Case Results
We place a lot of value in the experience our clients have at our firm and the positive things they have to say about working with us, but a big part of what we do and the impact we make is getting results. Some examples of the settlements our clients have received are below.
Driver Fell Asleep, Passenger Injured In A Car Accident – $1.25 MILLION SETTLEMENT
$1.25 million settlement was reached just 1 month before trial was set to begin in Kendall County, Illinois. Our client was 18 years old and the passenger in her friend’s car when her friend fell asleep, veered off the highway, and crashed into a pole causing a fractured facial bone, two fractured vertebrae, and two herniated lumbar discs. The crash also caused Plaintiff’s scoliosis curve to worsen to the point she will need surgery to correct it. Just 1 month before trial was set to begin, State Farm met the Plaintiff’s demand for the full policy limits of their insured which was $250k (auto policy) + $1million (umbrella).
Car Crash Leading To Wrongful Death Case Near Chicago – $1.5 MILLION CONFIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT
Marker & Crannell negotiated a $1.5 million settlement on behalf of the family of a young woman who was killed in a wrong-way crash near Chicago. The young woman was a passenger in a vehicle when a wrong-way driver crashed into the vehicle she was in, killing her instantly. This settlement exceeds the Defendants’ combined insurance limits by $400,000.
Slip And Fall In Movie Theater Bathroom Premises Liability Case – SETTLED $1.15 MILLION
Slip and fall in a movie theater bathroom results in a $1,150,000.00 settlement for a fractured patella resulting in 2 surgeries. Plaintiff sustained a shattered left patella when she slipped on a wet floor in the bathroom of an major movie theater chain in Woodridge, Illinois. The movie theater failed to inspect the bathrooms before opening the doors to the public that morning, the cleaning company they hired outsourced the job to the lowest bidder, and the lowest bidder improperly cleaned the bathroom floor leaving puddles that remained hours after the Plaintiff’s fall. The Plaintiff underwent two surgeries, first an ORIF (open reduction, internal fixation) and later a total knee replacement. The three defendants settled for a total of $1,150,000.
Slip And Fall At The Grocery Store – SETTLED $1 MILLION
Our client slipped and fell at a Bolingbrook specialty grocery store on a recently mopped floor. The store had a history of slip and fall injuries and should have known that the floors became dangerously slippery when recently mopped. Despite this, the store employee mopped behind our client while her back was turned and gave her no warning that the floor would be wet when she turned around. There were no “wet floor” signs in place, the store had no floor maintenance policies or procedures, and never trained its employees on how to properly and safely mop a floor. Our 55-year-old client slipped and fell injuring the left side of her body including a left-shoulder rotator cuff and labral tear (3 surgeries), and aggravations of the preexisting ankle (surgery), knee (surgery), back (injections), and pain conditions.
Car Accident Rear End At Naperville Rd. And Butterfield – EXCESS VERDICT $806,129.11
Our client was stopped a red light at Butterfield and Naperville Road in Wheaton, Illinois when she was rear-ended by the Defendant. She sustained a concussion, herniated discs in her cervical and thoracic spine, and worsening of a pre-existing lumbar herniation. She underwent physical therapy and trigger point injections. Her doctor recommended epidural steroid injections and testified that her injuries are permanent, painful, and likely to get worse over time. Prior to trial the Plaintiff offered to settle for the Defendant’s policy limits of $100,000.00. The best offer from the Defense was $25,000.00. Trial lasted 4 days and the DuPage County jury returned a verdict for $800,000.00. The Defendant’s insurance company, State Farm, paid the entire verdict plus costs.
Slip On Fridge Leak Premises Liability And Workers’ Compensation Claim – SETTLED $825,000.00
Plaintiff slipped on water on a break room floor after it had just been mopped by a maintenance person. The maintenance person failed to put up any warning of the wet floor and Plaintiff fractured her knee cap requiring 3 surgeries. Our office represented Plaintiff in both the personal injury matter and the workers’ compensation matter. Workers’ compensation paid for all related medical care and waived its right to reimbursement from the personal injury recovery in exchange for a $1.00 workers’ compensation settlement. Personal injury settlement with janitorial company was $750,000, workers’ compensation benefits totaled $75,000.00.
Premises Liability Claim For Uncapped Drain Pipe In Common Area – SETTLED $340,000.00
Plaintiff stepped into an uncapped drain pipe in the common area of her neighborhood, causing fractures and ultimately resulting in CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome).
Car Accident In Parking Lot – SETTLED $225,000.00
Car accident where other driver pulled out of a private parking lot in front of our client. The Plaintiff suffered permanent damage to her neck (disc herniations) which required surgery (cervical fusion).
Nursing Home Negligence Fall With Fracture – SETTLED $200,000.00
A man with advanced Parkinson’s disease and Parkinson’s associated dementia fell at least three times while in the care of a nursing home. The third fall caused a displaced femoral fracture and required an ORIF (open reduction, internal fixation) surgery to repair it. The plaintiff alleged the nursing home failed to develop an appropriate care plan for a high fall risk resident and that the nursing staff failed to follow the care plan that was in place. The parties settled during a pretrial conference with a trial judge in Cook County. The settlement amount represents $200,000 of the $210,000 that remained on the eroding policy limits.
Fall Down Stairs From Bad Lighting – SETTLED $190,000.00
Plaintiff entered the door of an office building and fell down a dimly lit flight of stairs resulting in a sprained ankle, deep venous thrombosis (blood clot) and pulmonary embolism.
Slip And Fall On Ice In Parking Lot – SETTLED $150,000.00
Woman slipped and fell on ice in a defective parking lot outside of a business in Plainfield resulting in a fractured ankle requiring two surgeries.
Construction Site Injury Metal Beam Fell On Head – SETTLED $450,000.00
A worker was seriously injured when a wood beam fell on his head at a construction site. Our client had preexisting neck injuries which were exacerbated by this incident. The injured worker couldn’t go back to his job as a carpenter. The case was filed as a wage differential claim and took into account that the injured worker would earn less money over the remainder of his life as a result of permanent work restrictions.
Slip And Fall On Ice Outside Of Doctor’s Office – SETTLED $125,000.00
Plaintiff slipped on ice that formed in a parking lot as the result of negligently placed gutter extensions on a professional building. Plaintiff tore tendons in his ankle and required surgery. The insurance company denied his claim, we filed suit, and through aggressive and thorough discovery, we were able to establish our case to leverage an excellent settlement for our client.
Car Accident During A Legal U-Turn – SETTLED $100,000.00
Plaintiff sustained a broken arm when the Defendant attempted to pass her while she was performing a legal U-turn. Mr. Crannell attempted to settle the case before filing a lawsuit, but the other driver’s insurance company offered only $50,000.00. A lawsuit was filed in Will County and the case was settled shortly after the party depositions were completed for the policy limits of $100,000.00.
Premises Liability Case From Animal Hole Caused Fall – SETTLED $110,000.00
New resident of an apartment complex fell when her foot became wedged in a hole in the common area of the property. As a result of her fall, plaintiff sustained bilateral injuries to her wrists, knees, ankles, and back. The defendant argued that they had no notice of the hole in the property and that they have no duty to warn of conditions unknown to them. Our office issued a subpoena to their landscaping company which revealed the complex was aware of other holes on the property days before the plaintiff’s fall. Defendant filed a motion for summary judgment based on lack of notice, but the judge denied the defendant’s motion in large part because of the landscaping document obtained by subpoena. A pretrial conference was held with the motion judge in Cook County.
Car Accident Rear Ended Causing Cervical Fusion – SETTLED $500,000.00
Plaintiff was rear-ended while stopped for a red light resulting in C4-5 cervical fusion and surgery at C7-T1 as well. He had pre-existing spinal conditions, including a prior cervical fusion in 2003. The police report indicated no damage to either vehicle. The settlement was comprised of the full policy limits of the at-fault driver ($100,000) and the full policy limits of Plaintiff’s underinsured motorist insurance ($400,000).
Car Accident In St. Charles Involving Drunk Driver – SETTLED $200,000.00
Plaintiffs, husband, and wife, were enjoying a drive-in St. Charles when a drunk driver ran a red light and crashed into them. The defendant was charged with his third DUI, he pleaded guilty, and State Farm defended the case for almost 3 years. After taking the drunk driver’s deposition and filing a motion for punitive damages, State Farm offered the full policy limits to both Plaintiffs ($100,000.00 each) for a total of $200,000.00.
Workers’ Compensation Case For Torn Rotator Cuff From Fall Down A Ravine In Lisle – SETTLED $150,000.00
A 63-year-old maintenance worker sustained a rotator cuff tear necessitating surgery when he fell down a ravine in Lisle.
Workers’ Compensation Claim For Herniated Disc In Neck From Operating Truck – VERDICT $125,000.00
Middle-aged truck driver suffered a herniated disc in his neck which required surgery. As a result of his injuries he could not return to work as a truck driver and had to accept a lower paying dispatcher position. Verdict amount represents the wage differential.
Auto Mechanic Experiencing Repetitive Trauma – SETTLED $310,000.00
Our client, an auto mechanic, required multiple surgeries to repair a repetitive trauma rotator cuff tear injury to his dominant shoulder.
Equipment Delivery Back Injury – SETTLED $235,000.00
Petitioner delivered restaurant equipment and injured his lower back while bringing heavy items down a ramp. His injuries required surgery (laminotomy) at L5-S1.
Nurse Sustained Herniated Cervical Discs Lifting Patient – SETTLED $304,070.00
Petitioner was a nurse/patient care technician who herniated discs while lifting a patient into wheelchair. Her employer did not have workers’ compensation insurance, our work comp lawyer Jason Marker obtained the largest settlement to date with the State of Illinois Injured Workers’ Benefit fund.
Pressure Washer Injury Workers’ Compensation Case – SETTLED $245,000.00
Petitioner was shot in the leg with a pressure washer causing substantial loss of muscle and resulting in CRPS.
Torn Rotator Cuff – SETTLED $180,000.00
A 60-year-old service technician who installs overhead doors was injured when the header of a doorway fell off, knocking him off the ladder. His torn rotator cuff required two surgeries and a substantial amount of physical therapy. He was released from care with permanent restrictions and was unable to return to the same job. The workers’ compensation insurance company paid for his time off, his medical bills, and settled on a negotiated, lump sum, wage-differential claim for $180,000.
Car Accident – SETTLED $50,000.00
The policy limits of the at-fault driver’s car insurance were secured on behalf of our client who sustained a vertebral fracture as the result of a car accident. Despite having medical bills that exceeded the policy limits, Marker & Associates negotiated with his medical providers so that the Plaintiff received approximately 1/3 of the settlement funds as compensation for pain and suffering. Low policy limits can cripple a case, but that is when an attorney can really add value.