$1 Million Settlement for Auto Collision Victim Who Suffered Serious Back Injuries

Romanucci & Blandin, LLC  announces the $1 million settlement of a motor vehicle collision case in Grundy County, Illinois, in which a woman in her 30s suffered serious back injuries and the at-fault driver fled the scene of the crash. The plaintiff was rear-ended on July 28, 2018 while driving northbound on I-55 near Illinois Route 47. The defendant driver, Nate Archibald, who had been driving his employer’s vehicle, fled the scene of the crash and removed from that vehicle a decal with the logo of his company, NHA Transport. Police located the defendant at that time. 

The settlement was reached on May 18, 2021.

The injured driver sustained cervical disc herniations from C3 – C6 and underwent a three-level disc replacement surgery more than one year after the collision. 

The investigation revealed that Archibald had previously been cited for using an electronic device while operating a motor vehicle in 2014; driving with a revoked/suspended license on four occasions in the 1990s; driving without valid license twice in the 1990s; and failing to use a turn signal in 1994. The lawsuit included counts against NHA Transport for willful and wanton hiring, retention, an entrustment of the vehicle on these bases as well as the basis that the vehicle had a company logo on it. 

The plaintiff was represented by Romanucci & Blandin Senior Associate Bruno R. Marasso and Associate Ian Fallon, along with co-counsel Amanda Murphy and Shawn Falvey of Goldblatt + Singer in St. Louis, Missouri.

“The settlement for our client is a small measure of justice but can never replace what she lost in terms of her physical well-being and quality of life. We take satisfaction in the fact that there is accountability, because the defendant driver should never have been hired as a professional driver. The level of negligence on the part of the driver and his employer led to a very painful and life-altering injury for a woman in the prime of her life,” said Bruno Marasso.  

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About Romanucci & Blandin, LLC

Romanucci & Blandin is a national trial practice committed to fighting for victims of negligence, abuse and wrongful death arising from police misconduct, corporate negligence, civil rights actions, medical malpractice, mass torts and class actions. The attorneys’ steadfast commitment to fighting for those seeking justice around the country has helped the firm obtain multiple verdicts and settlements in the millions of dollars. The Chicago-based personal injury lawyers are dedicated to providing victims who suffered injury as a result of another’s wrongdoing full and fair compensation in a diligent, professional, skilled and caring manner. The lawyers actively support their communities and provide advocacy at the national, state and local levels on issues that support the U.S. tort system. Founded in 1998, Romanucci & Blandin is widely recognized for representing plaintiffs in numerous practice areas including: personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, workers’ compensation, pharmaceutical, mass torts, civil rights, police misconduct, excessive force, aviation, product liability and premises liability.  For more information about Romanucci & Blandin, please visit www.rblaw.net or call (312) 458-1000. 

About Goldblatt + Singer

Few Missouri personal injury law firms can say they have been around for seven decades. In 1949, Goldblatt + Singer’s founding partners set up shop in the heart of downtown St. Louis. From there, the founding partners would spend the next three decades relentlessly fighting for their injured clients.  In 1991, current Managing Partner Jeff Singer officially joined the firm as a law clerk, using his years of wisdom and experience gained from three of the most well-respected and hardworking personal injury attorneys in St. Louis.    In 2003, Jeff Singer became the Managing Partner of Goldblatt + Singer.   Since that time, Jeff Singer and the attorneys and staff of Goldblatt + Singer have continued to maintain the original partners’ values of hard work, honesty, integrity and dedication to injured clients.  Since its inception, this St. Louis law firm has fought to ensure fair treatment for the victims of unfair situations, having handled over 25,000 cases and recovering more than $400 million on behalf of their clients.   For more information, please visit www.stlinjurylaw.com or call (314) 231-4100.