Son Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit after Fatal Crash

 Posted on November 14, 2013 in Personal Injury

On October 15^th, three people were travelling in the Glenview neighborhood north of Chicago in the afternoon after visiting family.  They were driving east on Harrison Street when the car they were in was hit by a Skokie garbage truck by the Harlem intersection.  The 2006 Kia SUV became lodged underneath the truck and then caught on fire.

The three people in the car were badly burnt from the accident.  They were later identified as Won Suk Rim, 57, and his wife Jung Ran Min, 52, both from the 2500 block of West Farragut in Chicago.  The woman in the backseat was Gwi Rye Kim, a 65 year old from West Berwyn.  All three died from a combination of carbon monoxide poisoning, burns and blunt force trauma from the accident.

The driver of the garbage truck was unhurt in the car accident.  He was on his way to the Glenview transfer station in Glenview with a full load of garbage.  The Village of Skokie defended their driver saying that “the individual has been employed by the village of Skokie for 19 years and has an excellent performance record.”  He was not charged with a crime for his part in the accident.  That unnamed driver of the garbage truck is seeking counseling after being shaken up by the incident.

The eldest son of Gwi Rye Kim has decided to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the village of Skokie and the driver of the garbage truck.  The suit claims that the driver was remiss for driving too fast given the accident occurred in a school zone.  The driver was also negligent for not using care to lookout for danger or signaling when danger was imminent.

While a wrongful death suit cannot restore your loved ones, it can hold the negligent party responsible.  If they are proven responsible for an accident, they could be required to compensate surviving family members for funeral costs, lost wages from the deceased and the pain and suffering of losing a loved one.  Contact an experienced personal injury attorney in Hinsdale today if you have lost a family member due to the fault of another.