Madison County jurors awarded a passenger $45,000 in a car crash suit involving a 2017 collision in Wood River.
The two day trial ended Tuesday after jurors reached a verdict in favor of plaintiff Rose Johnson. Circuit Judge Dennis Ruth presided.
Johnson was represented at trial by Keith Short of Keith Short and Associates PC in Alton.
Seymoure
Defendant Joann Puent was represented by Dominique Seymoure of Heyl Royster Voelker & Allen PC in Edwardsville.
According to the statement of the case, Johnson was riding as a passenger in a Nissan Versa on Sept. 6, 2017. She was traveling northbound on Wesley Drive in Wood River when Puent allegedly ran a stop sign and collided with the vehicle Johnson was riding in.
Johnson claimed she suffered personal injuries and incurred medical bills totaling $79,153.30.
According to an amended statement of the case filed Oct. 14, Puent admitted she was negligent but denied the plaintiff was injured to the extent claimed. Puent also denied the incident was a cause of Johnson’s subsequent complaints, treatment and damages.
Prior to the trial, Johnson filed a motion in limine seeking to bar the parties from mentioning whether she has received benefits following the crash, such as insurance coverage, unemployment benefits and workers’ compensation benefits, among others.
Johnson also requested the court to bar any reference to the time or circumstance under which she retained a lawyer, unrelated lawsuits and settlements and the amount requested compared to the amount she “actually expects to be awarded.”
Puent also filed a motion in limine, seeking to bar anyone from mentioning that she had automobile insurance, referencing the parties’ financial condition, discussing her driving record, and referencing statements by non-party witnesses, among others.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 19-L-764