$7 Million Settlement Motorcycle v. Box Truck Collision

Phillips Law Offices is incredibly pleased to report that attorneys Stephen D. Phillips and Stephen J. Phillips recently secured a $7,000,000 settlement on behalf of a 28-year-old man who was seriously injured as a result of a motorcycle collision. In August of 2016, the Plaintiff, age 21 at the time, was riding a motorcycle on an industrial road near Rockford, Illinois. As he traveled down the roadway, the driver of a box truck, pulling out of a private driveway, made a lefthand turn in front of him. Our client collided with the back end of the box truck and was thrown off of his motorcycle.

Following the collision, the Plaintiff was hospitalized for almost three (3) weeks. He suffered a severe degloving injury to his left hand, as well as a dislocated knee and multiple torn ligaments in his left knee. He underwent several emergency surgeries and over a year of physical therapy to regain some semblance of his normal life back.

Our office conducted significant pre-trial discovery, including examination of the box truck’s electronic data, where we determined that the defendant driver did not come to a complete stop before entering the roadway and may have been driving distracted.
The defense argued that the plaintiff was speeding at nearly twice the posted 30 mph speed limit. The defense repeatedly referred to testimony from multiple EMTs and a responding police officer who allegedly heard the plaintiff state that he was traveling 50-60 mph prior to the collision. The defense also retained an expert witness accident reconstructionist who opined that our client could have easily avoided the collision had he been traveling closer to the posted speed limit.

The plaintiff was a college student at the time of the collision. In his free time, he enjoyed playing music and was an avid piano and guitar player. Following the collision, he spent hundreds of hours in physical and occupational therapy. He eventually returned to school to complete his Associate Degree and since gone on to achieve a Bachelor of Arts. His goal is to one day obtain a Master’s Degree and practice as a social worker to help other young people who have endured serious physical injury and accidents.

The case was settled at mediation two weeks before the scheduled trial. Throughout the discovery process, the parties conducted twenty-five depositions. The case was handled primarily by Stephen J. Phillips. Mr. Phillips provided the following statement: “For 6 years, the defendants constantly blamed the plaintiff for his own injuries and conducted invasive discovery into his personal life and his social media. They kept telling us that the plaintiff ‘had a good recovery and wasn’t that hurt.’ It was very fulfilling to get such a satisfactory resolution for a young man who still has many challenges ahead including multiple future surgeries.”

The settlement was finalized in late September of 2023. For more information please contact Stephen J. Phillips at 312-636-1124.

Stephen D. Phillips                                                                                                                                                    John G. Phillips 1919 – 2001

Terrence M. Quinn                                                                                                                                                             Telephone

Stephen J. Phillips                                                                                                                                                              312-346-4262

Michael J. Phillips                                                                                                                                                              Facsimile

Alec D. Mesrobian                                                                                                                                                              312-346-0003