A man says he sustained injuries after a tractor-trailer driver struck another driver’s vehicle, forcing it to collide with the man’s automobile.
Cengiz Sarikcioglu filed a lawsuit May 12 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Paula Tosi, Mihael Gujumit and Carolina Logistic.
In his lawsuit, Sarikcioglu claims he was driving east on Interstate 64 near its exit with Illinois Route 3 on May 20, 2012, when Gujumit, who was driving a tractor-trailer owned by Carolina Logistic, collided with a vehicle Tosi was driving.
The impact of the collision caused defendant Tosi’s vehicle to violently overtake and collide with the plaintiff’s motor vehicle, the suit states.
Because of the collision, Sarikcioglu suffered neck, back, left shoulder, left arm, left elbow, left hand, left foot and rib injuries and suffered pain and mental anguish, the complaint says. He also claims he incurred medical costs, suffered from an impaired ability to work and labor and lost wages.
Sarikcioglu blames Gujumit for causing the collision, saying he negligently drove too fast, failed to keep a careful lookout, failed to stop or warn of his impending approach, failed to swerve to avoid a collision, allowed his tractor-trailer to overtake another vehicle and failed to yield to another vehicle, among other negligent actions.
She also names Carolina Logistic as a defendant, saying it negligently hired Gujumit as a driver, entrusted its tractor trailer to Gujumit even though he had inadequate experience, training and knowledge, allowed Gujumit to drive too fast and allowed Gujumit to drive in violation of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.
Tosi negligently drove too fast, failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to stop or slow down, allowed her vehicle to overtake Sarikcioglu’s, failed to yield to Sarikcioglu’s vehicle and drove too fast for the circumstances, according to the complaint.
Sarikcioglu is seeking compensatory damages of more than $200,000, plus pre-judgment interest, attorneys’ fees, costs and other relief the court deems just. He is being represented by Todd W. Sivia of Sivia Business and Legal Services in Edwardsville and Reiad M. Khouri of Khouri Law Firm in St. Louis.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 14-L-327.