Limo driver sues Glen Ellyn man he says beat him
A limousine driver has filed a lawsuit claiming he was repeatedly punched in the head by an irate and “extremely intoxicated” Glen Ellyn man while cruising I-88 at highway speeds.
Richard Sutich of Elburn says the Oct. 8, 2011, attack left him with long-term hearing and neurological damage, according to the complaint filed in DuPage County court Thursday against David Bode.
Bode, 46, is accused of pummeling Sutich from the back seat of a Lincoln sedan limo. The attack happened after Sutich picked up Bode and Bode’s girlfriend from a Blackhawks game at the United Center, according to an Illinois State Police report.
The report says Bode incorrectly accused Sutich of going the wrong direction, then started throwing punches on westbound I-88 in Oak Brook.
“He slugged me in the back of my head on the right side, yelling, ‘Where are you taking me? I’ll rip your (expletive) head off,’” Sutich, 50, wrote in a police statement obtained by the Daily Herald.
Sutich told police Bode repeatedly struck him — even as he tried to protect his head — until he pulled over and called police. The chauffeur for Keen Limousine said he was “not sure how I got off the road without hitting anyone, as my vision was blurred each time he struck me.”
The police report says Bode also punched his girlfriend, causing her eye to bleed, after she scrambled to the front seat. The girlfriend told police Bode had been involved in a confrontation with another couple after the Blackhawks game, which had ended a four-game losing streak against Dallas.
By the time the limo arrived, Sutich said, Bode was “extremely intoxicated” and acting in an “overly intimidating and aggressive manner.”
The lawsuit is due in court Oct. 30 and seeks unspecified damages for battery, assault, negligence, and infliction of emotional distress. One of Sutich’s attorneys at Bruning and Associates in Crystal Lake declined to comment Friday.
DuPage court records show Bode is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 16 on misdemeanor battery charges stemming from the same incident. His attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.