Personal Injury Law

Jury Awards Chicago Woman $29.6 Million in September 2005 Metra Train Accident Case

An Illinois jury has awarded a South Side woman who was seriously injured when a Metra train derailed in Chicago in September 2005 nearly $29.6 million. Renee Poppel was one of the dozens of people who got hurt when a Metra engineer drove a Rock Island Line Train at 69 mph through a 10 mph crossover. The train violently derailed close to 47th Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway. Two people died in the deadly Chicago train accident.

Poppel was three months pregnant at the time of the Illinois train derailment accident. She sustained serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, a broken neck, and a shattered pelvis. Her baby, Faith Victoria, survived the deadly derailment and doctors delivered her while Poppel was in a comma. Faith Victoria is now three years old and so far, she appears healthy.

Poppel?s Chicago train accident attorney says the award will cover lost wages, future earning, and medical expenses. Because of the accident, Poppel will never be able to work again. She also is confined to a wheelchair, has vision loss and difficulties speaking, and is unable to take care of her daughter or her 5-year-old son without outside help. The 28-year-old Chicago resident has already undergone 21 surgeries and could undergo three more to reconstruct her hand.

About 50% of the 70 Chicago train accident lawsuits demanding compensation from Metra for the catastrophic 2005 train accident have been settled. Last November, Metra said it would pay $11 million to the families of the two train passengers that died in the crash.

According to Metra and the National Transportation Safety Board, human error was the cause of the deadly train crash. Following the Chicago train accident, Engineer Michael Smith was fired for failing to pay attention to the signals and not slowing down the Metra train.

South Side woman awarded nearly $30M in Metra lawsuit, Southtown Star, February 28, 2009

Attorney details injuries, needs of woman injured in Metra crash, Chicago Tribune, February 19, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Metra to Pay Families of Two Chicago Train Accident Victims $11 Million for Wrongful Deaths, Law Offices of Steven J Malman & Associates, PC, November 13, 2008

Metra

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on March 03, 2009 (boomark / email).