An arbitrator has ordered the village of Niles to pay over $30,000 to settle a worker’s compensation claim for a police officer whose patrol car was rear-ended in 2016.
Niles police Officer Rodney Whiteman sustained injuries when his squad car was struck, said Daniel Egan, an attorney with the Chicago-based law firm Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie and Lowry, which represented the village in this worker’s compensation case.
“The case was tried before an arbitrator of the (Illinois Workers Compensation) Commission and the arbitrator rendered an award,” Egan said.
Egan would not provide provide details about what injuries the police officer sustained.
Whiteman, who still works for the Niles Police Department, declined to comment on the case.
His attorney did not return calls seeking comment.
According to the IWCC website, the accident happened Jan. 2, 2016 and Whiteman filed a worker’s compensation claim weeks later on Feb. 24.
Niles trustees approved a $31,832.52 payout to the police officer at their Feb. 27, 2018 meeting.
The amount was assigned by the state arbitrator who heard the case, said Egan.
The arbitrator had ruled in Whiteman’s favor on Jan. 31, 2018, according to the IWCC website.
The Illinois Workers Compensation Commission “resolves disputes between employees and employers regarding work-related injuries and illnesses,” according to the website.
This article was first published by The Chicago Tribune.
