Arguments Heard in Car Crash Lawsuit
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Judge Richard Aguirre Thursday heard arguments on a motion to dismiss a civil suit in which Danielle K. Burton and Dawne R. Malinski are suing Perry County Unit Road District and County Engineer Doug Bishop for negligence leading to a June 1, 2009 fatal accident at the intersection of Falcon and Grosbeak Roads northwest of Tamaroa.
The personal injury lawsuit maintains that overgrown brush on the roads is responsible for the accident.
No immediate decision was handed down. Motions by the attorneys are to follow Thursday's hearing.
Burton and Malinski also filed suit against Travis J. Reidelberger, the driver of the other vehicle, in June. That suit was dismissed in Aug. 16.
A third suit in which Mary Jo Byrd, as administrator of the estate of Charles Solt, who was killed in the accident, is also suing Perry County Unit Road District and County Engineer Doug Bishop for negligence.
The Byrd suit has been consolidated with the Burton-Malinski suit. Consolidation means that any motions or decisions made in the Burton-Malinski case are considered as part of the Byrd suit.
A Coulterville teenager was killed and three other victims in the same car were taken to St. Louis hospitals following the car-truck crash at an intersection with no stop signs just off Shamrock Road northwest of Tamaroa.
There was irony in the tragedy of a hand-written orange marker message in the back glass on the driver's side of a 1997 Chevy containing the teens that read "Peace, Love, Happiness."
The Perry County Sheriff's Department responded to the 911 call in reference to a two vehicle accident at the intersection of Falcon and Grosbeak Roads northwest of Tamaroa.
Perry County deputies, the Tamaroa Fire Department and Pinckneyville Ambulance Service all responded directly to the accident scene as well as two medical evacuation helicopters from Arch Medical Evacuation Services of Sparta and Medivac Medical Services of Mount Vernon.
A 1997 Chevrolet car driven by Brianna Stehl, 17, of Pinckneyville was struck in the passenger side by a 1992 Chevrolet pickup truck driven by Travis Reidelberger, a Tamaroa native.
Stehl had three passengers in her vehicle--Thomas Bittle, 19, of Tamaroa; Danielle Burton, 17, of Pinckneyville and Charles Solt, 20, of Coulterville.
The pickup truck driver, Reidelberger, was taken to Pinckneyville Community Hospital for treatment.
Burton and Solt were taken to Pinckneyville Community Hospital and later transferred by medical helicopter to St. Louis hospitals.
Stehl and Bittle were both flown directly from the scene to St. Louis hospitals for treatment.
Solt passed away at the St. Louis Hospital from his injuries.
The intersection was relatively clear of obstructions. There was no high grass, a handful of nearby trees, but nothing that would completely block the view. A preliminary investigation said no extraordinary conditions contributed to the accident.
Preliminary findings point to the fact that neither the car the teens were riding in nor the pickup truck that struck them was traveling at a high rate of speed.
Rescuers at the scene believe the teens were headed to a beach or pool when the accident happened for an end-of school outing.