Estate of woman killed in Christmas Eve accident files lawsuit

A lawsuit was filed Friday in the death of a woman struck and killed by a car last Christmas Eve.

Jelisa Brown filed the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court on behalf of Shena Brown, who was 44 at the time of the accident.

Brown was near the corner of West Roosevelt Road and South Damen Avenue when she was hit by a car about 4:40 a.m. Dec. 24, 2013, authorities said at the time.

She was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead 40 minutes later, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Brown, of the 1600 block of West Warren Boulevard, died of multiple injuries from being hit by the car, the medical examiner’s office said. Her death was ruled an accident.

The driver had stopped at the scene when the accident happened, police said at the time. A preliminary investigation found drugs and alcohol were not involved, but that Brown had possibly walked against the light, police said at the time.

However, the lawsuit places blame on the driver and said she failed to keep a proper lookout for people on the road. The driver also should have given Brown an “audible warning,” the suit said.

It wasn’t known whether citations were filed against the woman, who could not be reached for comment Friday night.

The suit is asking for at least $50,000 in damages, plus legal fees.