EAST ST. LOUIS — The wife of a truck driver who died in a collision on Interstate 57 is suing the road construction company making repairs to the interstate after the decedent allegedly hit a cutout that was left unmarked or barricaded.
Patricia Edwards, as administrator of the Estate of Willie Edwards, filed a complaint April 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against E.T. Simonds Construction Company, alleging negligence and wrongful death.
Patricia Edwards alleges in the complaint that her husband, Willie Edwards, was driving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 57 on June 10, 2020, when the right tire of the tractor-trailer fell into a "cutout" that was left from road improvement and repair work being done by E.T. Simonds. Specifically, the plaintiff claims E.T. Simonds had removed parts of the shoulder "by digging two 10" trenches without placing any barricades or warnings on the roadway. The plaintiff alleges that her husband's tractor-trailer ran off the road, rolled onto its side, struck a tree and stopped at an embankment where he became trapped inside the truck and suffered fatal injuries.
The plaintiff seeks monetary relief of more than $75,000, plus trial by jury. She is represented by Jordan Powell of Passen & Powell in Chicago and Brenna Sanchez of Dunk Law Firm in Houston.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois case number 3:21-CV-00386