Cases Won

Child Killed by Train  

Jamie M Trapp successfully obtained a favorable seven figure settlement for the parents and siblings of an 8 year old boy who was crossing railroad tracks left accessible by holes in railroad fences and used by children in the neighborhod as a shortcut to get to school.

Construction Worker Electrocuted  

A 48 year old construction worker was directing the flow of concrete through a hose connected to a concrete mixer truck.The operator of the truck failed to see high voltage electrical wires in the vicinity and caused the boom of the truck to contact these creating a circuit and killing the worker.He left surviving him 2 children and his wife of 27 years.A lawsuit was filed and the case settled for a significant sum based on numerous violations of the safety measures in place intended to prevent these type of tragedies.

Mason falls through hole at construction site -Jury awards 2 million dollars  

Jamie Trapp and Doug Dorn were awarded 2 million dollars in June, 2007 by a Cook County jury for injuries sustained to a masonry contractor who fell through an unguarded hole during construction of a new car dealership in Morton Grove,Illinois. Despite federal laws and regulations pertaining to guarding holes to protect workers involved in the construction process,the general contractor failed to take precautions to guard this hole which had been covered with styrofoam and plastic and which concealed the existance of this hole.The employee fell 10 feet into the basement seriously injuring his elbow.Although he returned to work 7 months later,he continued to have pain and loss of full motion in that arm.The jury rejected the general contractor's contention that the employee wasn't paying attention in rendering their verdict.The offer before trial was $450,000.

Worker killed by train while cleaning debris off tracks

A 19 yr old laborer was killed on his very 1st day of work while removing construction debris off Railroad tracks underneath a bridge where road repair on an interstate was being conducted.Jackhammers working above required the worker to wear protective ear muffs.Despite the fact that the railroad ordered contractors to remove falling concrete on the tracks,the railroad failed to warn its engineers or dispatchers of the presence of workers on the tracks.The train hit the 19 yr old at 70 mph.Trapp & Associates settled the case against the railroad and road contracters on behalf of  his next-of-kin for 1 million dollars.

72 yr old woman dies due to lithium overdose

A 72 year old widow suffered from bi-polar disorder and had been prescribed lithium to treat this mental illness.Lithium can become toxic even within the therapeutic dose recommended by the pharmaceutical manufaturer.Careful monitoring of lithium levels is recommended by the drug's manufacturer but was not ordered by the treating psychiatrist or the woman's family doctor.This woman was taking the drug as prescribed but suddenly one evening she became unresponsive and was rushed to the local hospital where it was determined that this woman's lithium levels were 3 times the recommended level.The woman died.The case settled in excess of 1 million dollars.

26 Yr Old mother scalded by pressure cooker

A 26 yr old received burns to her shoulders and neck when she was able to open a pressure cooker not knowing it was pressurized due to clogged vents.This 95 lb woman was severely burned when the contents erupted despite supposed safety designs designed to prevent the lid being opened under pressure.The evidence showed that the manufacturer was aware of the dangers and defecive design after being alerted to the hazards by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.The manufacturer continued to sell the pressure cookers despite being aware of this danger.The woman obtained in settlement $650,000 from the manufacturer of the pressure cooker.

Jamie M. Trapp & Associates obtain $2.3 million settlement for woman injured in 2 mph collision

A 26-year-old woman received a $2.3 million settlement during trial for injuries she received when she was "bumped" while in line paying for lunch at a drive-thru restaurant. The initial impact caused injuries to her shoulder which subsequently developed, into a nerve injury known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy in the affected arm. This case was originally evaluated by the insurance company for the responsible parties as having value less than $5.000.00. After extensive discovery, Jamie M. Trapp & Associates were able to convince the insurance company just prior to jury selection, that their client's injuries were life-long and disabling.

This settlement is a record in Cook County for the type of injuries sustained by this young woman.

Messenger service denies fault but still ends up paying $1 million

A 76-year-old mildly retarded woman was struck while walking across a street in Chicago by a person making a delivery for a local messenger service. The messenger service denied that the driver was their employee. After extensive investigation, Jamie M. Trapp & Associates were able to prove that the driver, whom the defendants claimed was an independent contractor and who only had $100,000.00 on his own insurance policy, was in fact an employee of the messenger service, thus triggering another insurance policy into play. Even though the woman was unemployed and had unrelated serious health problems which would lead to a shortened life expectancy, they were still able to obtain $1 million for the woman's estate.

The deceased was a widow and the settlement was divided between her adult daughters.

Misread Ultrasound Results In Brain Damage To Infant and Death Of Its Twin

An expectant mother was ecstatic to learn that she was having twins. At the time of her due date, her obstetrician ordered ultrasounds. These ultrasounds were misread by the radiologist at the hospital. The mother's treating obstetrician relied on these ultrasound interpretations leading her to believe that the children were not in distress and that the pregnancy could proceed without intervention. In reality, the ultrasound clearly showed signs of fetal distress and delivery should have been imminent. The obstetrician relying on the ultrasounds proceeded to let the pregnancy run its course. Tragically, within days, one twin died and upon delivery it was determined that the other twin was brain damaged.

In 2003, at trial, this case settled for approximately 10 million dollars against the hospital and radiologist.

90-Year-Old Bus Driver Struck By Crane Boom

A ninety year old school bus driver, who had been driving buses for thirty years and had an excellent safety record was seriously injured when a truck driven by an unlicensed employee of a wrecking company made a right turn causing the boom of a crane on the back of a flatbed trailer to swing into the path of the bus driver. Lack of eye witnesses made proving this case especially difficult. Jamie M. Trapp & Associates hired reconstruction experts who were able to show that, contrary to the defendant's testimony, he made a turn next to the bus which caused the boom to extend into the bus driver's lane of traffic. Although the defendants denied liability, they settled this case, unable to refute plaintiff's expert.

The compensation from this settlement offered substantial relief to this man and his wife.

Death Penalty Drug Given to Patient in the Hospital

In 1997, Julia Sims presented to a Chicago hospital with an upset stomach. The doctor ordered Pepcid. The nurse gave the patient Pavulon, a drug which paralyzes the nervous system rendering one unable to breathe, move or even talk. It's the same drug used to administer the death penalty in Illinois.

In this case, the patient went into cardiac arrest but was saved through the efforts of the emergency room physician. Although the hospital and the nurse admitted that they were negligent in inadvertently prescribing this medication, the hospital expert's opinion was that the plaintiff was exaggerating the extent of her injuries.

After two weeks of trial, Jamie M. Trapp, attorney for the patient, was able to obtain a settlement for an undisclosed confidential amount in the many millions of dollars.

This case was featured as a cover story in the Chicago Tribune and resulted in the hospital revamping their system of storing dangerous drugs.

Car Accident Victim Dies Needlessly Due to Blood Clots That Traveled To Her Lung - Who Was Lying, the Doctor or the Nurse?

A 56 year old woman who fractured her legs in a car accident but was expected to recover developed blood clots while bedridden in the hospital. The doctors were aware of this and were monitoring the condition of the blood clots with radiological imaging. These clots ultimately moved from her legs into her lungs resulting in her death. This was entirely preventable, especially since the doctors were watching for the development of these blood clots.

The case came down to the credibility of the doctor and the nurse. The nurse claimed she telephoned the doctor with test results showing that the clots had moved. The doctor denied that the nurse had informed him that the clots had moved. The issue was not resolved until jury trial commenced.

The family received 3.1 million dollars.

Worker Falls Through Holes at Worksite

A carpenter who was performing his work on the roof of a job site fell through the sheet metal roof due to cuts which had been made in the roof which rendered the roof unsafe for workers who needed to use the roof as a support. According to witnesses, the hole in the roof created a booby trap which was not detectable. This young man with three children underwent back and knee surgery.

Although he has returned to work full duty today, Jamie M. Trapp & Associates was able to obtain for him approximately two million dollars for his injuries.