CHICAGO — A woman is suing Metra over the death of her husband, whose car was struck by a train in suburban Robbins.
Tokunbo Allen filed a complaint on Oct. 18 in Cook County Circuit Court for negligence and wrongful death against the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation, which does business as Metra, alleging the rail agency had failed to follow applicable safety guidelines and regulations.
On Jan. 14, 2014, Emmanuel Allen made a left hand tum onto 139th Street in Robbins, where there was no gate and no direct line of sight to the railroad tracks, when his vehicle was struck by a Metra train, the plaintiff said in her complaint.
The man was dragged 200 feet along the Metra Rock Island District Railroad tracks in his car and was pronounced dead shortly after being brought to the hospital, the complaint said.
The plaintiff said she and her children had suffered the loss of his affection, society and companionship because Metra allegedly failed to prevent traffic from entering the crossing when there was a train approaching, failed to keep the area adjacent to the railroad crossing clear so as to avoid obscuring oncoming trains, failed to sound the train horn or whistle, and allowed the train to travel at a speed too fast for the conditions.
The plaintiff requested a trial by jury and seeks at least $50,000, plus the cost of bringing the lawsuit. She is represented by Jay Paul Deratany of the Deratany Firm in Chicago.
Cook County Circuit Court Case number 18-L-011326