Chicago Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit Seeking Damages Against City Claims Potholes Caused Off-Duty Cop’s Wrongful Death
The father of Chicago police officer Cameron D. Karshna is suing the City of Chicago for his Cook County wrongful death. The 31-year-old off-duty cop was riding his motorcycle on Touhy Avenue on March 20, 2009 when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Raymond T. Adams
According to the Chicago, Illinois motorcycle accident lawsuit, Karshna stepped on the brakes to avoid colliding with Adams’s car, but the potholes on the road prevented him from stopping. Adams, 36, received citations for failure to wear a seat belt and failure to yield to the right of way to oncoming traffic while making a left turn.
Now, Gary E. Karshna is seeking over $100,000 from the city of Chicago. He is accusing the municipal corporation of negligent and careless street maintenance, as well as failng to fix the potholes.
Road Defect Lawsuits
You can sue a city or county for personal injury or wrongful death if failure to properly design, maintain, or repair a road contributed to causing the traffic crash.
Other Road Defects:
• Embankment flaws
• Inadequate striping
• Lack of traffic signs, pedestrian crosswalks, or traffic lights
• Insufficient shoulder area
• Malfunctioning traffic signals
• Inappropriate speed limit
• Insufficient median barriers
• Poor curbing
• Poorly designed intersections
• Potholes
• Not enough traffic lights
Without the body of a motor vehicle to protect motorcyclists from the impact of collision, riders are especially at risk of getting seriously hurt during a Chicago motorcycle accident. You may have grounds for holding certain parties liable.
Suit: Potholes played role in crash that killed off-duty cop, WBBM Newsradio, March 19, 2010
Cop killed in crash was 'always in a good mood', Chicago Breaking News Center, March 21, 2010
Related Web Resources:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Motorcycle Crash Statistics, Insurance Information Institute
