$1.25M settlement in I-88 crash that killed Aurora woman
A $1.25 million settlement has been reached in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed in connection with an April 2013 crash on Interstate 88 that killed an Aurora woman.
Carmen Cantu, 61, died after her 2011 Nissan Sentra was rear-ended by a car and then struck by a semitrailer while heading east on Interstate 88 near the border between Kane and DeKalb counties.
Cantu's daughter, Veronica, filed the lawsuit against Spencer Johnson, of Elburn, and Duane Buell, a driver from the Wenona, Illinois-based Breckenridge Trucking, Inc., which also was named a defendant.
Johnson was ticketed and convicted of failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident; Buell was not cited.
Michael Clancy, the attorney representing Veronica Cantu, did not return a phone message seeking comment.
According to the settlement, which was approved by Judge James R. Murphy, the insurance company for Johnson will pay $250,000 and Breckenridge will pay $1 million. Clancy's firm will keep $416,667 for its fee, along with $32,008 for expenses such as court reporters at depositions.
Mark Lawrence, an attorney for Johnson, declined to comment. Todd Carlson, an attorney for Breckenridge Trucking, could not be reached for comment.
A Jan. 13 hearing will be held to determine how the settlement will be divided between Veronica Cantu and her sister, Evelyn Cantu, according to court records.
Carmen Cantu unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination for Aurora Township trustee in the February 2013 primary.
Just to clarify
During the past week, social media sites were filled with links to articles saying the Illinois General Assembly created a law to make it a felony to record police.
That, according to State Sen. Michael Noland of Elgin, is not exactly true.
It is legal to record officers interacting with the public while doing their jobs, and the state's Supreme Court has ruled police have "no reasonable expectation of privacy" while executing their duties, Noland said in an email promising lawmakers will do more work on electronic issues next year.
"Simply put, this measure bars individuals from secretly recording conversations between two parties that are intended to be private," Noland wrote.
Congrats to Bohman
Dave Bohman recently was named Member of the Year by the Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association of Aurora.
Bohman, a second-term association president and 15-year member, was honored at the group's December meeting.
The association is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It is a 125-member group that hosts a free, 10-week educational program to help give people a working knowledge of the department.
For more information about the academy, call (630) 256-5342 or visit aurora-il.org.
hhitzeman@dailyherald.com