A Madison County jury awarded a passenger $12,500 in Circuit Judge Dennis Ruth’s courtroom following a one-day trial involving an Alton collision.
After deliberating just 15 minutes, jurors awarded plaintiff Michelle Hedger damages on July 16.
Hedger was represented at trial by Eric Terry of TorHoerman Law in Edwardsville.
Defendants Alexandra Lagy and Tracy Schaefer were represented by Tyler Beckerle of Zimmer & Associates in St. Louis.
Hedger filed her complaint on Jan. 6, 2017. She alleged she was a passenger in a vehicle stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of East 4th Street and Henry Street in Alton around noon on May 8, 2015.
While stopped, Hedger claimed Nagy was traveling on Henry Street when she disregarded the stop sign, suddenly entered the intersection and caused a collision with the vehicle the plaintiff was riding in. Nagy was driving a vehicle owned by Schaefer.
Hedger claimed she suffered injuries as a result of the collision.
The plaintiff alleged Nagy negligently failed to maintain a proper lookout, failed to properly manage and control the vehicle, carelessly disobeyed a stop sign and carelessly failed to stop or swerve to avoid a collision.
Hedger also alleged Schaefer negligently entrusted her vehicle to Nagy, “a person for whom she knew or should have known was incompetent, inexperienced, or reckless with regards to the operation of the vehicle.”
The defendants denied liability in their February 2017 answer to the complaint, but filed no affirmative defenses against Hedger.
This article was first published by Madoson St. Clair Record.
