Woman sues driver in I-55/70 rear-end accident

A woman has filed suit against the driver who she claims rear-ended her vehicle.

Bernadette Mathis claims she was driving north on the exit ramp of Interstate 55 and Interstate 70 in East St. Louis on Aug. 15, 2011, at about 8:36 a.m. when defendant Brian Keith Clover, who was driving behind her, struck the back of her vehicle.

Because of the collision, Mathis sustained neck and back injuries; became sick, sore, lame, disordered and disabled; and incurred medical costs, according to the complaint filed Jan. 16 in St. Clair County Circuit Court. She also suffered disability, experienced pain and suffering, lost wages and endured an impaired earning capacity, the suit states.

Clover negligently failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to properly apply his brakes, drove too fast, followed Mathis’s vehicle too closely and drove without adequate brakes, the complaint says.

In her two-count complaint, Mathis is seeking a judgment of more than $100,000, plus costs.

John H. Hustava of Collinsville will be representing her.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 13-L-28.