Attorney James P. Devine successfully defended a farmer sued for personal injuries in Jo Daviess County.

In that case, a longtime employee of the farmer sued him for personal injuries incurred when the employee was seriously injured while driving a four-wheeler struck by the farmer who was driving his pickup truck. The accident occurred at the intersection of a waterway from which the four-wheeler emerged and a private road that had been constructed by the farmer. The plaintiff contended that the accident was caused by the negligence of the farmer, while the farmer testified it was just an accident and a matter of bad timing.

The plaintiff suffered segmental fractures of his fibula and tibia, incurred medical bills of $457,000, lost wages of approximately $200,000 and had an economist testify that he would lose wages of between $644,000 – $788,000 in the future. At the conclusion of the evidence, his attorneys asked the jury to award between $4 million and $6 million.

Mr. Devine argued that the farmer was not to blame for this accident and that the facts showed he had exercised ordinary care.

Mr. Devine is a partner in the firm’s litigation group, concentrating his practice in personal injury litigation. He can be reached at jdevine@wilmac.com or 815-987-8909.