UPS sued over crash that killed motorcyclist on NW Side

The family of a motorcyclist killed in a September crash with a delivery truck is suing United Parcel Service and one of the company’s drivers.

Ronald Koschalk, 58, of the Jefferson Park neighborhood, was driving a motorcycle south just before noon Sept. 9 when he drove into a UPS delivery truck that was turning north onto Lehigh Avenue from Hiawatha Avenue, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. The driver of the truck was issued a citation for failure to yield the right of way.

Koschalk’s brother, Douglas Koschalk, filed the lawsuit Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court and claims the delivery driver drove negligently, causing his brother’s death.

The suit claims the driver didn’t follow traffic control devices and didn’t give the right of a way to Koschalk. The resulting collision caused Koschalk to be thrown from his 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle, killing him.

The family seeks more than $200,000 in damages.

A spokesperson for UPS said the company does not comment on active litigation.