$180,000 for Trucker Rear Ended on I-70

Our client was stopped as traffic backed up on I-70 near Effingham, Illinois at a construction zone.  A tow truck behind him was towing another tractor-trailer with the tow and tractor-trailer having a combined weight of over 100,000 pounds.   The tow driver failed to see the back-up and slammed 100,000 pounds into the trailer our client was carrying.

Rear-end collisions are common highway accidents

The collision was violent throwing our client forward, injuring his back and leg, which struck the underside of his steering wheel.  Our client’s injuries kept him from working for six months.  During this time, he was treated for his injuries by workers’ compensation, which included epidural steroid injections (ESI) and multiple rounds of physical therapy.

We represented our client in the workers compensation claim and settled that claim quickly for $40,000 so that our client could take care off financial obligations that arose while he was out of work.  We then moved forward with a personal injury claim against the negligent tow truck driver and his employer.  We prepared that case for trial, including depositions and hiring experts.  We were able to settle the personal injury claim for $140,000, bringing the total recovered to $180,000.

In this case we were able to recover both workers’ compensation benefits and personal injury damages for our client, and we were able to resolve the work comp claim quickly to allow our client to meet financial obligations.  This was an important win for our client, and we hope made a positive impact in his life.