Chicago personal injury lawyers from Abels & Annes resolved a case for a North Side resident who was injured in a single vehicle auto accident in Wisconsin. The plaintiff was riding as a passenger in the back seat of an automobile being driven by the defendant on the evening of November 1, 2007.
They were traveling in a 1995 Chevrolet K1500 Suburban from Madison, Wisconsin to Minnesota. The defendant was driving westbound on Interstate 90 with three passengers. At approximately 8:15 p.m. defendant lost control of her vehicle, veered to the left off the roadway into a ditch, struck a cement culvert and embankment and crashed her vehicle into to cement pylon of an overpass.
Following the collision defendant admitted to the investigating police officers that she had lost control of her vehicle because she was eating food while driving, reached down to grab a napkin and was not looking where she was driving. As a result she lost control of her vehicle and drove off the roadway. She was issued a traffic citation as a result of her actions on the evening of the collision and she later pleaded guilty to inattentive driving.
Our client was taken from the scene of the crash by ambulance and transported to Hess Memorial Hospital. At the time of her arrival in the Emergency Room she complained of head pain, a head laceration, first metatarsal pain in her left foot, left wrist pain and right elbow pain. The head laceration was closed with a number of staples. She had bruising and swelling around her left eye as well as numerous lacerations around her nose and cheeks due to glass. An initial CT in the ER showed a contusion of the right temporal lobe and she was therefore admitted for further observation.
At the time of her discharge she was instructed to seek follow up care for her injuries, including having the staples in her scalp removed, and was further recommended to seek counseling services as she was already beginning to exhibit signs and symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder due to the traumatic nature of the event.
Following her discharge from the hospital the plaintiff sought follow up treatment with her primary care physician in Chicago on November 5, 2007 for her ongoing complaints. X-rays of her left wrist performed at this time identified an ulnar fracture. Her wrist was placed in a splint and she was referred to a hand specialist at the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute for her fracture. She was instructed to wear a wrist splint for one month. She also treated for neck and back at Illinois Bone & Joint.
Following the collision the plaintiff also began to experience psychiatric symptoms including agitation, difficulty sleeping, physical exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, flashbacks to the accident, depersonalization and dissociation. She sought psychiatric treatment and was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The case settled at a non-binding mediation for $74,500, with the defendant’s insurance carrier receiving a $14,500 credit for payment of our client’s medical bills.