A wrongful death lawsuit over a crash that killed an Illinois woman has been settled for $1.25 million.
Carmen Cantu, 61, died in a April 2013 crash when her Nissan Sentra was struck by a car and then a tractor-trailer on Interstate 88 near the border of DeKalb and Kane counties.
Cantu’s daughter, Veronica, filed the suit against the two other drivers involved in the crash and Breckenridge Trucking Inc., the Wenona, Illinois company responsible for the tractor-trailer.
The driver of the car that rear-ended Cantu was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. The truck driver was not cited.
The settlement was approved by Judge James R. Murphy. Under the terms of the settlement, Breckenridge will pay $1 million, and the car driver’s insurance company will pay $250,000. Veronica Cantu and her sister, Evelyn Cantu, will share the settlement.
Truck accidents, while less frequent than car accidents, are more likely to be fatal. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, about half a million truck crashes occur each year in the U.S., causing about 5,000 fatalities annually. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, truck accidents have accounted for between 8.6 percent and 10.6 percent of traffic fatalities over the last five-year period.
Bob Briskman is a truck accident attorney with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit http://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/.
