Aurora dentist’s estate sued in fatal I-88 crash
A wrongful-death lawsuit was filed Wednesday on behalf of two Elmhurst residents killed in a wrong-way crash on I-88 over the summer.
The suit filed in DuPage County names the estate of Aurora dentist William Howe, whose death from injuries sustained in the crash was ruled a suicide.
Police said Howe was driving on I-88 near Lisle when his Porsche Boxster made an abrupt U-turn in westbound traffic and collided with an oncoming Toyota Corolla.
Killed in the Aug. 6 crash were Sherali Shalwani, 74, and his daughter, Farzana Ali, 37, both of Elmhurst. Ali’s husband Karim Ali, 43, also was critically injured and left disabled.
The plaintiffs’ attorney, Craig Squillace, said the victims were driving to a prayer service when the fatal crash occurred. He said the lawsuit aims to not only compensate the victims’ families for their loss and medical bills, but to get to the bottom of what happened that day, including reports that money was seen flying from Howe’s vehicle about the time of the crash.
“We’ve heard a lot of different things but our understanding is, he (Howe) was just on the wrong side of the road,” Squillace said. “Part of the lawsuit is to figure out just what was going on that day.”
Evanston attorney Keoini Haynes, who represents Howe’s sister and mother, said she had not seen the lawsuit and had no immediate comment. Her clients were named as defendants because they are administrators of the late dentist’s estate.
Howe, 43, was charged with reckless homicide but died in September from multiple injuries sustained in the crash. Authorities said he never regained consciousness and they were unable to interview him. Coroner’s officials ruled the death a suicide.
An autopsy confirmed Howe suffered from Huntington’s disease, an incurable condition that causes nerve cells in the brain to break down and may have contributed to the crash, according to his attorney at the time.
Howe, who lived in Naperville, had been a licensed dentist in Aurora since 1993. In recent years, he filed for bankruptcy and faced mounting legal troubles, including two DUI arrests. According to court records, his estate was valued in October at about $330,000.
The lawsuit seeks at least $50,000 each on behalf of Shalwani, who is survived by a wife and five children; Farzana Ali, who is survived by her husband and a child; and Karim Ali, who was left with “significant injuries” to his legs and abdomen, according to Squillace.
“The loss this family has had is astronomical,” he said.
The case is due in court in March.