Off-duty Chicago Police officer Cameron D. Karshna was riding his motorcycle on Touhy Ave. last year when he was struck by a car driven by Raymond T. Adams, as detailed by WBBM Chicago. A lawsuit filed by Mr. Karshna's father claims his son was unable to avoid the accident because of potholes in the street.
He is suing the city for more than $100,000 in a wrongful death lawsuit filed earlier this month.
Mr. Adams received a citation for failing to yield to oncoming traffic while making a left turn and failing to wear a seatbelt, according to police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli.
No more information about the lawsuit was made available by local media. But this is hardly the first time an Illinois injury attorney has been called to help with a pothole-related legal action.
Motorcyclist Myron Reed sued the city after he crashed his bike on Wacker Drive, as reported by this blog. He survived the accident with serious injuries and sued on the basis of negligence, claiming damages for injuries "of a personal and pecuniary nature."
A CBS News report from more than two years ago highlighted what it called a "surge" in potholes on Chicago's city streets. Potholes generally are blamed on the freezing and thawing of water that collects on streets during the winter, the article explains.
But that particular year, 2008, was especially bad for potholes. While the city's response system received 160 requests for pothole repair in 2007, It had an astounding 5,649 requests. Mayor Richard M. Daley told reporters that the city goes through this every year:
"Every year we have a pothole crisis and we have to handle it as quickly as possible. And that's what we're doing."
The question the court likely will try to answer with respect to Mr. Karshna's suit is whether or not the city was making a reasonable effort to fix its weather-ravaged streets.
Related Resources:
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My Car Sustained Damage When it Hit a Pothole on a City Street. Can I Recover From the City? (FindLaw ABA Family Legal Guide)
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Road Conditions: A Leading Cause of Accidents (FindLaw KnowledgeBase)
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Find a Chicago Accident Attorney (FindLaw)
