Family of man killed in head-on crash awarded $9.3 million

A jury awarded more than $9.3 million to the family of a man who was killed in a head-on collision. Luis Ramirez, 54, was driving his vehicle on U.S Route 20 in Elgin at approximately 50 mph when his vehicle was struck by a Ford F250 pickup truck hauling a horse trailer, which was driven by Susan Jayne. The plaintiffs claimed Jayne crossed over the center line of the road and struck Ramirez's vehicle. Jayne claimed she was forced to swerve into the middle of the road to avoid striking a dump truck that was making a left turn off of the road. Eyewitnesses to the crash testified that Jayne had more than enough time to avoid striking the slow-turning dump truck without swerving her vehicle into the lane that Ramirez was traveling in.

Espinosa v. Jayne
Cook County

Hospital staff found not liable for woman's pressure sore

A jury found a hospital not liable for the development of a woman's pressure sore that was eventually diagnosed as Stage IV ulcer. Margie Haynes, 62, who died of unrelated causes, went to the ER at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey for abdominal pain and right arm contracture. Her medical history included a stroke, renal insufficiency, morbid obesity and gallbladder disease. The estate's counsel claimed hospital staff failed to notify her doctors about the bedsore, which allegedly could have been avoided had the nurses properly turned and repositioned Haynes every two hours. Defense claimed the bedsore's development wasn't preventable, a consequence of Haynes' being near the end of her natural life and requiring gallbladder surgery.

VIEW THE FULL CASE Estate of Haynes v. Ingalls Memorial Hospital
Cook County

Town pays $2.5 million for fatality involving cop vehicle

A municipality agreed to pay $2.5 million to the mother of a man who was killed when his vehicle was hit by an unmarked police vehicle engaged in a high-speed chase after another vehicle. Brian DeWitt, 18, was trying to make a left turn onto 95th Street from northbound Central Park Avenue in Evergreen Park when he was struck on the driver's side by Piotr Bielanski, who was pursuing a vehicle he had clocked violating the speed limit. DeWitt and a passenger were killed. According to a Cook County Sheriff's accident reconstruction report, Bielanski was traveling at 85 mph about five seconds before the impact, reaching 90 mph about 2.2 seconds before the impact. Defense counsel claimed DeWitt was under the influence of drugs at the time.

VIEW THE FULL CASE Ross v. Lee
DeWitt v. Village of Evergreen Park