BELLEVILLE – A Belleville woman claims she was injured in an East St. Louis collision, which allegedly resulted from a missing stop sign.
Melva Hodges filed the suit March 29 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against the City of East St. Louis and Marcus Stewart.
On July 4, 2015, Stewart was driving eastbound on Trendley Avenue at its intersection with 14th Street, while Hodges was in a car traveling northbound on 14th Street, the suit says. After entering the intersection, Stewart's vehicle allegedly collided with the vehicle in which Hodges was a passenger.
According to the complaint, a stop sign was missing from the intersection for northbound travelers.
Hodges alleges Stewart negligently failed to operate his vehicle in a safe manner, failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to keep his vehicle under control, failed to obey a stop sign, failed to drive at a speed that was reasonable, and failed to decrease his speed, stop or swerve to avoid a collision.
The plaintiff claims the City of East St. Louis negligently failed to maintain the intersection, failed to have a reasonable system of signs and traffic control devices, failed to replace the missing stop sign, and failed to provide an intersection that was reasonably safe.
As a result, the plaintiff has spent money on medical bills, experienced great physical pain and has been unable to work, the suit claims.
The plaintiff seeks from both defendants a judgment in excess of $50,000, plus court costs and other relief the court deems proper. She is represented by John T. Hipskind and Brady M. McAninch of Hipskind & McAninch LLC in Belleville.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 16-L-176