93,182 Cook County Verdict for Passenger in Three Car Crash; Stadelmann v. Estate of Waimon

Margaret Waimon, 84, was driving northbound on Interstate 294 when she rear-ended a vehicle in front of her. The Oct, 6, 2007 crash pushed that car into the rear of the car in front of it where the plaintiff, Jennifer Stadelmann, was a passenger. Stadelmann, 32, suffered a neck injury that required physical therapy.

The defendant driver passed away from unrelated causes before the trial. Defendant admitted negligence but denied the nature and extent of Stadelmann’s claimed injuries that led to this trial. Stadelmann had soft tissue neck injuries and physical therapy bills. At the jury trial, the defendant argued that Stadelmann’s injuries healed in 6-8 weeks following the crash and that $25,182 in physical therapy bills were not related to the crash. The jury disagreed.

The Cook County jury’s verdict of $93,182 was made up of the following damages:
• $25,182 for medical expenses;
• $40,000 for pain and suffering;
• $28,000 for loss of normal life.

The Chicago attorney for Jennifer Stadelmann was Matthew Willens, whose demand to settle the case before trial was $50,000, but he asked the jury to return a verdict of $187,782. Before trial, the defendants’ attorney offered $25,000 to settle the case.

Jennifer Stadelmann v. Estate of Margaret Waimon, deceased, 09 L 4840 (Cook County).

Kreisman Law Offices has been handling automobile and truck crashes for individuals and families injured in these cases for more than 36 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Buffalo Grove, Park Ridge, Morton Grove, Chicago (Jefferson Park), Bensenville and Chicago (Austin), Ill.