Family of woman killed in Tinley Park crash sues DUI suspect for negligence

The family of a Tinley Park woman killed in a crash earlier this month in the southwest suburb has filed a lawsuit against the man facing DUI charges for her death.

Phillip J. Reyes filed the suit Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court on behalf of his mother, 79-year-old Armida Reyes, accusing Timothy McGuire of negligence and wrongful death.

Armida Reyes was killed in the crash about 9:50 p.m. March 11 near 80th Avenue and 167th Street in Tinley Park, according to Tinley Park police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

At the time of the crash, Phillip Reyes was driving a vehicle with his mother in the passenger seat and was stopped on southbound 80th Avenue at 167th Street waiting to make a left turn, according to the suit.

Armida Reyes sensed they were in danger of being hit when she saw McGuire’s vehicle approaching in the northbound lanes and told her son to speed up, according to a statement from Cavanagh Law Group, which is representing the Reyes family. McGuire’s vehicle then veered into the southbound lanes and hit Reyes’ vehicle.

Phillip Reyes, who is a nurse, tried to help his mother but could not find a pulse, his attorneys said in the statement. She had suffered multiple internal injuries and a broken neck and was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy found Armida Reyes had died from multiple injuries she suffered in the crash and her death was ruled an accident, the medical examiner’s office said.

The suit charges McGuire with one count each of negligence and wrongful death and seeks an unspecified amount in damages in addition to court costs.

McGuire, who also lives in Tinley Park, was criminally charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated involving a death, driving while intoxicated and driving without insurance, police said.

Judge Michael Joseph Kane set McGuire’s bail at $175,000 during a hearing March 13 at the Bridgeview Courthouse, according to Cook County court records. He was released on bond the same day and his next court date was scheduled for April 9.