Coplan + Crane Secures Over $63 Million in Settlements in 45-Day Period

Coplan + Crane secured over $63 million in settlements during a 45-day period in February and March of 2026, delivering real justice and meaningful outcomes for clients and their families.

Of that total, the firm secured over $53 million in settlements across two significant railroad fatality cases. These cases further reinforce Coplan + Crane’s reputation for handling complex, high-stakes railroad litigation. Railroad cases demand a combination of technical knowledge, investigative resources, and courtroom tenacity, and Coplan + Crane continues to challenge powerful railroads on behalf of families seeking accountability.

These results include a $33 million settlement on behalf of the family of a 29-year-old man who lost his life on an Illinois railroad in a fatal “blind shove” incident, or a dangerous maneuver in which a train reverses without personnel present to monitor for obstructions. The trial team included Coplan + Crane partners Ben Crane and Ervin Nevitt.

In March, the firm also secured a $20 million settlement for the family of a victim killed in a fatal crash at a Chicago railroad crossing. The wrongful death claim arose from a collision in which an uninvolved pedestrian was fatally struck and had no ability to foresee or avoid the incident.

In addition to its railroad recoveries, Coplan + Crane secured several other notable settlements, including:

• A $2.5 million settlement for a client who, during a racetrack experience, suffered injuries when he crashed into a wall because a tire lost air pressure. Litigation revealed the company had intentionally disabled a tire pressure monitoring system, a safety feature, that would have detected the loss of air pressure.
• A $2.27 million recovery on behalf of three passengers, including two minor children, who were seriously injured in a multi-vehicle highway crash.
• A $2.17 million settlement, secured by Blake Vance, on behalf of two individuals who were wrongfully injured while exiting a restaurant when a car drove over a concrete parking curb and crashed into them. Defendant restaurant directed drivers to drive towards the restaurant to park but provided no protection to its customers dining on the patio or using the main entrance. 
• A $1.5 million recovery was secured with the assistance of Of Counsel David Axelrod for the family of a 51-year-old man who died of a heart attack after presenting to urgent care with shoulder pain. 
• A $50,000 settlement secured with the assistance of Associate Attorney Andrew Burkavage for a passenger injured when the driver of a U-Haul-owned Chevrolet Silverado rear-ended the vehicle he was riding in on a Chicago expressway. A remaining $1.15 million in recoveries came from the plaintiffs’ personal UIM ($250,000) and then through a Hertz UIM ($900,000) as the plaintiff was a passenger in a Hertz rental car at the time of the crash. 

These outcomes reflect Coplan + Crane’s commitment to securing justice and accountability across railroad, wrongful death, catastrophic injury, and negligence matters.Learn more about our case results here.