A Cook County woman filed suit against a motorist claiming negligence in a 2013 accident from which the driver allegedly fled without stopping.
Katherine Caldwell brought a complaint against Rigoberto Melendez in Cook County Circuit Court on July 13, alleging vehicular negligence in an August 2013 incident.
According to the filing, Caldwell was on in-line roller skates headed eastbound in the bicycle lane of Diversey in Chicago on Aug. 4, 2013. The suit states that Melendez, driving an automobile eastbound at or near 4515 W. Diversey, struck the plaintiff with his vehicle when his vehicle entered the bike lane.
Court documents indicate that Melendez breached his duty to operate his vehicle with caution so as to avoid colliding with other persons lawfully in the roadway when his vehicle struck Caldwell.
The suit states that the defendant negligently drove his automobile without keeping it under control; failed to maintain a lookout for other vehicles and persons on the roadway and in the bike lane; failed to sound his horn; and fled the scene immediately, failing to report the accident and provide information to the plaintiff.
Alleging pain, discomfort, impairment, hindrance from attending to ordinary affairs, and medical bills, the plaintiff seeks damages of more than $50,000 plus attorneys’ fees and costs. She is represented in the case by Daron Romanek of Romanek & Romanek in Chicago.
Cook County Circuit Court case number unspecified.