Janssen v. City of Springfield

The plaintiff, Charles Janssen, obtained a personal injury judgment for $250,000 against the defendant, the city of Springfield, in the circuit court of Sangamon County. The appellate court reversed (69 Ill. App. 3d 986), and we granted leave to appeal.

The accident which underlies this litigation occurred at about 1:30 a.m. on August 26, 1973, as the plaintiff was proceeding southward on Fifth Street in Springfield. Fifth Street is a one-way three-lane highway which gradually curves to the east at the point where it intersects Stanford Avenue, an east-west route. The middle lane is 12 feet…