The Iceman Sueth

Morano wants to prevent future incidents

The Aurora man who had his face shattered by a piece of ice that fell from a semi-truck is taking legal action in hopes of preventing it from happening to others.

Peter Morano, who was driving east on Butterfield road when a sheet of ice dislodged from the top of a semi truck and came crashing through his window, will likely never regain vision in his left eye.

"I can see light and gross shapes, but that's about all," the 41 year old business man says.

"This was so avoidable," Morano says,"all it took was the truck driver to get the ice and snow off the top of his truck...he knew it was there.

Lawyers for Morano filed a discovery motion today in order to begin collecting witnesses and evidence for a lawsuit built around the incident.

“We are asking for any witnesses who may have seen what occurred or who may have more information to help us locate the truck and truck driver,” said Timothy S. Tomasik, partner at Clifford Law Offices, which represent Morano.

The lawsuit names Federal Express, because it has a distribution center near where the incident occurred.

“We will need to make that company’s drivers more aware of the dangers involved in not clearing ice and snow off the tops of trucks and other vehicles before they take off at high speeds and pass under viaducts.”

Tomasik has filed a petition asking Federal Express to turn over logs and video tapes from a dock facility in Aurora near the scene of the accident. He says the truck may or may not have come from that facility.

Federal Express did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Doctors performed emergency surgery on Morano, but the man will likely need many more operations to restore his face and vision to his left eye, which was struck in the incident.

Currently only four states, New Jersey, New York, New Hamshire and Pennsyvania require drivers to clear their trucks of ice and snow. Tomasik says Illinois should join that list.

"It's outrageous that Illinois has no law to protect people like Mr. Morano," he says.

Morano says he is starting a foundation to warn others about the dangers of snow covered big rigs. "I hope what happed to me never happens to you," he says. 

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