Cook County Jury Enters $3.5 Million Verdict in Intersection Car Crash

On Oct. 20, 2009, Nazmi Nomat was driving eastbound on 167th Street in Hazel Crest, Ill., when a westbound van made a left turn on Western Avenue. The left front end struck the driver’s side of Nomat’s vehicle in the intersection.

Nomat, 47, suffered multiple disc herniations that required fusion surgery, cervical disc protrusion and herniations and a right ankle sprain.  Nomat incurred $913,793 in medical expenses. He also had over a $1 million in lost income as a butcher because of his injuries. 

The defendants argued that Nomat was not injured to the extent that he claimed. They also claimed that any objective finding pre-existed this crash, most of his medical care was unnecessary and he never intended to take the butcher job that was offered months before the date of the crash.  The defendants’ attorney recommended at trial a verdict of $50,000.

Nomat had been unemployed for more than a year at the time of the crash and was receiving unemployment benefits. But 3 months prior to the accident, he was offered a job as a meat cutter with a $50,000 annual salary.  The job was never accepted or started but his lost earnings were based on that job offer. During the course of the litigation, the defendants’ insurer filed a counterclaim lawsuit against Nomat alleging that his claim for lost wages was fraudulent. 

This case was tried in Cook County’s Sixth Municipal District. The demand to settle before trial was $3 million.  The jury was asked to return a verdict of $4.9 million.  The offer to settle made by the defendants was a total of $250,000.

The attorney representing Nazmi Nomat was Steven C. Armbruster. 

The jury’s verdict of $3,560,836 was made up of the following damages:

  • $1,115,000 for medical expenses;
  • $750,000 for pain and suffering;
  • $750,000 for loss of normal life;
  • $945,836 for past lost earnings and present cash value of future loss of earnings.

Nazmi Nomat v. Kennicott Brothers, Richard Mota, No. 10 M6-2163 (Cook County, Illinois).

Kreisman Law Offices has been successfully handling car accident cases, intersection crash cases and truck accident cases for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of another for more than 38 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Steger, South Holland, South Barrington, Schiller Park, Palatine, Bedford Park, Calumet City, Chicago Heights, Evanston, East Hazel Crest, Markham, Linwood, Homewood, Hoffman Estates, Hickory Hills and Harvey, Ill.

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