$4.1M Settlement for Chicago Train Crash Victim’s Daughter
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on August 28th, 2015
A $4.1 million settlement has been reached for the 9-year-old daughter of a woman who suffered major injuries and was in a coma after a 2005 commuter train derailment in Chicago that left two other passengers dead.
The child, Faith Poppel, was born prematurely while her mother, Renea Poppel, was in a coma following the Sept. 17, 2005, train crash, according to an Aug. 26 story in The Chicago Tribune. The child weighed only three pounds at birth and she was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Ms. Poppel was working as an admissions counselor at Kaplan University when the Metra train she was riding in derailed as it sped at 69 mph through a 10 mph track section, the story reported. Her injuries were so severe that doctors recommended that her pregnancy be terminated due to Ms. Poppel’s own injuries, but her own mother refused to allow the pregnancy to be ended, the story reported. About 100 of the 185 passengers on the train were injured, while two victims died in the crash. The train’s operator was fired after the crash for allegedly failing to heed control signals that told him to slow the train down, according to the report.
The $4.1 million settlement for Faith Poppel, who is now in third grade, was made to cover the cost of continuing medical care for the child and includes a cash payment of $3.1 million and the purchase of an annuity with a $1 million cash value, according to court documents.
Ms. Poppel herself had previously been awarded a jury verdict of almost $30 million in 2008 to compensate her for her own serious injuries, which will require a lifetime of therapy and round-the-clock care, the story reported. Her injuries in the train crash included a broken neck, a traumatic brain injury, a broken arm and a shattered pelvis.
Faith Poppel’s lawsuit was filed in 2013 by her grandmother, the story reported. The Metra rail company acknowledged being at fault in the derailment, the story said.
These kinds of tragic legal cases occur every day when innocent victims are severely hurt or killed in vehicle crashes through no fault of their own due to the actions, inattentiveness or indifference of others. That’s why it is critical to have a legal team on your side that uncovers every fact to bolster your case and maximize your damage award.
We here at MyPhillyLawyer stand ready to assist you with your legal case if you or a loved one is ever seriously injured in a vehicle incident or accident anywhere in the United States. We represent the families of victims who die in such tragedies as well, to ensure that their families receive every penny of damages that they are eligible to receive.
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