Personal Injury Law

Settlement reached in personal injury lawsuit, defective product claim for Chicago firefighter paralyzed in motorcycle accident

By Kris Briggs

Both sides reached a confidential settlement in the case of a Chicago firefighter left paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. The Chicago Breaking News Center reports the settlement came after a hung jury in the civil trial against Harley-Davidson.

Our Chicago motorcycle accident lawyers represent clients and families dealing with serious or fatal motorcycle accidents throughout Illinois. Such accidents frequently lead to very serious, debilitating injuries. As such, it is important to hire a law firm with the experience and resources to thoroughly investigate your case and determine whether there are multiple parties responsible for the crash. In this case, the law firm decided a defective product claim against Harley-Davidson was warranted. While the terms were not disclosed, it is likely that the firefighter and his family were able to make a better recovery than would have been possible without the defective products litigation.

The 52-year-old firefighter sued the motorcycle company, claiming a faulty motorcycle led to the 2004 crash on an Arizona highway. The company said driver error was responsible for the crash. The wreck paralyzed the victim from the chest down and he requires 24-hour care.

A jury deliberated this week after a trial last month. Jurors reportedly told the judge on Tuesday that they were unable to reach an agreement.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports there were 5,290 fatal motorcycle accidents in 2008. More than 96,000 riders were injured. Illinois motorcycle accidents claimed the lives of 121 riders that year.

Full post as published by Illinois Injury Law Blog on November 05, 2010 (boomark / email).