Chicago Injury Attorney Blog

In Cook County Circuit Court, the Chicago parents of Kevetta Davis, a 19-year-old Southern Illinois University student who died on September after being struck by a truck on Interstate 57, are suing VHI, Viacom, 51 Minds Entertainment, and truck driver Dennis Hernandez for wrongful death.

Davis and another 19-year-old woman were killed when a box truck, driven by Hernandez and carrying sound equipment for the “Rock of Love Bus” reality program, drove over a median near West Frankfort and struck the car that the two women were riding in. The accident happened after Hernandez allegedly fell asleep at the wheel.

Davis’s parents, Kevin and Brenda, are accusing Hernandez of negligent operation of his truck, causing a collision with another motor vehicle, failure to slow down to prevent a collision, failure to yield the right of way to traffic coming from the opposite direction, operating a truck without a valid license, and other allegations.

Truck Accidents
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Large Truck Crash Causation Study notes a number of associated factors that can lead to truck crashes, including:

• Fatigue
• Problems on the road
• Brake problems
• Prescription drug use
• Speeding
• Driving faster than current road conditions
• Drunk driving
• Driver inattention
• Jacknifing
• Driver error

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says that over 750 people are killed every year and over 20,000 victims are injured in truck accidents involving truck driver fatigue.

Suit filed over death in crash with VH-1 truck, Chicago Sun-TImes, October 18, 2008

Parents of Woman Killed In VH1 Truck Accident Sue, WBBM780.com

Rock of Love Bus Suffers a Tragedy, VHI Reality World, September 30, 2008

Related Web Resources:

The Large Truck Crash Causation Study, FMCSA

Rock of Love, VH1