Chicago Motorcycle Accident Settlement Could Give $3.4 Million to Rider Who Struck Sinkhole
A City Council committee has advanced a $3.4 million Chicago motorcycle accident settlement for rider Juan Munoz. The 33-year-old motorcyclist was on his motorcycle on September 4, 2000 when he hit a sinkhole. The sinkhole, according to one neighbor, had expanded to 36-inches in diameter, and residents in the area had complained about the road defect.
Munoz, who was thrown from his bike, hit a parked car. As a result of the Chicago motorcycle accident, he suffered a stroke, sustained multiple fractures to his cervical spine, and developed cerebral edema.
To this day, Munoz has not been able to get back his vision in one of his eyes, is unable to move his right arm, experiences weakness in his right leg, has decreased pulmonary function, and suffers from leg spasms.
Months before Munoz’s Chicago motorcycle crash, workers from the Water Department had fixed a leaking water main in the 900 bock of South Western. Less than two weeks before Munoz’s Chicago motorcycle crash, an inspector from the Department of Transportation found that the repair’s concrete base had failed, which resulted in the sunken street. Repairs, however, were not made to the depressed area prior to Munoz’s injury accident.
Damages on Chicago roads that could cause injury or death must be repaired. Failure to do so can be grounds for a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against a state agency or a local municipality. Road debris or obstructions must also be cleared out for the safety of motorcyclists, vehicle occupants, and pedestrians.
Defects or design hazards on the road that could result in a Chicago personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit:
• Poorly marked road or highway divide
• Too much gravel or oil on the road
• Potholes
• Failure to warn about a construction zone up ahead
• Failure to properly mark a construction zone
• Shoulder reductions
• Blind corners
• Glare from street lights
• Low curbing
• Drain pits that aren’t covered
• Cobble stones
• Defective traffic lights
• Signs that are hard to read or see
Injured motorcyclist could get $3.25 million after hitting sinkhole, Chicago Sun-Times, September 8, 2009
Related Web Resources:
City Council, City of Chicago
