A Cook County jury recently awarded a total of $20.2 million to three families, whose children were killed in a car accident with a Dean Foods tractor-trailer at an Indiana intersection in case number L016261. Martin Healy, Jr., Daniel Malone, and David Huber of The Healy Law firm represented the estate of the passengers of the car, Diana Kakidas and Adam McDonald. The jury awarded $8 million to each of the families of these two passengers. The family of Christina Chakonas, the driver, was represented by another firm, and was awarded $7 million. Due to the driver's contributory negligence of failure to yield at a stop sign, this settlement was reduced by forty percent, and $4.2 million received.
According to a recording module on the truck, operator Jamie Reeves was driving 9.5 miles over the posted speed limit of 40 mph. It was also claimed that he was over the federally mandated hours of service for the week. All three plaintiffs filed suit against Jaime Reeves, The Alder Group, Inc. and Alco of Wisconsin, Inc., his employers, as well as Dean Foods Company, on whose behalf he was transporting milk at the time of the accident. Dean Foods denied that Reeves was its agent.
At trial, all parties presented expert testimony interpreting event recorders on both the tractor-trailer and the car. The Healy Law Firm contended the event recorders on the tractor-trailer showed the driver of the truck was in fact speeding. The defense argued the event recorder on the car showed that the driver failed to stop at the stop sign, and that the driver of the tractor-trailer was actually traveling under the speed limit prior to the collision.
The Healy Law Firm focuses on representing seriously injured individuals and their families against multi-million dollar corporations and insurance companies. By combining aggressive representation with compassionate client service, the firm offers superior legal counsel to injured parties, working tirelessly to secure fair financial compensation on behalf its injured clients. Among legal professionals and Illinois residents, the attorneys of The Healy Law Firm are recognized as an excellent choice for experienced and proficient legal representation.
