Chicago Council Approves $3.7M Settlement for Victims of 2014 Crash

Chicago’s City Council approved a $3.7 million legal settlement to three people injured in a 2014 car crash.

The bulk of the settlement is meant for Kelsey Ibach, who was paralyzed when an auto she was a passenger in landed on its roof after plunging down an embankment.

The 30-year-old Ibach and two others sued the vehicle’s driver, the city, two nightclubs and their owners. The lawsuit contended the city was negligent because it failed to adequately repair an unprotected embankment at an intersection near the Chicago River.

Several aldermen expressed frustration Wednesday that the driver, who police said was intoxicated and fled the accident scene, paid about $100,000 and the nightclub who served the driver was on the hook for $1 million.

City attorney Katie Hill said the city’s liability stems from the plaintiffs’ claim the intersection was “improperly designed and maintained.”