Village of Sauget and drivers sued over accident related to unlit road

A man claims he suffered various injuries after he struck an unlit vehicle that had stopped working in the middle of a dark roadway.

Alfred Turner filed a lawsuit Nov. 26 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Christopher V. Baumgartner, Erica D. Reed and the Village of Sauget.

In his complaint, Turner alleges Baumgartner was leaving the Cerro Copper parking lot and attempting to make a left-hand turn onto Route 3 in Sauget on Nov. 30, 2012. At the same time, Reed was leaving the Cerro Copper parking lot from a different exit and was trying to turn right, according to the complaint. Baumgartner struck Reed’s vehicle, which caused Reed’s vehicle to become disabled and to sit in the middle of the road, the suit states.

At the time, Turner was approaching both vehicles, but could not see them because the road was unlit, the complaint says. In addition, Reed’s vehicle was not illuminated, he claims.

As a result, Turner struck Reed’s vehicle, causing him to suffer severe and permanent injuries to his body, neck and back and to endure disability and disfigurement, according to the complaint. He also suffered great physical pain and mental anguish, lost his normal life, lost earnings, incurred medical costs and suffered from an impaired earning capacity, the suit states.

Turner partially blames Baumgartner for causing the collision, saying he negligently failed to yield the right-of-way, failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to yield to oncoming traffic and failed to keep his vehicle under proper control.

He also names Reed as a defendant, saying she negligently left her vehicle stopped on the road, failed to move her vehicle off the road even though she knew traffic was heavy, failed to activate her hazard lights, failed to warn other drivers that she had stopped during rush hour, failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to yield to oncoming traffic, failed to reduce her speed to avoid a collision and failed to keep her vehicle under proper control.

The Village of Sauget negligently failed to properly maintain its street lights so that they would illuminate the street, according to the complaint.

In his complaint, Turner seeks a judgment of more than $150,000, plus costs.

Matthew J. Marlen of Belleville will be representing him.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 13-L-595.