Gurnee man receives $16 million settlement after losing part of leg in motorcycle crash

A Gurnee man who had his leg amputated below the knee after a 2018 motorcycle crash will receive a $16 million legal settlement, believed to be the largest in county history for a leg amputation.

The crash happened June 14, 2018, when Tim Walsh, then 56, was riding his motorcycle home from work, according to the law firm of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard.

As Walsh drove into the intersection of Woodland Terrace and Hutchins Road in Gurnee, he was struck by a vehicle driven by Raul Bahena, then 18 and living in Gurnee, according to Walsh's lawyers. Bahena, who was working at the time as a porter at Muller Honda of Gurnee, did not fully stop at the intersection's stop sign before the collision, the law firm said.

Walsh was rushed to a hospital, where doctors amputated his left leg below the knee. He also suffered multiple tears in both shoulders, which required surgery, his lawyers said.

As a result of the amputation, Walsh experiences phantom pain, complications with his amputation stump and neuropathic pain, according to his lawyers.

"Despite very serious injuries, Tim has worked extremely hard to get back to some degree of normalcy in his life," Walsh attorney Patrick A. Salvi Sr. said.

Walsh's legal team filed a lawsuit against Bahena, Highland Park Motors Inc. and Gurnee Motors Inc., which is known as Muller Honda of Gurnee.

Mark O'Danovich, one of the lawyers representing the defendants, declined to comment Monday.

The $16 million settlement is the largest leg amputation settlement on record in Lake County, according to the database of settlements maintained by Jury Verdict Reporter, a legal publication. The previous high in the county was a $1.275 million settlement from 1988, according to Walsh's lawyers.