Jury trials experience can be a critical legal advantage for a plaintiff hoping to receive substantial vehicle accident injury compensation.

As seen on this site, many injuries resulting from McHenry County accidents often require extensive medical care and rehabilitation. Extensive medical care, even if the patient has insurance, can be very costly. As well, depending upon the injury, there can be other financial hardships such as loss of income either on a temporary or permanent basis.

Following these accident injuries, those who are injured due to the negligence of others often seek to get injury compensation through the filing of a personal injury lawsuit. In those instances where negligence has led to a fatality, relevant parties may choose to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

Anthony R. Elman, Lead Trial Attorney at the Elman Law Group, recently received a lifetime achievement award testifying to his leading jury trials experience as a plaintiff trial attorney.

On October 24, 2019 more than 300 trial attorneys and Illinois judges attended the annual Trial Lawyer Excellence Award event at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.  This event is hosted by the Jury Verdict Reporter, a division of Chicago-based Law Bulletin Media.  The event recognizes the state’s top civil litigation attorneys.

An excerpt from the 2019 Trial Lawyer Excellence Award page:

Fifty-four professionals from both sides of the trial bar received individual Trial Lawyer Excellence awards in one of seventeen 2019 categories.

At this Trial Lawyer Excellence Award Event, Anthony R. Elman received the special Cook County Jury Verdict Reporter historical recognition for “the most reported jury trials as a plaintiff attorney” during the last 30 years.  This award, as well as other awards, verdicts and settlements indicates the level of experience and proven results that the Elman Law Group has achieved in Illinois personal injury lawsuits.

This level of jury trials experience has proven valuable to Elman Law Group clients.  Many clients have received substantially more money for their injuries after the Elman Law Group took their lawsuits to court after settlement offers proved inadequate.

Anthony Elman has been designated as a “Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters. This designation, which is based upon various criteria encompassing lawyer performance and peer review, is granted to no more than 5% of attorneys.

Elman Law Group has been handling Illinois personal injury cases for over 25 years.  During this 25+ year period, the Elman Law Group has handled over 10,000 personal injury cases.  This breadth of experience and success in jury trials provides valuable insights in determining the course of action that will lead to the optimal resolution of a personal injury or wrongful death case.

Additional information concerning the Elman Law Group and its performance can be seen on the “About” page.

A $775,000 injury lawsuit settlement has recently been attained by the Elman Law Group. The underlying pedestrian accident injury occurred in Chicago.

The case involved an 80-year-old woman, Georgina Melendez, who was struck by a vehicle on March 11, 2017.  The accident occurred at 8:00 p.m. at the corner of Ashland and Leland.

According to the police report, the defendant and two witnesses both indicated that at the time of the accident the intersection was dark, and the plaintiff was wearing dark, non-contrasting clothing.

Claimed harm to Georgina Melendez included a dislocated left knee with a post-operative blood clot.  Specifically, the knee injury was an acute complete ACL rupture, with associated slight anterior translation of the proximal tibia relative to the distal femur.

After the operation, the orthopedic surgeon indicated that Georgina Melendez made a nearly full and complete recovery.

Medical bills related to the initial knee surgery were approximately $220,000.

The defendant was insured by State Farm Insurance.

In addition to this $775,000 lawsuit settlement Elman Law Group has achieved notable settlements and jury verdicts across a range of Illinois personal injury cases.  Over the last 25+ years, Elman Law Group has handled over 10,000 Illinois personal injury lawsuits.

During this time, Elman Law Group has established a reputation for its court trial performance.  As often seen, the Elman Law Group’s ability to win court cases has often resulted in significantly higher monetary amounts for its clients. Some of the more notable awards and accomplishments are highlighted on the “About” page.

Thomson Reuters has named Anthony Elman, the Lead Trial Attorney for the Elman Law Group, as a “Super Lawyer.” This designation, which is based upon various factors including a lawyer’s performance and peer review, is granted to no more than 5% of attorneys.

As seen in the $775,000 lawsuit settlement summarized above, medical costs to treat pedestrian accident injuries are often substantial. Unfortunately, when a person is hit by a vehicle a broad range of serious injuries can result. As seen in the McHenry County pedestrian accidents summarized on this site, many such accidents lead to life-threatening injuries, and some result in fatalities.

McHenry County Fatal Crash

There was a fatal unincorporated Harvard SUV crash on Sunday, August 11, 2019. This fatal unincorporated Harvard SUV crash was a single-vehicle crash.

The crash is discussed in a variety of media sources, including the August 12, 2019 McHenry County Sheriff’s Office media release titled “Sheriff’s Office Investigates A Fatal Single-Vehicle Crash.” An excerpt:

On August 11, 2019 at 7:24 p.m., the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, McHenry County Conservation Police, and the Harvard Fire/Rescue District responded to a single vehicle crash involving a 2015 Mercedes-Benz GL450 that had crashed into two trees on Oak Grove Road west of Illinois Route 14.

On-scene investigation indicated that the Mercedes-Benz had been traveling eastbound on Oak Grove Road. For unknown reasons the Mercedes-Benz crossed over the westbound lane of travel and exited the roadway to the north where it struck two trees and rolled onto its side.

A passenger in the SUV, identified as a 28-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the accident scene. 

The driver of the Mercedes-Benz, identified as a 32-year-old man from Niles, was seriously injured. He was flown by helicopter to Javon Bea Hospital in Rockford for medical treatment.

The accident investigation continues is being conducted by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.

Additional Details Concerning This Unincorporated Harvard SUV Crash

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal SUV accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the media release mentioned above.

Accidents in which the vehicle leaves the roadway often lead to serious accident injuries, and possibly life-threatening harm. When a vehicle leaves the roadway, it is vulnerable to hitting a variety of fixed objects such as trees, utility poles, and buildings. The subject of accidents in which a vehicle leaves the roadway is further discussed on the “Accidents In Which Vehicles Leave The Roadway” page.

McHenry County Fatal Car Collision

There was a fatal unincorporated Marengo Township collision late Friday (November 16, 2018) afternoon in which a driver died at the accident scene.  The accident involved a failure to yield.

According to information provided by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office (in the November 19, 2018 media release titled “Sheriff’s Office Investigates Fatal Traffic Crash” this unincorporated Marengo Township collision occurred at the intersection of Route 176 and North Union Road.  The Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash at 5:35 p.m.

An excerpt from the media release:

On Friday at 5:35 p.m., the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the Marengo, Union, and Woodstock Fire Protection Districts all responded to the crash involving a 2008 Kia Rio and a 2007 Ford F-150.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the Kia, driven by the 40-year-old man, was traveling southbound on North Union Road and came to a stop sign.  The Ford, driven by an 80-year-old Marengo man, was traveling westbound on Route 176 and did not have a stop sign.  For unknown reasons the Kia failed to yield to the Ford and drove into the intersection where the vehicles collided.

The driver and sole occupant of the Kia was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and sole occupant of the Ford sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported by ambulance to Northwestern Hospital in Huntley.  All occupants were wearing seat belts and airbags deployed in both vehicles.  That area of Route 176 was closed for approximately 5 hours.

The driver of the Kia has so far only been identified as a 40-year-old man from Belvidere.

The accident investigation is being conducted by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigations Unit and the McHenry County Coroners’ Office.

Additional Details Regarding This Fatal Unincorporated Marengo Township Car Collision

Additional details and possible updates concerning this fatal unincorporated Marengo Township collision can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the media release mentioned above.

McHenry County Two-Vehicle Accident

While crashes that involve one vehicle making a left-hand turn immediately in front of another are more common in Illinois motorcycle accidents, such crashes also happen in regular vehicle accidents.

One example of such a crash appears to have happened near Lakemoor on Thursday, March 17, 2016.

The crash is discussed in the Northwest Herald article of March 17 titled “Lakemoor-area crash sends 3 people to hospital, fire officials say.”

As seen in the article, the accident occurred at Bay and Cuhlman Roads, and three people were hurt and taken to Centegra Hospital for treatment of their accident injuries, which were considered to be “non-life-threatening” in nature.

Additional Details Regarding This McHenry County Accident

Additional details regarding this McHenry County injury accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the Northwest Herald article mentioned above.

Vehicle Rollover Accident In McHenry County

There was a rollover crash Wednesday night (October 29, 2014) in Lake in the Hills.

Details on the accident and its causes appear limited.

Lake in the Hills Police responded just after 11:00 p.m. to the rollover vehicle accident, which happened in the 600 block of Anderson Drive.

An 18-year-old man was taken to Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin for treatment of an apparent head injury.

Additional Details And Possible Updates Concerning This McHenry County Rollover Accident

Additional details and possible updates concerning this McHenry County vehicle accident can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the October 30, 2014 Crystal Lake-Cary Patch article titled “Teen Injured in Wednesday Night Rollover Crash” as well as the October 30 Northwest Herald article titled “Teen injured after Lake in the Hills rollover crash.”

Types Of Vehicle Accident Injuries

Throughout this site, vehicle accidents and resulting injuries from McHenry County vehicle accidents are discussed.  While many of the injuries from vehicle accidents are minor in nature, many other car accident injuries are serious, and some injuries lead to death.

Many of these serious injuries can have long-lasting health impacts.  These injuries can take many forms, and can include broken bones, bleeding, back injuries, herniated discs, spinal cord injuries/paralysis, and various brain injuries and other head trauma.

The Body’s Response To Traumatic Injuries

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a video on its National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) site titled “The Body’s Response to Traumatic Injury.”  In this video, which is slightly over three minutes in length, Dr. Scott Somers discusses the body’s reaction to traumatic injury, in which he discusses the following:

• Shock
• The “systemic nature” of injuries
• The “injury process”
• The inflammatory and immune response
• Traumatic injuries’ impact on organs
• Infections
• Sepsis

Further information can be seen in the NIGMS video mentioned above.

If You Are In A Vehicle Accident

If you are in a vehicle accident, it is very important that you get a thorough medical check to determine if you received any injuries.  Due to the nature of vehicle accidents and the body’s response to them, you may have serious injuries that you are not aware of, as the symptoms may not be obvious.  One example of a car/bicycle accident in which serious injury symptoms – including internal bleeding and head trauma – were not initially recognized is seen in the July 18, 2014 Aurora Beacon-News article titled “Bicyclist realizes depth of injury hours after Aurora crash.”

Motorcycle Accident In Unincorporated Riley Township

There was a motorcycle accident in unincorporated Riley Township (near Marengo) on May 8, 2014, involving a motorcycle hitting a deer.

Emergency responders went to the motorcycle accident scene at approximately 6:06 p.m.  The collision happened in the 11000 block of Illinois Route 23.

According to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, the preliminary investigation indicated that during the collision with the deer, the rider of the motorcycle was ejected from the motorcycle.

The motorcyclist was identified as Philip Casale, 56, of Hampshire, Illinois.  He was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Illinois, via Flight for Life.  He was reported to be in stable condition.

According to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, at the time of the crash Casale was not wearing a helmet.  Neither alcohol nor speed are suspected of playing a role in this motorcycle accident.

The accident remains under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Crash Investigation Unit.

Various Sources And Updates For This McHenry County Motorcycle Accident

Additional details and possible updates can be seen in a variety of media sources, including the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department news release of May 9, 2014, titled “Single Motorcycle Traffic Crash” as well as the May 10 The Courier-News article titled “Hampshire man injured as motorcycle hits deer in McHenry County.”