MADISON - ST. CLAIR RECORD

A St. Clair County woman has filed suit against the landscaping company that she claims overloaded a truck with pavers, causing an accident.

Deborah Kohler claims she was riding as a passenger in a Ford pickup truck that defendant Kenneth Kohler was driving on Illinois Route 161 near Dutch Hollow Road on May 24, 2012, when it crashed. Just before the collision, Kenneth Kohler had visited defendant Sonnenberg Paving and Landscaping Materials Company in Belleville to pick up landscaping materials, including pavers, according to the complaint filed May 10 in St. Clair County Circuit Court. However, Kenneth Kohler and workers at Sonnenberg overloaded the trailer. In turn, Kenneth Kohler lost control of the vehicle, causing it to crash, the suit states.

Because of the collision, Deborah Kohler sustained severe and disabling injuries to her left arm, experienced great pain and mental anguish and incurred medical costs, the complaint says. She also claims she was prevented from going to her usual employment and from enjoying her usual activities.

Sonnenberg Paving and Landscaping Materials Company negligently loaded materials onto the trailer in a way that made it unstable and unsafe to operate, overloaded the trailer and loaded more materials on the trailer than was ordered, according to the complaint.

Kenneth Kohler negligently failed to keep his vehicle under proper control, drove too fast, failed to reduce his speed to avoid a collision and drove in such a way that he presented a danger to others, the suit states.

In her complaint, Deborah Kohler is seeking a judgment of more than $50,000, plus costs.

Gregory L. Shevlin of Cook, Ysursa, Bartholomew, Brauer and Shevlin in Belleville will be representing her.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 13-L-250.