Illinois Truck Accident Lawsuit Results in $550K for Soft-Tissue Injury

A Chicago jury awarded a 76-year-old woman $550,000 for injuries sustained in an Illinois truck accident, representing a record verdict for a soft-tissue injury in the state. In a related claim, her 80-year-old husband was awarded $60,000 for aggravation of a prior shoulder injury that resulted in the need for rotator cuff repair surgery.

The case was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illnois against Inland Traffic Consulting Corp., which admitted liability for the crash that occurred when their driver rear-ended the plaintiffs’ car with his semi tractor-trailer on April 12, 2004.

According to the truck accident lawsuit filed, the wife suffered a soft-tissue injury to her shoulder, upper back and neck, incurring medical expenses of $55,255.30. She alleged that her injuries were permanent as a result of the accident, and that she continues to require medical treatment and physical therapy.

The husband alleged that the accident caused him to suffer an injury to his right shoulder that required surgery in June 2007. However, the truck company argued to the jury that the rotator cuff tear was not cause by the accident, and that it was a pre-existing condition temporarily aggravated by the truck accident.

On March 26, 2009, the jury returned a combined verdict of $610,000, including $60,000 for the husband and $550,000 for the wife. The damages awarded to the wife included compensation for pain and suffering, past medical expenses, future medical expenses and loss of normal living.

According to a statement released by the couple’s accident lawyers, Stephen Passen and Matthew Passen, the editor of the Cook County Jury Verdict Reporter determined that the $550,000 verdict is the highest ever reported in Illinois for a purely soft-tissue injury sustained by a plaintiff over the age of 60.