to snap back and forth, resulting in an injury to his cervical vertebrae. The man was taken to a Level I Trauma Hospital and had his neck placed in traction with a halo to try to prevent the paralysis from becoming permanent. Unfortunately, before the man could recover and he died a few days after the collision.
At trial, the Forest Preserve attempted to lay all of the blame for the collision on the other driver who only had a $20,000 insurance policy. Plaintiff, however, showed that the cause of the collision was due to a parked Forest Preserve truck. The jury found both the Cook County Forest Preserve Driver and the other driver negligent and awarded $1.24 million dollars.
