Attorney Patrick Salvi reached a record $148 million verdict in the Cook County case of Tierney Darden who was partially paralyzed after a 750-pound pedestrian shelter at  O’Hare International Airport came loose and fell onto her. The  jury awarded Darden $148 million. The amount was a state record in an individual personal injury case. The judge argued the initial award was excessive. Salvi was able to reach a post-verdict settlement of $115 million.

“Although we believed the verdict would have been upheld on appeal, when weighing the risks and benefits, we felt this was a fair compromise,” Patrick Salvi, Darden’s attorney, said in a statement.         

Darden was a modern dance student in 2015.  In August of that year she and her mother and sister were waiting outside Terminal 2 at O’Hare to be picked up after a return flight. A storm rolled through the area and knocked the pedestrian shelter loose — falling onto Tierney. It severed her spinal column – paralyzing her from the waist down and ending her future as a dancer.  It was determined the shelter had missing bolts.

A Day In The Live Video produced by Evidence Video demonstrated the new daily reality for Tierney trying to live a new life with legs that no longer work.

You can view this Evidence Video “Day in the Life” which helped with the dynamic of the case.

During the 7-day trial, attorney Patrick Salvi said the funds will not only pay for round-the-clock care for Darden, but also underwrite her quest to end chronic daily pain she described as “torture” .

“Tierney has a long, difficult life ahead of her; these funds will help her obtain all the necessary medical care for the remaining decades of her life,” said Salvi.