Mount Prospect paying $200,000 to settle lawsuit over bicyclist's death

Mount Prospect officials late Friday announced that they had settled a lawsuit with Eric Jakubowski over the June 2016 death of his wife, Joni Beaudry, a bicyclist who was struck by a vehicle while in the crosswalk on Central Road at Weller Lane.

As a result of mediation, the village agreed to pay Beaudry's estate $200,000 in exchange for Jakubowski's dismissing the lawsuit with prejudice. The village's payment is slightly more than 10% of the total settlement value of the agreements reached between all the parties, the village said.

Jakubowski had sued others, including the driver of the vehicle and the engineering firm involved in the design of the crosswalk.

Jakubowski's attorney, John Cichon, issued a statement Friday night: "A settlement has been reached with the village. There has also been a confidential settlement with the remaining parties. The matter has concluded in its entirety with regard to the pending litigation in Cook County. This brings closure to the litigation and will allow Eric and his children the opportunity to continue to move forward and to heal from this very tragic event."

The village did not admit wrongdoing or liability.

"Wrongful-death jury awards in Cook County can exceed millions of dollars," Mount Prospect Village Manager Mike Cassady said in a news release sent out just after 6 p.m. Friday. "This settlement agreement mitigates that risk for an amount less than the legal costs associated with prolonged litigation. I am hopeful this settlement will bring closure to a very tragic event."