A minivan driver claims a driver rear-ended his vehicle after he stopped for a school bus.
Jaeyen Pak, Atsuko Iida and two minors filed a lawsuit Sept. 27 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Mary Burrelsman.
In their complaint, the plaintiffs allege Pak drove a Chrysler minivan on Illinois Route 159 on Jan. 15, 2010, at about 2:50 p.m. when he stopped after seeing a school bus in front of him. Suddenly, Burrelsman drove into the back of Pak's vehicle, according to the complaint.
At the time of the accident, Iida and Jaeyen Pak's three minor children -- Kangin Pak, Neo Pak and Alisa Pak -- rode as passengers in the van.
Because of the collision, Iida, Pak and his three minor children experienced great pain and suffering and incurred medical costs, the suit states.
Jaeyen Pak blames Burrelsman for causing the collision, saying he negligently failed to keep a proper lookout, drove too closely to Pak's vehicle and failed to timely apply her brakes. In addition, she drove too fast, failed to reduce her speed to avoid a collision, failed to keep her vehicle under proper control, drove without adequate brakes and failed to maintain the brakes, the complaint says.
In their five-count complaint, the plaintiffs seek an unspecified judgment, plus costs.
Sam C. Mitchell and Associates of West Frankfort will be representing them.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 11-L-543.
Route 159 accident causes injuries to children, suit claims
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