Truck driver claims copper rolls caused injuries during abrupt stop

A Madison County truck driver says the gate operator at an East Alton brass company caused him to be hurt.

Richard Henry II filed a lawsuit June 27 in Madison County Circuit Court against John Elliott and Guardsmark LLC, doing business as Guardsmark.

According to the complaint, Henry was delivering rolls of brass loaded on a flatbed trailer to Olin Brass in August 2010. As Henry approached Gate 7, Elliott, a Guardsmark employee, allegedly opened the gate to allow the truck through.

As Henry drove toward the gate, he says Elliott began to close it. The truck driver says he was forced to stop abruptly to avoid crashing into the gate. Henry says the abrupt stop caused several of the 18-thousand pound rolls of brass to shift forward and hit the back of the truck's cab. Henry says the force of the impact caused him to be seriously injured.

Henry accuses the gate operator and his employer of negligence. He is asks for more than $100,000 in damages for medical expenses, loss of income and court costs from Elliott and Guardsmark.

Attorneys Michael J. Brunton and Mary M. Stewart of Collinsville are representing Henry.

Madison County Circuit Court Case No. 11-L-626