Accident victim sues attorneys, citing failure to process personal injury suit

A Cook County woman filed suit against a Chicago law firm and its two attorneys, claiming malpractice involving a 2013 personal injury case.

Caroline A. Debnar Cram of Chicago brought a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against Bryan B. Hoffman, Kevin M. O’Brien and the Law Office of Kevin M. O’Brien.

The plaintiff, who hired the defendant to represent her in a roadway accident, alleges that her attorneys failed to file her lawsuit in a timely manner, specifically, within one year of the original incident in compliance with state law.

The suit names both lawyers individually as well as in their collective capacity as a law firm.'

In the underlying case, Cram alleged injuries after being struck by a vehicle while riding a bicycle eastbound on Forest Preserve Drive in Harwood Heights on July 6, 2010.

Cram’s original complaint cited the driver for negligence and sought at least $50,000 in compensation for the accident. She hired the Law Offices of Kevin M. O’Brien in fall 2010 to pursue litigation against the driver and his employer, a municipal fire district.

The legal malpractice suit states that O’Brien and Hoffman filed her claim on April 12, 2012, more than a year after the date of the bicycle accident. According to the filing, the defendants moved to dismiss the case without filing a notice of appeal. When the case was dismissed on Nov. 14, 2014, Cram alleges the attorneys failed to inform her about the expired statute of limitations.

The plaintiff seeks damages in excess of $50,000, plus attorneys’ fees and costs. She is represented in the case by Kevin Rogers of Law Offices of Kevin Rogers in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 15-L-2931