Bus driver sues city, policeman over icy road accident

A Bi-State bus driver is suing the City of Belleville and a police officer over an accident that happened on an icy road last year.

Howard D. Baker filed suit Feb. 27 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against the City of Belleville and officer David M. Ray.

According to the complaint, Baker was driving a Bi-State bus westbound on Main Street near the 16th Street intersection on March 2, 2014 at 1:55 a.m. Ray was operating a police vehicle northbound on 16th Street near its intersection with Main Street in the scope of his employment with the Belleville Police Department.

According to the suit, Ray lost control of his vehicle due to ice on the road, sliding down a slight incline past a stop sign and colliding with Baker’s bus. The suit states that Ray was acting negligently and wantonly by operating his vehicle in an unsafe manner while aware that the road surface was icy.

Baker is seeking damages in excess of $50,000, plus attorneys’ fees and costs. He is being represented in the case by Michael McGlynn of McGlynn & McGlynn in Belleville.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 15-L-115