On the eve of trial, Tim Cavanagh obtained a $5.55 million settlement for the family of a woman killed in Chicago on December 31, 2007. Ludwika Szynalik, age 59, was a passenger on a Chicago Transit Authority bus travelling west on Addison Street near its intersection with Natchez Avenue. As the bus stopped, Szynalik exited the bus and went to retrieve her bicycle that she had previously placed on the bus’ front bicycle rack. As Szynalik attempted to remove her bicycle, the CTA’s bus driver suddenly accelerated, ran her over and dragged her approximately 100 feet down the street. Szynalik was immediately rushed by paramedics to a nearby hospital where she survived for a few hours.
Cavanagh Sorich Law Group had a protective order entered to preserve all evidence related to the horrific incident. Numerous cameras installed on the CTA bus recorded Szynalik in the last moments of her life. The video footage showed the bus accelerating and running over Szynalik while she is clearly in view of the bus driver.