Algonquin, officer sued over 2007 crash

A Cary man is suing an Algonquin police officer and the village over injuries he suffered when the driver with whom he was riding pulled in front of an oncoming squad car, causing a violent collision that injured both the plaintiff and the policeman.

Eddie Garcia is seeking a minimum of $50,000 from Officer Andrew Dykstra and the village, claiming in the suit that the officer was driving too fast and not keeping a proper lookout when the crash occurred July 7, 2007.

Garcia also is suing Richard W. Bookout, the driver of the car in which he was riding, claiming the Algonquin man carelessly and negligently operated his car.

The suit stems from a crash that occurred when Bookout attempted to make a left turn off westbound Algonquin Road, just east of Eastgate Drive, and pulled into the path of Dykstra's squad car.

Dykstra was hospitalized briefly after the crash. Garcia, according to the suit, suffered severe injuries and continues to have problems with his eyesight and an ankle, his attorney, Randal Baudin, said Wednesday.

Baudin said he "debated at length" whether to include Dykstra and Algonquin in the suit, adding that his client may drop those defendants once they have an opportunity to review reports from the accident and speak with witnesses.

"If we investigate and get depositions and find that (the officer) has no culpability, then we would have no problem dismissing him from the case," Baudin said.

Algonquin Police Chief Russell Laine could not be reached for comment.

Bookout, 31, initially was charged with driving under the influence after the crash, but later pleaded down the charge to one of unlawful use of a roadway. He also admitted guilt to failure to yield while turning under a plea bargain in which he was fined $2,000 and placed on 12 months court supervision. The suit, filed in McHenry County Circuit Court, is scheduled to make its first court appearance in November.