logologologo
  • Practice Areas
    • –
      • Asbestos Exposure
      • Bicycle Accidents
      • Broker and Shipper Liability
      • Construction Site Accidents
    • –
      • Defective Products
      • Medical Malpractice
      • Nursing Home Negligence
      • Railroad Accidents
    • –
      • Slip, Trip & Fall Accidents
      • Transportation Accidents
      • Traumatic Brain Injury
      • Uber Lyft Accidents
    • –
      • Uninsured Motorist Claims
      • Vehicle Accidents
      • Work Place Accidents
      • Wrongful Death
  • About Us
    • Letter From A Partner
    • Joliet Personal Injury Attorney
  • Legal Team
    • Joseph D. Parente
    • Christopher M. Norem
    • Charles C. Bletsas
    • Trevor Granberg
    • Cole H. Munvez
    • Jacob Esp
    • Peter F. Higgins
  • Case Results
  • News
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • FREE CASE EVALUATION
logologologo
  • Practice Areas
    • –
      • Asbestos Exposure
      • Bicycle Accidents
      • Broker and Shipper Liability
      • Construction Site Accidents
    • –
      • Defective Products
      • Medical Malpractice
      • Nursing Home Negligence
      • Railroad Accidents
    • –
      • Slip, Trip & Fall Accidents
      • Transportation Accidents
      • Traumatic Brain Injury
      • Uber Lyft Accidents
    • –
      • Uninsured Motorist Claims
      • Vehicle Accidents
      • Work Place Accidents
      • Wrongful Death
  • About Us
    • Letter From A Partner
    • Joliet Personal Injury Attorney
  • Legal Team
    • Joseph D. Parente
    • Christopher M. Norem
    • Charles C. Bletsas
    • Trevor Granberg
    • Cole H. Munvez
    • Jacob Esp
    • Peter F. Higgins
  • Case Results
  • News
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • FREE CASE EVALUATION
logologologo
  • Practice Areas
    • –
      • Asbestos Exposure
      • Bicycle Accidents
      • Broker and Shipper Liability
      • Construction Site Accidents
    • –
      • Defective Products
      • Medical Malpractice
      • Nursing Home Negligence
      • Railroad Accidents
    • –
      • Slip, Trip & Fall Accidents
      • Transportation Accidents
      • Traumatic Brain Injury
      • Uber Lyft Accidents
    • –
      • Uninsured Motorist Claims
      • Vehicle Accidents
      • Work Place Accidents
      • Wrongful Death
  • About Us
    • Letter From A Partner
    • Joliet Personal Injury Attorney
  • Legal Team
    • Joseph D. Parente
    • Christopher M. Norem
    • Charles C. Bletsas
    • Trevor Granberg
    • Cole H. Munvez
    • Jacob Esp
    • Peter F. Higgins
  • Case Results
  • News
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • FREE CASE EVALUATION
  • Practice Areas
    • –
      • Asbestos Exposure
      • Bicycle Accidents
      • Broker and Shipper Liability
      • Construction Site Accidents
    • –
      • Defective Products
      • Medical Malpractice
      • Nursing Home Negligence
      • Railroad Accidents
    • –
      • Slip, Trip & Fall Accidents
      • Transportation Accidents
      • Traumatic Brain Injury
      • Uber Lyft Accidents
    • –
      • Uninsured Motorist Claims
      • Vehicle Accidents
      • Work Place Accidents
      • Wrongful Death
  • About Us
    • Letter From A Partner
    • Joliet Personal Injury Attorney
  • Legal Team
    • Joseph D. Parente
    • Christopher M. Norem
    • Charles C. Bletsas
    • Trevor Granberg
    • Cole H. Munvez
    • Jacob Esp
    • Peter F. Higgins
  • Case Results
  • News
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • FREE CASE EVALUATION
by Brett Kruckmeyer
NewsOctober 19, 20110 comments

Train lawsuits end with settlements totaling $36.25M

By Pat Milhizer Law Bulletin staff writer

A fiery train derailment that killed a woman and caused the birth and death of a child yielded $36.25 million in two Cook County settlements.

Attorneys reached the larger settlement before trial and the other came Tuesday just before jurors issued a verdict after a Daley Center trial.

Three railroad companies will pay a $22.5 million settlement to Jose Tellez for the death of his 44-year-old wife, Zoila.

Tellez, 43, suffered burns in the accident that happened two years ago in Rockford. He sat in his car near a Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) train that derailed after heavy rains washed away the roadbed below the tracks.

Eighteen tankers derailed, causing an ethanol explosion. A fireball engulfed Tellez’s vehicle, which also carried his wife and their pregnant daughter.

Tellez’s suit alleged that 20 minutes before the derailment, Rockford authorities called CN at its Montreal headquarters to report the flooded conditions. The CN employee who took the call wasn’t trained to know that the train needed to be imme- diately stopped, the suit alleged.

CN also didn’t respond to a weather alert that there was a possibility of a washout and

the company previously knew about the potential for problems based on this type of alert, the suit alleged.

The suit accused CN of negligence in operation, maintenance and supervision of the train and negligence in maintenance and inspection of the railroad tracks. The complaint also named two CN subsidiaries — Illinois Central Railroad Co. and Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad Co. — as defendants.

The settlement pays $7 million to Tellez and $15.5 million to his wife’s estate. Tellez has four daughters, ranging in age from 11 to 20.

Robert J. Bingle and Philip Harnett Corboy Jr. of Corboy & Demetrio P.C. rep- resented Tellez.

“It was a confluence of errors that led to the tragedy that just didn’t have to happen,” Bingle said. “This family has been through a lot and still is going to go through a lot. And there’s not going to be any way they could ever replace what was just a wonder- ful mother and wife. But this will help them to move on.”

Cook County Circuit Judge Thomas L. Hogan approved the settlement last month, which attorneys agreed not to report until the other case concluded.

Tellez’s daughter, who was in the car and pregnant at the time, filed the other suit.

Adriana Tellez suffered burns and delivered her daughter after six months of preg- nancy. The premature baby died within a day.

The case went to trial and minutes before jurors read the verdict Tuesday, the dispute settled for $13.75 million. The jury’s $12.95 million verdict won’t be enforced.

Christopher M. Norem, Amanda M. Martin and Joseph D. Parente of Parente & Norem P.C. represented Adriana Tellez.

“After a very hard-fought, four-week trial where they denied liability throughout the course of the trial, Canadian National was ultimately found responsible for what happened to Adriana by the jury. And that was very important for her,” Norem said.

CN was represented by James A. Fletcher of Fletcher & Sippel LLC. A Minneapolis law firm represented the two CN subsidiaries.

Fletcher couldn’t be reached for comment this morning.

Patrick Waldron, a CN spokesman, said the National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the accident.

“The Tellez family has endured a terrible tragedy and CN wishes to express again its sincerest regrets and deepest sympathies to the entire Tellez family,” Waldron said. “No amount of money can replace the family’s losses.”

———————————————————————-

CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM // In the News

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2011 // Volume 157, No. 205

Award to family in Rockford train derailment: $36.2 millionPrev
Two lawsuits from deck collapse yield $12 millionNext

Latest Posts

by Jennifer Gulbrandsen

P&N BLOG | Why You Need a Bike-Share Accident Attorney After a Divvy Injury in Illinois

Bike-share programs like Divvy have quickly become a popular way to get around in cities like Chicago and throughout Illinois. They offer...

P&N BLOG | Why You Need a Bike-Share Accident Attorney After a Divvy Injury in Illinois

BlogJuly 8, 2025
by Jennifer Gulbrandsen

P&N BLOG | Parente & Norem Proud to Sponsor the 10th Annual Roofer’s Cup Golf Outing

The Law Offices of Parente & Norem was honored to sponsor and participate in the 10th Annual Roofer’s Cup Golf Outing, benefiting the Chicago...

P&N BLOG | Parente & Norem Proud to Sponsor the 10th Annual Roofer’s Cup Golf Outing

BlogJune 9, 2025
by Jennifer Gulbrandsen

Parent & Norem Welcomes Trevor Granberg Leading Our Workers’ Compensation Department with Experience, Dedication, and Proven Results

We are thrilled to welcome Trevor Granberg as a Partner at the Law Offices of Parente & Norem, where he now leads our Workers’ Compensation...

Parent & Norem Welcomes Trevor Granberg Leading Our Workers’ Compensation Department with Experience, Dedication, and Proven Results

NewsJune 6, 2025
Parente & Norem, PC

The Law Offices of Parente & Norem, P.C. is a civil litigation and trial firm concentrating in personal injury. We service the Greater Chicago area.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

CHICAGO OFFICE

221 North LaSalle Street,
Suite 1750
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Phone: (312) 641-5926
Fax: (312) 641-5929
Get Directions

JOLIET OFFICE

58 E Clinton St, 5th floor
Joliet, IL 60432
Phone: (312) 641-5926
Get Directions