Macey Strutt, a minor, by and through her mother and next friend, Diana Strutt, filed the suit Jan. 8 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Renda West, Ventsislav Kramolinski and IMG Trucking Inc. The suit alleges that Kentucky resident West, driving her own vehicle, and Illinois resident Kramolinski, driving for his employer, Illinois company IMG Trucking, were negligent.
On July 10, 2014, the minor plaintiff was on a school-sponsored trip and was a passenger in a vehicle with her teacher, another adult and five other students, the suit says. According to the lawsuit, they were traveling northbound on Interstate 57 from Nashville, Tennessee, back to their home state of Kansas.
According to the allegations in the lawsuit, West and Kramolinski were negligent in the following ways that contributed to an accident: failing to pay attention, driving at a speed unsafe for existing conditions, failing to take evasive and corrective maneuvers and failing to keep their vehicles under control.
The result, the lawsuit claims, is that both vehicles collided with the vehicle in which the minor plaintiff was riding. She suffered significant injuries, the suit says, alleging that she has incurred and will incur medical expenses, scarring, pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
In addition to a trial by jury, the plaintiffs seek a judgment against the defendants for at least $75,000 plus court costs. The plaintiffs are represented by Melinda G. Young of Bretz & Young LLC of Hutchinson, Kansas.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois case number 16-cv-00026