City of Joliet To Appeal Jury's Award of $2M to Man Hit by Squad Car

According to news reports, the City of Joliet will appeal a Will County jury's award of $2 Million to Cedric Bacon for injuries he sustained when he was struck by a squad car chasing a suspect. The collision occurred in December of 2007 on Chicago Street on Joliet's South Side. Bacon was riding his bicycle home from a the Harrah's casino when he was first passed by one squad car that honked at him, and then struck by a second squad car. The second squad car was traveling 68 mph three seconds before impact and 61 mph at the time of impact, evidence that may suggest the driver of the squad car was braking at the time of impact.

Bacon suffered severe injuries to his leg and head. These injuries left him in a coma and kept him in a wheelchair for a year. Bacon reportedly also suffers from post-traumatic stress issues and is incapable of returning to the life he had before.

Cases like this are very difficult because a lawsuit of this nature doesn't just need to show negligence, but show "willful and wanton" actions on the part of the police officer. This means there needs to be evidence that the police offer acted with conscious disregard when the collision occurred. This is a higher standard than mere negligence and will most likely be the subject of the thrust of Joliet's appeal.

The attorneys at Keating Law Offices, P.C. have experience handling cases involving injuries caused by municipal employees and are very familiar with this area of law. If you have any questions regarding this post or an issue involving Illinois personal injury law, please contact Illinois Bicycle Attorney Mike Keating at 312-208-7702 or MKeating@KeatingLegal.com . All initial consultations are confidential and free.