Pontoon Beach accident blamed on malfunctioning intersection lights

A driver blames the village of Pontoon Beach for causing his collision at an intersection without a functioning light after a patrolman deserted it.

Gregory Riddlespriger filed his lawsuit against the village June 30 in Madison County Circuit Court.

Riddlespriger says he drove south on Route 111 at its intersection with Horseshoe Lake Road in Nameoki on April 22 at about 11:35 p.m. when he collided with Lindsey Davis, who drove west on Horseshoe Lake Road.

At the time of the collision, the lights governing both roads had stopped working, according to the complaint. A patrolman with Pontoon Beach had taken control of the intersection and had activated his emergency lights to warn oncoming traffic of the non-functioning lights, the suit states.

However, prior to Riddlespriger's accident, the Pontoon Beach patrolman left the intersection to respond to an accident, leaving the Route 111 intersection unprotected, the complaint says.

Because of the resulting accident, Riddlespriger claims he became sick, sore, lame, disordered and disabled; suffered extensive injuries to his right leg; incurred medical costs; experienced pain and suffering; and lost wages.

Riddlespriger blames Pontoon Beach for causing his collision, saying its officer willingly left the intersection unprotected, left without first having the state of Illinois secure the intersection and left knowing there was no entity to protect the intersection.

In his complaint, Riddlespriger seeks a judgment of more than $50,000, plus costs.

William E. Miller III of Alton will be representing him.

Madison County Circuit Court case number: 10-L-707.