$22.7M Verdict Awarded to Widow of Man Killed in I-294 Crash

A jury returned a record $22.7 million verdict April 25 for the widow of a man who was killed in an Interstate 294 crash reportedly caused by a speeding trucker with drugs in his system.

Aaron Swenson was stopped in a constructions zone near Roosevelt Road just before 8 a.m. May 22, 2012, when a truck slammed into the back of his car, pushing him into the truck in front of him, according to a news release from Clifford Law Offices.

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Criminal charges against Troy are pending, according to the Daily Herald.

A few weeks after the crash, Theresa Swenson, 31 of Chicago, filed the wrongful death lawsuit against Troy and the company he was working for.

A press conference with Theresa Swenson and her attorneys was held April 26 at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago.

The two-week trial took place in the Daley Center before Judge Thomas Lipscomb. After three hours of deliberation, the jury returned the verdict awarded to Theresa Swenson, according to Clifford Law Offices.

In the largest wrongful death verdict in Cook County in more than a decade, Theresa Swenson was awarded $10 million for grief and sorrow and $10 million for loss of society.

Theresa Swenson was represented by Dunn and Kevin P. Durkin, partners at Clifford Law Offices.

“The case is a very sad one. The loss of this young husband and father was senseless,” Durkin said following the verdict.

Amie Schaenzer (Patch Staff) contributed to this article.