Freeman Kevenides Law Firm

$2.5M

Bicycle Accident

A downstate Illinois male bicyclist was struck from behind by the driver of a pickup truck. The driver fled the scene but was arrested after a few days and charged with felony hit-and-run. He later admitted that he had dropped a cigarette onto the floorboard of his Ford F-150 and reached down to pick it up. By the time he looked up it was too late to avoid hitting the cyclist. The settlement was the all-time largest reported verdict or settlement in the county in which the case was brought.

$490,000

Bicycle Accident

A 59 year old Chicago accountant was struck by a left turning driver while riding his bicycle to work. The male cyclist suffered fractures to both lower bones of his left leg, a torn left meniscus, a fractured left hand and a broken nose. He underwent several surgeries to treat his injuries and spent months in a wheelchair. The 24 year old driver was ticketed by police for failing to yield. Months after the crash, we accompanied the cyclist to traffic court, making sure that he was prepared to testify against the driver. His presence at the hearing compelled the driver to plead guilty to the charges against him. That admission of guilt could have been used against the driver if the civil personal injury case went to trial. We later secured a settlement from the driver’s insurance company for the full amount of his coverage, $100,000, plus $1,600 for the damage to his bicycle. Thankfully, our client’s own auto insurance policy had a high underinsured motorist limit. Though he was not driving at the time, we were able to secure a $390,000 settlement from our client’s auto insurer bringing the total settlement to over $490,000.

$375,000

Wrongful Death

An elderly man was struck and killed by a minivan driver while riding his bicycle through a traffic intersection in Mattoon, Illinois. The defense was prepared to present extensive scientific evidence from an accident reconstruction expert that the deceased man himself was at fault for the incident. However, investigation uncovered a witness to the scene who observed the defendant driver speeding through the intersection while not paying proper attention.

$300,000

Bicycle Accident

A 33 year old female bicyclist was struck from behind in Chicago by a taxi cab driver who fled the scene. She suffered torn cartilage in her left knee requiring surgery. Employed as a flight attendant, her injuries left her unable to work for a significant period of time. She incurred over $60,000 in medical bills.

$250,000

Wrongful Death

A woman driving a pick-up truck struck and killed a bicyclist as she was overtaking him on a rural road. The defense claimed the bicyclist “swerved suddenly” into the path of the truck, but they eventually paid their full policy limits.

$245,000

Bicycle Accident

A 23 year old Chicago man was struck by a right-turning dump truck with an attached trailer. The defense claimed that the bicyclist came off of a sidewalk and darted in front of the truck as it was entering an expressway on-ramp. The trucking company and its insurer defended the case aggressively, hiring an accident reconstruction expert who created a computer animation demonstrating what they believed was the bicyclist’s culpability for causing the crash. However, after extensive investigation we learned that the truck’s right turn signal was not working at the time of the collision and that our client had no warning that the vehicle was turning into his path.