DISCLAIMER: The results are specific to the facts and legal circumstances of each of the clients' cases and should not be used to form an expectation that the same results could be obtained for other clients in similar matters without reference to the specific factual and legal circumstances of each client's case.
In July 2019, our client, a forklift operator, reached a settlement for $4,825,000 for spine injuries he sustained from a truck rollaway crash.
On July 28, 2016, our client was operating a forklift at an airport in Chicago. As he entered a docked tractor-trailer on his forklift, the truck began to roll away. Our client and his 9,000-pound forklift crashed four feet to the pavement below.
After investigating the crash, our team discovered that the truck driver had failed to lock his brakes AND chock his wheels when he parked the trailer to the dock. Despite this, the truck driver still signed a paper in the office saying that he did lock his brakes and chock his wheels.
Later, we found out that the trucking company had never trained their driver on how to secure the trailer.
As a result of the impact, our client sustained permanent spine injuries. His doctors told our client that he needed physical therapy and steroid injections. They also recommended surgery.
Due to the crash, our client could no longer work as a forklift driver. He also couldn’t pursue a career as a union glazer, as he had planned before the crash.
The case resolved after we selected a jury for the Cook County trial.
We are very happy for our client and were honored to represent him. He has handled his life-altering injury with dignity and grace. He never gave up. This result will let him focus on a new career path, so he can provide for his family.