Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
As Illinois bicycle crash lawyers at Abels & Annes informed you last week, we recently filed a lawsuit against a negligent motorist who struck a teenager riding his bike.
Since that time Abels & Annes, working with co-counsel, have filed two additional bike accident lawsuits. In one case, a bicyclist was injured on September 5, 2010 when he was doored by a taxicab passenger.
The colliison took place on Diversey Street in Chicago in the westbound lanes. The taxi driver failed to pull over to the side of the road and stopped in the middle of the street. Without warning, the passenger then swung his door open to exit into traffic. Our client crashed into the cab door and fell off his bike onto the pavement.
Immediately after the collision, the bicycle rider started to experience pain and discomfort in his right knee, right thigh, left hand third finger, and his left shoulder. He was transported by ambulance to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
When he arrived at the ER a history was taken, he was examined and diagnostic tests were performed. Physical examination showed bruising to the left upper arm area, and obvious deformity to the middle finger, and significant right knee swelling. X-rays taken revealed a comminuted fracture of the middle phalanx of the middle finger of the left hand and right knee effusion.
The plaintiff was given pain medication, his finger was splinted and he was given a brace to immobilize his knee and crutches to ambulate. ER physicians referred him to a hand specialist for further care.
Our client saw an orthopedic specialist several days after the accident. The physician determined that surgery was necessary and performed a closed reduction, K-wire fixation of the left middle finger. Temporary pins were inserted into his finger and removed about a month later.
The client’s doctor later prescribed a course of occupational therapy to complete healing of the finger, and he continued to follow-up with the physician.
The bicyclist also had further treatment for his knee and shoulder with an orthopedic surgeon in north suburban Evanston. The physician prescribed additional physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication and recommended continued use of his knee splint and crutches, to be weaned off slowly.
Due to the accident, our client incurred just under $35,000 in medical bills, plus $760 damage to his bicycle.
A lawsuit was filed because when we started to attempt to negotiate a bodily injury settlement on behalf of our client, we had two insurance companies pointing fingers at each other. The insurance company for the taxi driver was blaming the passenger for the accident, while the passenger (who has his own auto insurance policy) was blaming the taxi driver.
Due to this issue, our client agreed to proceed with a lawsuit to maximize his financial recovery against both defendants.
In another bike accident case, our client was injured when a driver of a 1994 Chrysler Concorde failed to yield while pulling out of an alley. The plaintiff was riding his bicycle in a northbound lane of traffic on Central Park in Chicago, just south of Harrison Street, when he was struck by the vehicle.
The Chicago Police Department responded to the scene of the accident. After an investigation, they placed the defendant at fault.
The bike rider was treated shortly after the accident at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park. He sustained back, neck and left ankle injuries in the accident.
Over the coming days his pain did not resolve, so he sought treatment with a physician on the North Side of Chicago.
The case was not settled due to the fact that the plaintiff tried to handle the claim on his own with a major insurance carrier. The adjuster delayed and delayed trying to resolve the case, until finally the statue limitations was approaching. When the claimant realized the insurance company was not going to pay him, he contacted our office for representation. A lawsuit was filed on the same day we signed up the case.
If you have been injured in an Illinois cycling accident, contact the injury attorneys at Abels & Annes for a free, no obligation consultation. Call us at 312-924-7575 or contact us online.
Recent bike blog posts:
Bicyclist run over and killed by dump truck
Bike riders injured in dooring accidents to be tracked