BELLEVILLE — A motorist is suing two drivers, Demetrius O. Ward Jr. and Ahmad Ghaleb Deriyah, citing alleged negligence.
Stephen Thomas filed a complaint on Jan. 4 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against the defendants alleging that they failed to maintain and operate their respective vehicles in a safe manner.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on Sept. 2 he was traveling along Illinois Route 13 near its intersection with Busch Boulevard when the incident took place. The plaintiff holds Ward and Deriyah responsible because Ward allegedly negligently parked his vehicle in an unsafe place on the roadway and Deriyah allegedly failed to take evasive actions at the first appearance of danger.
Thomas claims he sustained severe and disabling injuries to his neck, back, spine and hip, the complaint says
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks damages of not less than $50,000, plus costs. He is represented by Bruce R. Cook of Cook, Bartholomew, Shevlin & Cook LLP in Belleville.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 19-L-0019