Man Files Suit Against Driver And Leasing Company After Son's Death

A man has filed suit against a man and a leasing company on behalf of his son, who died of the personal injuries he suffered in a collision.

According to the suit filed by Fred Cole on April 3 in Illinois’ St. Clair County Circuit Court, his son, Matthew Lucas Cole, was eastbound on Martin Luther King Bridge between Illinois and Missouri when Chivas J. Day, westbound in a vehicle he rented from Enterprise Leasing Company, attempted to pass a westbound semi-trailer.

The suit says that as Day was attempting to pass the truck, he pulled into the eastbound lane and collided with Cole’s vehicle. The suit says that Cole died in the collision.

The suit claims that Cole’s death has deprived his father, mother, brother, and two sisters of his love, affection, society, and support.

The suit alleges negligence on the part of Day for attempting to pass in a no-passing zone in unsafe conditions for passing, driving at an excessive speed, failure to maintain a proper lookout, and driving in the wrong lane.

The suit alleges negligence on the part of Enterprise for failure to determine if Day was of appropriate moral character to drive and was able to drive in compliance with traffic laws before renting the vehicle out to him.

Cole’s father seeks damages in excess of $200,000 from the four-count suit.