Carini Obtains Defense Verdict in Wrongful Death Case Seeking $11M

Joseph B. Carini, III, a shareholder at Johnson & Bell, Ltd., successfully defended his client in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the estate of a young man killed in an auto accident.  The plaintiff, a 21-year-old father of a 15-month-old child, was killed in an auto collision with a semi-tractor truck that entered an intersection against a red light.  One of the two red lights at the intersection was not illuminated.  The wrongful death lawsuit alleged that the defendant's failure to properly maintain the traffic signals contributed to causing the accident.  The plaintiff also contended that the other red light was obscured by a telephone pole. The plaintiff charged that the light malfunction made the signals impossible to see which contributed to the crash, and contended that the condition existed for a lengthy period of time in violation of the defendant's maintenance contract with the State of Illinois. The plaintiff survived the crash for eight days and sought in excess of $11 million for the benefit of the child. Mr. Carini successfully argued that the sole proximate cause of the accident was the negligence of the truck driver, who was not a party in the lawsuit.  The jury sided with Johnson & Bell's client and delivered a verdict in favor of the defense.