On October 29, 2014, HeplerBroom attorneys Michael Reda and Matthew Champlin received summary judgment for United States Steel Corporation and one of its employees. In Charles Martin v. United States Steel Corporation and Keith Smith, the plaintiff sought recovery for the alleged negligence of a United States Steel emergency medical technician (EMT) in responding to an emergency call. The EMT was operating an emergency vehicle, with its lights and sirens activated, when the vehicle entered an intersection. The emergency vehicle and the vehicle driven by the plaintiff collided.
Mr. Reda and Mr. Champlin successfully argued that because the EMT was providing “emergency or non-emergency medical services . . . in the normal course of conducting [his] duties, or in an emergency” both the EMT and United States Steel were entitled to immunity under the Illinois Emergency Medical Services Systems Act, 210 ILCS 50/3.150. The summary judgment motion was based largely upon the Illinois Supreme Court’s recent interpretation of the Act in Wilkins v. Williams, 2013 IL 114310. The Madison County, Illinois Circuit Court agreed with the defendants’ arguments, and granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants.