Personal Injury News: Pick Of Last Month: November-2021

Late Bullied Student To Get $1.2M From Chicago Public Schools

The mother of a student from a Chicago Public School who was bullied in the school will receive a $1.2 million settlement as the traumatized student attempted suicide which resulted in his death.

As per the court documents, the mother of the student alleged that the school staff and the students of the Carter Woodson Elementary School bullied him because of which her son attempted suicide. The boy tried to commit suicide back in 2019 and died of health complications earlier this summer. The school is one of the Chicago Public Schools and has agreed to pay a $1.25 million settlement to the mother of the student.

The boy was 13-year-old and suffered from permanent brain damage post the suicide attempt. He was not able to walk or talk and needed a breathing tube because of the mishap.

The mother even alleged that she alerted the school officials about the bullying suffered by her son at the school, but they disregarded the issue. According to the complaint, the teachers and students repeatedly called him dumb and stupid. They even joked that he would end up in a facility for mentally disabled students.

The attorneys for the plaintiff said that the school has failed tremendously to notice the issue and it should be considered as a serious crime of horrific abuse, neglect and incompetence. They even explained that the $1.2 million settlement is necessary as the mother had to take care of all the medical and hospital expenses of her son on her own as the insurance company denied to cover the medical cost considering the suicide.

PG&E Agrees To Pay $125M In California Fire

California's energy regulator and Pacific Gas & Electric have reached a $125 million settlement over the 2019 Kincade Fire that burned more than 77,000 acres destroying hundreds of homes and injuring Sonoma County's four residents.

As per the court documents, the fire was ignited by the utility’s equipment in a remote area of Sonoma County in 2019. As per the part of the settlement agreement, the shareholders of PG&E would pay $40 million to the state general fund and $85 million to remove abandoned transmission equipment throughout the utility’s territory. The agreement is yet to be approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, which might get a final nod at the meeting that is scheduled for December 2.

The commission’s Safety and Enforcement Division announced the agreement after finding that the maintenance and condition of a high-voltage PG&E transmission tower were faulty. The reports stated that even though the tower was disconnected in 2006, the equipment remained energized. One of the jumper cables that were suspended and unsecured broke on the night of October 23, 2019, during extreme winds resulting in igniting the vegetation.

The enforcement division's report claims that PG&E left abandoned equipment energized for thirteen years even though it was of no use.

Late North Carolina Inmate's Child To Get a $1.8M Settlement

Cherokee County’s insurer announced it would pay $1.8 million in a settlement to a 4-year-old daughter of a jail inmate who died in Cherokee County three years ago.

As per the court documents, the police officers found the plaintiff shirtless and screaming near the North Carolina-Tennessee border. The officers thought that the man swallowed something from the breath mint tin. The autopsy report of the deceased revealed that he died of acute methamphetamine toxicity.

The attorneys for the plaintiffs said that the deceased's death could have been prevented if the County Sheriff’s Office workers would have reacted effectively at the time of the incident.

The attorneys even explained that the reflection on the cell door’s glass prevented the view of the cell's inside. Still, one of the workers tried to peep into the cell by cupping his hands around his baseball cap to shield the light. It is when he discovered the plaintiff splayed on the floor.

As per the settlement agreement, the deceased's child will get monthly payments until the year 2080. The Cherokee County refused to admit the fault in the incident.

Veteran Dies After Receiving $3M In Misdiagnosis Lawsuit

The federal government awarded a settlement to a late Vermont soldier for cancer caused due to the exposure to smoke from pits used to burn waste.

As per the lawsuit, the soldier was a Vermont National Guard veteran and local firefighter who got diagnosed with cancer while serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. He had sued the White River Junction VA Medical Center, alleging that the facilities failed to diagnose his colon cancer as he suffered from severe intestinal issues and lost 75 pounds.

The veteran breathed in smoke from the pits that were used to burn plastic water bottles, human and medical waste, ammunition and chemicals on military bases. Initially, the doctors wrongly identified bowel syndrome, but later a colonoscopy revealed that the veteran had stage 4 cancer, when he was taken to an emergency room.

A physician from the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston informed that the veteran's cancer could have been detected earlier, as his symptoms showed relevant signs of the disease.

The veteran received a $3 million settlement on October 19.

Deceased Woman's Estate To Receive $2 Million

The husband of a woman who got killed after being struck by a car will receive a $2 million settlement if a city committee approves the settlement.

As per the lawsuit, the woman's husband took her shopping for Mother's Day in 2018 when she was struck by a passing vehicle. She was thrown 50 feet into the air due to the impact, which resulted in her death.

The investigating officers claimed that they smelled a strong odor of cannabis from the car that struck the woman. The police officers chasing the defendant's car explained how the culprit swerved through traffic, running stop signs and red lights before he drove onto a sidewalk.

The defendant acknowledged the police chase, but he said that he thought there was enough space to get away along the walkway without hitting the pedestrians. The man has been charged with drug and traffic offenses along with first-degree murder.