A $1 million settlement was reached (Sun-Times) in conjunction with a 2006 car accident that left Buffalo Grove resident Marissa Palmer with a head injury; road rash; a fractured spine, ribs and neck and a lacerated liver. But her once close relationship with the driver, Dana Horowitz, may remain unsettled.
This case illustrates how drivers can still be liable for injuries sustained in an accident partly caused by inclement weather if they fail to reduce speed or make other necessary adjustments.
The accident occured in November 2006 when Palmer and Horowitz were driving back home to the Chicago area from the University of Wisconsin, where the two were enrolled. Roads were icy from snow and freezing rain, but Horowitz did not slow down and lost control of her Jeep, which was traveling about 60 mph even though other cars on the road were only going 25 to 30 mph.
They slid through a median and then went airborne and collided with a car in the opposite lane. Palmer was thrown from the Jeep after it rolled, and then another car struck the vehicle. Horowitz was unharmed but her friend suffered very serious injuries.
- Fault and Liability for Motor Vehicle Accidents (FindLaw)
- Defenses: Contributory and Comparative Negligence in Car Accident Cases (FindLaw)
- Chicago Traffic (Navteq, Traffic.com)
- Chicago Injury Lawyers (FindLaw)
