Lawsuit For Chicago Bicyclist Injured In Accident With Taxi Settled

A Chicago bicyclist who was injured in an accident with a Chicago Carriage Cab has received a nearly $85,000.00 settlement for the personal injuries he sustained in the collision. The collision occurred on August 29, 2011 when the taxi cab driver turned directly into the bike lane from a parked position on Halsted Street outside of Illinois Masonic Hospital. The bicyclist was struck and thrown from his bicycle and sustained a non-displaced fracture of his collarbone. The injured bicyclist was taken directly into the Emergency Room at Illinois Masonic Hospital from the scene where he was treated.

At the traffic court hearing attorney Mike Keating attended the traffic court hearing with the injured client. At the hearing the taxicab driver pled guilty to violating Section 9-40-190 of the Municipal Code of Chicago. This section specifically prohibits drivers from pulling into traffic - in this case the bike lane on Halsted - from a parked position.

The taxicab driver was driving a Chicago Carriage Cab at the time of the accident. Chicago Carriage Cabs are common in Chicago and recognizable by their unique maroon color as opposed to the traditional yellow taxicab color. Chicago Carriage Cabs were insured with an insurance carrier named Ullico at the time of the collision.

What seemed like a relatively straightforward lawsuit given the guilty plea by the driver and the very clearly severe injury sustained by the bicyclist quickly became complicated when Ullico filed for "insolvency." "Insolvency" is when an insurance company essentially declares itself bankrupt in the sense that it does not have the money on hand to pay all of the claims against it. As a result of Ullico's insolvency proceedings, there was a period of time where there was essentially no insurance for any Ullico claims. During this time there was a legal "stay" on all lawsuits in Cook County involving Ullico as well. The combination of no insurance and the stay left these cases in legal limbo.

Many attorneys withdrew from cases involving Ullico fearing that the claims would never be paid. However, the Illinois Bicycle Lawyers at Keating Law Offices remained committed to their client and patiently pursued the case. Ultimately the State of Illinois provided insurance coverage through the Illinois Guaranty Fund - a sort of "insurance for insurance." After continuing to pursue the case ultimately the case was able to be settled for $60,000.00 in addition to the over $24,000.00 in medical expenses that had already been paid by health insurance.

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 injured in bicycle accidents throughout Illinois. If you have any questions regarding this post or have a question regarding personal injury law or a bicycle accident, please contact Illinois Bicycle Attorney Mike Keating at 312-208-7702 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.