Lawsuit Names Skokie After Woman Killed in Garbage Truck Crash

Oct. 15 crash killed three people

A lawsuit has been filed against the village of Skokie on behalf of one of three women killed when a garbage truck slammed into a car in Glenview earlier this month.

Police said the truck was driving north on Harlem Avenue at about 12:30 p.m. Oct. 15 when it hit a car, which was traveling east on Harrison Street in the northern suburb.

Both vehicles caught fire, and all three people in the car were killed. The garbage truck driver was unhurt, officials said.

The complaint, filed by Clifford Law Offices in Cook County Circuit Court Tuesday, alleges the truck driver was negligent for driving too fast for conditions and did not keep a proper look out for vehicles.

But according to a posting on the village's web site, the garbage truck had the right of way and entered the intersection at the same time the car ran a two-way stop sign. It also says the truck driver, who has been employed 19 years, has an "excellent performance record" and is shaken up over the accident.

“The police are still investigating the crash and have in their possession the Skokie garbage truck and the smashed and burned SUV,” said Robert A. Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices. “We have been denied access to these important elements of evidence, including access to the downloading of any Electronic Control Modules on the garbage truck or SUV, which will tell us about the speed of the vehicles at impact and any braking efforts at impact.”

Police have not released the name of the driver, and he was not named in complaint.
 

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