Family sues driver alleged responsible for traffic deaths of father, boy found dead on side of road

The family of a father and young son who were killed while walking on the side of a road in downstate Bloomington is suing the driver who allegedly struck them.

Angelina Lopez, as administrator of the estate of Pedro Guerrero and Alejandro Guerrero, filed a complaint on May 22 in Cook County Circuit Court against Dennis P. Daugherty.

According to the lawsuit, the two deceased plaintiffs were walking in Bloomington, near Old Colonial Road and Sassafras Street, on Oct. 23, 2014, when the defendant, driving west on Old Colonial, hit them both and killed them. Published press accounts of the incident indicate the boy was in a stroller, and both the father and son were found dead on the side of the road.

Daugherty, the lawsuit states, was careless and negligent when he failed to stop in time to avoid a collision, keep a proper lookout, exercise due care and sound his horn, and drove at too high a speed and recklessly.

The plaintiff, citing violations of the Family Expense Act and Wrongful Death Act, seeks damages in excess of $1 million, plus costs.

The plaintiff is represented by James H. Lawlor III, of the Shea Law Group in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 15-L-00527