CHICAGO — The sons of two motorists who were killed in a car accident after their vehicle skidded off a Cook County road are suing several county and state government agencies for allegedly failing to remedy a known road hazard and alert drivers to the dangerous conditions.
Roger Grabinski, special administrator of the estate of Jonathan Grabinski, and Sandra Denardo-Melant, special administrator of the estate of Salvatore Melant, filed a lawsuit on March 3 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Cook County, Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, State of Illinois, Illinois Department of Transportation, the village of Willow Springs and Palos Township, alleging that insufficient measures were taken to prevent future accidents on a stretch of roadway on Archer Avenue in Willow Springs.
The plaintiffs allege that on March 5, 2016, Jonathan Grabinski and Salvatore Melant sustained fatal injuries when the vehicle they were occupying hydroplaned off the road and crashed into a tree. According to the complaint, the plaintiffs claim that authorities knew a ditch on the south side of the road was full of soil and debris, causing water to fill the road.
The plaintiffs are seeking judgment against the defendant in an amount greater than $50,000. They are represented by the Law Offices of Frank J. Olavarria, P.C. in Chicago.
Cook County Circuit Court Case number 2017L002287