SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Rep. Al Riley (D-Olympia Fields) has filed legislation, House Bill 2424, that would prevent the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) from denying injury claims because of small errors on required forms for accident victims. House Bill 2424 will be presented before the House Judiciary I – Civil Law Committee on Wednesday.
“Current law gives the CTA an unfair advantage over those who are seeking accident compensation,” Riley said. “Even when these accident victims have police reports confirming their claims, a simple mistake on the notification form denies the victim his or her day in court.”
Section 41 of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act shields the CTA from paying the claims of accident victims by making even small mistakes on the written notice to the CTA grounds for dismissal. The section dismisses any case where even a small mistake was made on the written notice of the accident to the CTA. Further, it bars forever the person making the claim from filing a suit based on that incident. One of Riley’s constituents, Merle Huckabee, had her injury case thrown out due to Section 41. Her claim was dismissed solely because her written notice was missing the address of a hospital doctor, and she was not able to recover any damages.
House Bill 2424 requires the CTA to alert, in writing, the person filing a notice of injury of any mistakes or insufficiencies on the notice. The person can then correct the notice and re-send it to the CTA within 60 days.
“Injuries from serious accidents involving the CTA can devastate people’s lives, and victims of these accidents deserve the right to seek compensation without having their claims unfairly
thrown out,” Riley said. “Many victims who had their claims thrown out have had a lot of
problems paying their medical bills. My constituent, Mrs. Huckabee, had to file for bankruptcy
because of the overwhelming costs of her medication and surgery. This legislation will help
protect the rights of legitimate accident victims who have been wrongly injured.”
Please call Riley’s Springfield office at (217) 558-1007 for more information.
# # #