A man whose daughter was killed when a Union Pacific Railroad train crashed into the vehicle in which she was a passenger, is suing the railroad, its conductor and engineer, and the car's driver for more than $50,000.
Michael A. Gasser filed suit Jan. 20 in St. Clair County Circuit Court claiming conductor Donald L. Johnson of Columbia, engineer Ron D. Mentel of Belleville and the vehicle's driver Randall A. Vanover, an Illinois resident, were negligent in the accident which caused Heather Gasser's death.
It happened at the intersection of Illinois Route 150 and Holt Drive in Randolph County on Nov. 6, 2004. Vanover was traveling westbound on Route 150.
According to the suit, Heather's death caused "permanent injuries and damages to the decedent's next of kin in the nature of funeral expenses and by being deprived of the reasonable value of her services, companionship, comfort, instruction, guidance, counsel, training, love and support that they would have received had the decedent not died."
Gasser is represented by Joseph A. Bartholomew of Cook, Ysursa, Bartholomew, Brauer & Shevlin, Ltd. of Belleville.