$6.5 Million Illinois Tractor-Trailer Accident Settlement Goes to Family of Woman Killed on Halloween 2008
The family of East Dubuque resident Tabitha Carroll has been awarded a $6.5 million Illinois semi-truck accident settlement. Carroll, 32, died on Route 47 in Huntley, Illinois on October 31, 2008.
Carroll, her husband Randolph, and son Gabriel, 3, were headed to Goebbert’s Pumpkin Patch that Halloween day when a tractor-trailer rear-ended the pickup truck they were riding. According to a judge, trucker Jeffrey Repec, a Spring Grove man, was speeding at the time. The impact of the truck crash pushed the Carroll family’s car into a stopped IDOT truck.
While Carroll died at the Illinois tractor-trailer crash site, Randolph sustained a number of personal injuries, including facial fractures, spinal injuries, and respiratory failure. Gabriel sustained lacerations, two broken legs, and head injuries.
According to the family’s truck collision lawsuit, not only was Repec driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as speeding, but also he did not keep a proper lookout. Police had determined that Rebec was high on marijuana when the Illinois tractor-trailer crash happened. The trucker eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated driving under the influence. He is serving 45 months at a correctional facility.
Meantime, the tractor-trailer’s owner, Geils Farms, is accused of violating the law by failing to conduct random drug tests on truckers, neglecting to perform employee background checks and not getting a copy of each truck driver’s driving record. Also, not only was the truck that struck the Carrolls’ vehicle overloaded, but five of its breaks were out of adjustment, the rear left turn signal could not be operated, and a number of the vehicle’s brake pads had grease or oil contaminating them, which prevented safe braking and stopping.
The Illinois truck accident settlement includes $4.7 million for Carroll’s wrongful death, $300,000 for Gabriel’s personal injuries, and $1.5 million for Randolph’s injuries to a minor.
Huntley crash victims are awarded $6.5 million, The Courier-News, October 31, 2010
Halloween Car Crash Results in $6.5 million settlement in wrongful death lawsuit, Lawyers and Settlements, November 4, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Trucking Accidents Overview, Justia
Michigan Center for Truck Safety
Chicago, Illinois Truck Crashes
Truckers and the trucking companies they work for can both be held liable for Chicago injury or wrongful death. This is not the type of Chicago injury case that you want to pursue without legal help. Not only are truckers responsible for safely driving their large vehicles, but also trucking companies must abide by certain safety regulations to decrease the chances that a truck crash will happen.
