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Monday, July 23, 2012

Chicago Bike Messenger To Receive Settlement Following Collision That Left Her Scarred

The case of a Chicago bicycle messenger, left bloody and scarred by a collision caused by a driver's foolish maneuver, has been successfully resolved by my law firm.  The matter settled for the full amount of all applicable auto insurance.

In the teeth of the evening rush on May 8th the driver of a Nissan SUV attempted an illegal u-turn in front of the bike messenger, riding northbound on South Franklin Street in the Loop, causing a crash.  The driver had parked or stopped the 2002 Nissan XTerra SUV along the northbound curb at 70 South Franklin before attempting to swing the vehicle to the left in an apparent effort to get into the southbound lane.  At the same time the 26 year old female bike messenger, who had just finished her 11 hour shift, was making her way home in the right lane of northbound Franklin.  Despite being an experienced city cyclist, the abrupt absurdity of the Nissan's maneuver surprised her and she was unable to avoid striking the truck.  A witness to the event squarely corroborated these facts.

The impact was hard and left the bicyclist laying in the street, rush hour traffic cruising past her.  Shocked, she quickly became aware of a sticky wetness on her face.  The impact had opened a large gash on her forehead and she was bleeding.  Nearby pedestrians urged her out of the street.  A witness called 911 and an ambulance arrived and took her to Northwestern Memorial Hospital nearby.  The cyclist's head wound was deep and bled a lot.  Even her bicycle was stained with blood.  The gash required sutures to close.  Her body was also left badly bruised and beaten.  Though the bruises, aches and pains went away after several weeks, the scar on the front of her forehead did not.  A board certified physician retained by my firm to examine the wound concluded that she will likely be left with a permanent scar.

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