Attorney with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg Remarks on Wrongful Death Suit in Garbage Truck Crash

Chicago, IL (Law Firm Newswire) January 30, 2014 – A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the family of a woman who died in a crash involving a Skokie garbage truck.

Gwi Rye Kim, a Korean immigrant, was one of three people who were killed when a 2006 Kia was hit broadside by a garbage truck. The car flipped over, and the truck came to rest on top of it, breaking open the gas tank and starting a fire that incinerated the vehicle. The crash took place on October 15, 2013 at the corner of Harlem Avenue and Harrison Street in Glenview.

“It appears that human error was involved in this horrible accident, and a wrongful death suit may be appropriate,” stated Paul Greenberg, a Chicago wrongful death attorney not involved in the case.

The village of Skokie has been named in the lawsuit, and more defendants are likely.

Officials from Skokie village maintain that the garbage truck had the right of way and that the smaller vehicle did not stop at a stop sign. The Kia was being driven by Won Suk Lim, 56. Lim and his wife also died in the crash.

The lawsuit, however, alleges that the truck was speeding and was not being driven with due care. Attorneys for the family have noted that the village of Glenview has not yet provided them with police reports or access to the vehicles, and that the identity of the truck driver is still unknown. They have suggested that the driver and Lim’s estate will likely be added to the suit as defendants.

According to the lawsuit, the truck was loaded and on its way to a transfer station when the accident occurred. Autopsies of the victims identified the causes of death as blunt force trauma, carbon monoxide poisoning and thermal injuries.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys have said that a computer module on the truck could reveal how fast the vehicle was traveling and whether the brakes were applied before the accident.

Glenview police have stated that an investigation into the causes of the crash is being conducted, and that the investigation will have to be completed before any possible citations or criminal charges can be made.