The family of a man killed in a crash on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway earlier this month has filed a lawsuit against three other people connected to the crash.
At 12:53 a.m. April 14, a 2008 Ford tow truck and an Illinois Tollway Help Truck were assisting a disabled vehicle on the left shoulder of Interstate 90 at mile post 63.5, in a construction zone, according to a statement from Illinois State Police. The tow truck was in front of the disabled vehicle and the Illinois Tollway truck was behind the vehicle with the emergency light activated.
James Perfors, 78, wasdrivinga gold 2005 Chevrolet van that veered to the left and struck the rear end of the tow truck, police said.
Perfors, of Elgin, was pronounced dead at the scene, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
The suit, filed Mondayin Cook County Circuit Court by Marilynn Pippins and David Perfors, seeks more than $300,000 in damages, in addition to funeral expenses, from the drivers of the tow truck, the disabled vehicle and the tollway truck, according to court documents.
The suit claims all three drivers acted negligently and contributed Perfors’ death byfailing to light the area, parking the disabled vehicle without regard for other cars, and/or improperly directing traffic.
The 43-year-old man driving the tow truck was also injured in the crash, police said. He was standing outside the Ford at the time of the crash and was struck by the truck after the impact, police said. He was taken with injuries that weren’t life-threatening to St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates.
