$9.5 Million Verdict for Keith Magnuson Family in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
On Friday, November 30, 2007, a St. Louis County, Missouri jury awarded $9,500,000.00 to the family of former Chicago Blackhawk defenseman and coach Keith Magnuson in a trial arising out of Magnuson’s death in a car crash near Toronto on December 15, 2003. Corboy & Demetrio represented the Magnuson family.
On December 15, 2003, Magnuson was in Toronto for the funeral of a fellow retired National Hockey League (NHL) player who served with Magnuson on the board of the National Hockey League Alumni Association (NHLAA). Rob Ramage, a retired St. Louis Blues player, had rented a car from National Car Rental and was driving Magnuson to the NHLAA offices for a meeting when his car crossed the center line and crashed head-on into another vehicle. Magnuson died instantly from head and chest injuries. Blood alcohol tests revealed that Ramage was three times the legal limit for alcohol content. The jury’s verdict was against both Ramage and National Car Rental.
The Magnuson family plans to use the proceeds from this verdict to set up the Keith Magnuson Charitable Foundation.
Magnuson spent 11 years as a prominent defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks from 1969 through 1980. After retiring as a player, he served two years as the Blackhawks coach. Since leaving hockey, Magnuson was employed by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Chicago where he was an executive and was very active in numerous charitable and community programs. He was voted to the Blackhawks’ 75th anniversary team in 2000 by his fans and was a member of the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame. Magnuson and his wife, Cindy, were married for 28 years at the time of his death. They had two children, Kevin, who is now 31 and Molly who is 28.
Rob Ramage played 15 years in the NHL, most successfully with the St. Louis Blues. After retiring from hockey in 1994, Ramage worked as a color analyst for Blues television broadcasts.
In October, 2007, a jury in Newmarket, Ontario found Ramage criminally guilty of causing Magnuson’s death due to his impaired driving. Sentencing is scheduled for January 17, 2008.
Corboy & Demetrio is the premier personal injury and wrongful death litigation law firm. We have acquired more than $4 billion in settlements and verdicts, of which nearly 600 were in excess of $1 million. Call us at 312.346.3191 for a free consultation. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.