A Madison County jury awarded a passenger injured in an Alton crash $12,893.66 following a one-day trial in Circuit Judge David Dugan’s court.
The trial ended Monday evening when the jury returned a verdict in favor of plaintiff Timothy Perry after deliberating roughly 45 minutes.
Perry was awarded $10,893.66 for medical expenses, $1,000 for pain and suffering and $1,000 for loss of a normal life, for a total of $12,893.66.
Perry was represented in the case by Kenneth Beljanski of Brown & Brown in Fairview Heights.
Defendant Robert Stephan was represented in the case by Roger Wilson of St. Louis.
Perry filed his complaint on Dec. 24, 2015, against Stephan.
He claimed he was a passenger in a vehicle traveling southbound on Belle Street at its intersection with 20th Street/Madison Avenue in Alton on Feb. 26, 2015.
Stephan was driving his vehicle at the same intersection when he allegedly collided with the vehicle the plaintiff was riding in.
Perry alleged Stephan failed to stop or swerve his vehicle at the appearance of danger to avoid a collision, drove his vehicle without keeping it under sufficient control to be able to avoid a collision, drove his vehicle at a speed that was greater than reasonable and proper with regard to the traffic conditions, drove his vehicle without keeping an adequate lookout ahead and to the side and failed to equip his vehicle with adequate brakes.
Stephan answered the complaint on March 7, 2016, denying liability.
The arbitrators assessed an award in favor of Perry for $20,280 on June 29, 2016.
Stephan rejected the award on July 28, 2016, and requested a jury trial.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 15-AR-502