A Ford transit van carrying 14 passengers overturned, injuring two of the four adults and nine of the ten children inside near Troy Grove, Illinois this past Saturday, Sept. 23, just before 7:00 p.m. The rollover crash occurred in the southbound lanes of Interstate 39 in LaSalle County between milepost 67 and 68.

Calls reporting the single-vehicle crash started coming into both the Troy Grove and Mendota Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at around 6:53 p.m. Witnesses to the crash, including some of the uninjured vehicle occupants, reported that the van veered off the roadway into the adjacent low shoulder before overturning in the nearby ditch with the occupants inside. Illinois State Police are still investigating why the van’s operator suddenly departed the roadway leading up to the van rolling over.

Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP is pleased to announce partner Michael Krzak’s recent appointment to the Aviation Law Committee of the Chicago Bar Association. While this isn’t Attorney Krzak’s first time being named Chair of this committee, but instead his third, his plans for how to forward the committee’s objectives are even stronger now than ever after his previous appointments.

Attorney Krzak noted in his acceptance of the appointment that he aims to do his best to “continue carrying on the Aviation Law Committee’s long tradition of providing his fellow Chicago Bar Association members who are interested in aviation law with the contacts and other resources needed to ensure they can properly tackle the aviation law cases they undertake.”

The law firm of Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP was honored to serve as Gold Sponsor for the 2022 Illinois Valley Building Trades Charitable Trust Golf Outing on June 10^th. The event raised $22,000 for the non-profit organization the United Way of the Illinois Valley in Peru, IL.

The SGKR-sponsored hole was dubbed the “Beat the Lawyer” hole. We were proud to be able to raise over $600 for the United Way on our sponsored golf hole alone. Our law firm also donated raffle prizes that were awarded to one of the foursomes that successfully “Beat the Lawyer.” Prizes included a 36-inch Blackstone Grill and four Garmin Bushnell Wingman GPS Golf Speakers. In total, Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP donated roughly $1,900 to the event.

One of our firm’s attorney founders and a preeminent aviation litigator, Michael Krzak, is slated to speak at the upcoming National Institute on Aviation Litigation on June 9. The conference, which was originally to take place in person in Chicago, will now be a virtual event. Anyone interested in attending the institute can register online. Registration is open until June 8 at 5 p.m. (Eastern).

Among the topics that will be discussed at this year’s institute include:

• Pilot shortages as it relates to the implementation of the 1500 hour rule
• The intersection of aviation incidents and the criminal justice system
• In-flight liability concerns, including intoxicated passengers, improperly stowed baggage, etc.
• The ins and outs of the Montreal Convention
• Future product liability lawsuit filings in light of the Sikkellee Saga
• An analysis of emergent litigiousness associated with the COVID-19 pandemic

As midwesterners, many of us look forward to the spring season as the beginning of warmer weather days after a long, bitterly cold winter. We also eagerly anticipate this time of the year because it marks the kickoff of baseball season. Here at Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP (SGKR), we’re proud to announce our sponsorship of the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp baseball team for the 2022 season.

The Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp is a collegiate summer league that plays home games at Schweickert Stadium at Veterans Memorial Park in Peru, IL. Appointment to this Prospect League Eastern Conference team allows top-tier college athletes to gain a unique insight into how the professional baseball industry functions without it impacting their National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) qualified status.

Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP is pleased to announce that Adriane LaShure has once again been selected as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers for her excellent work in personal injury litigation. She has been selected to Rising Stars every year from 2013-2022.

Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP law firm’s own Michael S. Krzak recently co-authored Chapter 129 in Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts (Fifth Edition). This influential law text provides guidance on all phases of litigation in an 18-volume set. Chapter 129 focuses specifically on aviation law. More information about how to purchase a hardbound or e-book version of Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts (Fifth Edition) can be found here.

Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP is delighted to share with you that two of our firm’s founders, Matthew M. Rundio and Michael Krzak, were recently named 2022 Super Lawyers. Each law partner mentioned was selected for the Personal Injury – General: Plaintiff category. Michael was additionally acknowledged for his work in the Aviation and Aerospace sectors.

Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP is pleased to announce that The Best Lawyers in America© named Michael S. Krzak in the 2022 edition. He can be found in both the Aviation and Personal Injury—Plaintiff categories.

Our entire staff here at Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP wants to thank all of you who took time out of your busy schedules to nominate and then vote for us as part of the “Best of North Central Illinois” contest that just wrapped up on March 11.

We were selected as the Best Personal Injury Law Firm in North Central Illinois for 2022. This year’s win marks three years in a row that our Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP law firm has won this highly coveted “Best Of” title.