EDWARDSVILLE – A son is suing a Missouri company and his father, alleging their actions led to the death of his mother.
Eugene Reeves, independent administrator of the estate of Laveeda Reeves, his mother, filed the lawsuit Feb. 18 in Madison County Circuit Court against Christopher Tryon, Byrne & Jones Enterprises Inc., a Missouri corporation, and Lawrence Reeves, father of Eugene Reeves, alleging negligence, survival action and violations of the Illinois Wrongful Death Act.
According to the complaint, on Nov. 14, 2015, Laveeda Reeves was a passenger in a car driven by her husband, Lawrence Reeves, at the westbound ramp of Interstate Highway 70 exiting onto Missouri state Highway 141. At the same time, the suit says, Tryon was driving a tractor with flatbed trailer heavily loaded with construction equipment northbound on Highway 141, a tractor-trailer is owned by Byrne & Jones Enterprises.
The lawsuit states Tryon drove the vehicle into the passenger side of the vehicle driven by Lawrence Reeves. Laveeda Reeves suffered serious bodily injury and was pronounced dead after being transported to the local hospital.
The lawsuit says Tryon was negligent in that he failed to apply the brakes, he drove while distracted, he failed to take evasive action, he was speeding, and he was operating a vehicle with inadequate brakes.
The suit charges Lawrence Reeves, the plaintiff's father, failed to operate his car in a single lane of travel, stopped his car on a state highway in a non-emergency situation, drove his vehicle in the wrong direction on the state highway and failed to take evasive action.
Eugene Reeves seeks more than $50,000 from each defendant for each count, plus court costs. He is represented by attorneys Shawn K. Lintz of the Lintz Law Firm LLC in Alton, and Lanny Darr of Darr Law Offices Ltd. in Alton.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 16-L-233