Robert A. Clifford and Bradley M. Cosgrove, partners at Clifford Law Offices, obtained a $20 million settlement today (Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015) after being assigned to trial on behalf of a man who was severely injured when a tractor carrying hazardous materials t-boned his vehicle.
Eugene Hajer, then 47, was traveling on eastbound I-113 in his pickup truck on Jan. 3, 2009, when he made a left-hand turn onto a farm access road in order to help neighbors lay beaver traps for a flooding problem. A trucker from RCD Trucking, Inc., of Kankakee crossed a double yellow line in an attempt to pass as Hajer made his turn.
A witness in a car behind the incident said the tanker truck passed his car just a short time before the collision on the clear, cold afternoon and never slowed under 55 miles per hour before he crossed the double yellow line and slammed into the driver’s side of Hajer’s pickup, pushing both vehicles into a ditch.
Hajer was airlifted via helicopter from the scene to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove where he underwent emergency surgery for a torn aorta. He also suffered a broken pelvis and numerous other permanent physical injuries. Hajer and his wife, Denise, were newlyweds at the time of the crash. “This man was a well-respected foreman at a prominent Chicagoland electrical contractor who intended to continue his career for many years,” Clifford said following the settlement. “Now he lives with permanent pain and disabilities that will forever impact him and his family.”
“It’s very tragic incident that very easily could have been avoided if the driver of the tanker would have followed the rules of the road,” Cosgrove added.
The driver of the tractor, Alfred J. Criswell, Jr., of Kankakee, was carrying printing and ink supplies for Sun Chemical Corporation.
The case was settled as a trial was set to begin before Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thomas J. Lipscomb at the Daley Center.
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For further information, please contact Clifford Law Offices’ Communications Partner Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909. www.CliffordLaw.com
Case No. 10 L 14620
Attorneys for Defendants Alfred J. Criswell, Jr., and RCD Trucking, Inc: Jon Malartsik Paulsen, Malec & Malartsik, Ltd. 630-871-1414 jmalartsik@paulsenmalec.net
Attorneys for Defendant Sun Chemical Corp.: John Dalton Baugh, Dalton, Carlson & Ryan, LLC 312-759-1400 jdalton@baughdaltonlaw.com