A man whose spinal cord was severely injured in a four-vehicle collision accepted an $11 million settlement out of Cook County Circuit Court.
Alton Vaughns, then 54, was stopped in traffic while heading north on Interstate 55 in Chicago on Oct. 24, 2024.
The accident occurred when a car, driven by Rigoberto Heredia, struck Jasmine McIlvenny’s vehicle from behind. As a result, McIlvenny rear ended Vaughns, who in turn struck a car being driven by Ashley Rivera.
Vaughns was taken by ambulance to John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County where he was treated for a spinal cord injury, his attorneys said. The other drivers either had no injuries or minor injuries, they said.
Vaughns was then transferred to Rush Specialty Hospital for rehabilitation.
As a result of the injury, he has limited use of his upper and lower extremities. He also has difficulty walking or moving independently or without assistance, according to his attorneys.
Heredia, the driver who caused the accident, was an agent of Kehoe Designs Inc., an event management company.
Vaughns sued Heredia and Kehoe Designs, as well as McIlvenny and Rivera, for negligence.
The complaint alleged the drivers failed to maintain adequate speed to avoid impeding or blocking normal and reasonable traffic flow and operated their cars in a manner that endangered Vaughns, among other claims.
The case was assigned to Cook County Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth A. Walsh for discovery.
The parties reached a settlement agreement March 3 during pretrial before Cook County Circuit Court Judge Scott D. McKenna.
Vaughns is represented by Brian LaCien and Andrew W. Mason of Smith LaCien LLP.
“We are happy that we could get this case resolved on an expedited basis so that he can continue to try and improve,” Mason said. “This is an example of a case where a low impact collision without a ton of damage to the vehicle can result in a life-changing injury.”
Heredia and Kehoe Designs are represented by Daniel P. Kramer of Swanson Martin & Bell LLP.
McIlvenny is represented by John W. Gilligan III of Schwartz Gilligan Ltd.
Rivera is represented by Mason S. Dressler of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP.
None of those attorneys could be reached for comment.
The case is Vaughns v. Heredia, et al., No. 2024 L 013032.
Practice Areas: Catastrophic Injury, Personal Injury Law
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