The Illinois Bicycle Lawyers at Keating Law Offices have obtained a $105,000.00 settlement on behalf of a local woman who was injured in a bicycle vs. motor vehicle collision in July of 2013. The collision occurred at approximately 9:30 on the morning of July 2, 2013.
The motorist was exiting a parking lot on East Algonquin Road in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. At the same time, the bicyclist was traveling westbound along the sidewalk separating the parking lot from East Algonquin Road. As the motorist made a right turn onto the eastbound lane of East Algonquin Road, he crashed into the bicyclist and her bicycle, dragging her and the bicycle under the car for approximately twenty-five to thirty feet before coming to a stop.
Police investigators who came to the scene confirmed the distance that the bicyclist was dragged. Miraculously, the handlebars of the bicycle became lodged between the roadway and the undercarriage of the car and this kept the bicyclist from being crushed by the vehicle. Rolling Meadows Battalion Fire Chief Jeff Moxley reportedly said it initially appeared as though the bicyclist was pinned underneath the car when they arrived on the scene.
"The driver of a vehicle emerging from an alley, building, private road or driveway within an urban area shall stop such vehicle immediately prior to driving into the sidewalk area extending across such alley, building, entrance, road or driveway, or in the event there is no sidewalk area, shall stop at the point nearest the street to be entered where the driver has a view of approaching traffic thereon, and shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian as may be necessary to avoid collision, and upon entering the roadway shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching on such roadway." (625 ILCS 5/11-1205)While the bicycle crash was fortunately not as catastrophic as it appeared at the scene, the bicyclist still required extensive medical attention at Northwest Community Hospital and suffered from a prolonged period of pain and suffering and anxiety as a result of the crash. The settlement of $105,000.00 is considerable given the nature of the bicyclist's injuries. It reflects the very serious and traumatic physical and emotional nature of this bicycle crash where the bicyclist was dragged for 25-30 feet before the motorist came to a stop.
Keating Law Offices is the premiere personal injury law firm representing victims of bicycle accidents in Illinois. The firm is based in Chicago, Illinois and represents clients throughout Illinois. If you have any questions regarding this post or have a question regarding personal injury law, please contact Illinois Bicycle Attorney Mike Keating at 312-239-6787 or Mike@KeatingLegal.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All e-mails and phone calls are returned promptly. All initial consultations are confidential and free.