A trucking company and one of its drivers are being sued in connection with a fatal crash last year on the Tri-State Tollway in southwest suburban Worth.
The six-count suit, filed Wednesday by Wilma Gibson as estate administrator for Brian Shelly Gibson, seeks more than $300,000 from LC Trucking, LLC, and the driver, Christopher Strout.
At 4:38 a.m. Oct. 16, a semitrailer struck Gibson’s car in a northbound lane of Interstate 294 near 115th Street, according to Illinois State Police. The semi then overturned and the car became “engulfed in flames.”
Gibson, of Atlanta, Georgia, was unable to get out of his car and died, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The driver of the semi and two passengers from the car were taken to hospitals with injuries that weren’t life threatening, police said.
Strout was driving the semi, according to the suit. He was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI leading to death, state police said.
Gibson suffered multiple injuries as a result of the crash, as well as mental suffering, the suit claims. He also incurred medical expenses.
The lawsuit claims Strout was negligent in his driving and that his actions contributed to Gibson’s death. In addition, the suit alleges that LC Trucking acted negligently by employing Strout.
LC Trucking did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.
