Couple claims injuries in Route 159 rear-end accident

A couple claims their 2005 Toyota Camry sustained damages after a driver rear-ended the vehicle while it remained stopped at a light.

Dale A. and Martha Fietsam filed a complaint Dec. 10 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Jacob Fears.

The Fietsams claim Dale A. Fietsam operated the Camry south on Illinois Highway 159 near its intersection with Salem Place in Fairview Heights when he stopped at a light on Dec. 19, 2008. At the time of the incident, Martha Fietsam rode in the passenger side of the Camry.

Suddenly, while Dale A. Fietsam yielded to traffic, Fears drove his 1991 Ford Escort into the rear of the Camry, according to the complaint.

In addition to the property damage to the Camry, the Fietsams sustained permanent, severe and disabling injuries and incurred medical costs, the suit states. In addition, they became hindered from entering into their full employment and from attending to their usual duties and affairs and lost substantial sums of money, the complaint says.

They blame Fears for failing to stop his vehicle, for driving in excess of the posted speed limit, for failing to keep a proper lookout for traffic, for failing to apply his brakes and for failing to reduce his speed to avoid a collision.

In the two-count complaint, the Fietsams are seeking a judgment of more than $100,000, plus costs.

Mark S. Schuver of Mathis, Marifian, Richter and Grandy in Belleville will be representing them.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 09-L-656.