NORTH CHICAGO, IL – A disabled veteran says federal officials are responsible for injuries sustained in a bicycle accident on the grounds of the Lovell Federal Health Care Center.
Michael Cooper, 57, lost control of his bike and hit a curb after exceeding the speed limit in July 2019. That resulted in a federal lawsuit filed in Chicago this week.
The newly installed speed bump was not marked or painted and did not warn Cooper before driving over it according to the suit. His front tire was destroyed and he suffered a broken left arm, a head injury, and multiple cuts and bruises.
In the lawsuit, attorney Patrick Condron alleged that Lovell and the US Department of Veterans Affairs were negligent in failing to warn about the speedbump.
“The United States’ failure to mark the VA and Lovell Center, post warning signs nearby, and adequately warn of the presence of the speed bump was the immediate cause of Mr. Cooper’s injuries,” Condron said. “Cooper received at least $ 50,000 in damages for necessary medical treatment for his injuries.”
Court records show that Cooper’s lawyer first filed a lawsuit against the federal government in May 2020. Last month, based on questions about whether the lawsuit was filed within reasonable time limits, the lawsuit was dismissed with an option to re-initiate it. It was Tuesday.
In a December 29 ruling, US District Judge Michael Kennelly pointed out that Cooper’s attorneys “did not serve him well” and created unnecessary risks of being late for their client.
“Cooper entrusted his potential claim to the attorneys he kept. They should have been more careful and careful about the matter,” Kennelly said.
Cooper has been represented by Susan Loggans and Associates since October 2019. Loggans, a longtime personal attorney in the Chicago area, has represented numerous women who alleged R. Kelly sexually assaulted them and over a dozen settlements and nondisclosure agreements between the R&B star, according to reporter Jim DeRogatis, who described her firm and its accusers closed as a “settlement factory” in a 2019 documentary.
Law firm representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cooper lives in a home for disabled veterans at the Lovell Center and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Loggans. He continues to need physiotherapy and “has a severe disability due to the dangerous condition of the speed bump,” she said in a court case last year.
A conference call on this case is scheduled for January 21st.
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