Corboy & Demetrio Files Lawsuit for Motorist Injured in Box Truck Crash on I-80
Corboy & Demetrio has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Patrick Kelly, Jr., whose pick-up truck was struck by a box truck carrying AC Delco automotive batteries on I-80 in Ottawa, erupting into flames upon impact and engulfing Kelly’s vehicle.
Patrick, a 39-year-old Joliet resident, suffered severe burn injuries in the fiery crash and is in critical condition. Patrick’s 43-year-old passenger, who was a close friend, was one of two people killed in the multi-vehicle pileup.
The box truck driver, Raymond Ramel, and his employer, AC Delco Auto Service Center, were named defendants in the lawsuit, which was filed on Sept. 30, 2020 in Cook Co. Circuit Court.
According to Illinois State Police, the crash occurred after the box truck failed to reduce its speed in a construction zone at 9:30a.m. on Sept. 25, 2020 and struck the first of three vehicles from the rear causing all four to burst into flames.
“Box trucks are inherently dangerous, and a speeding box truck carrying batteries is like a missile, igniting anything it touches upon impact,” Corboy & Demetrio Co-founder Thomas Demetrio said. Demetrio, Michael Demetrio and Managing Partner Ken Lumb represent Patrick.
In the crash, the box truck struck the rear of Patrick's vehicle and the automotive batteries that were carried in the truck erupted into a fire upon impact and resulted in a fiery multi-car crash.
The lawsuit alleges AC Delco and its driver Ramel were negligent because Ramel failed to look out carefully and decrease his speed to avoid colliding with Kelly’s vehicle.
Case info: #2020L010386, Patrick Kelly, Jr. v. AC Delco Auto Service Center, filed on Sept. 30, 2020 in Cook Co. Circuit Court.