Crystal Lake man sued over fatal crash

The estates of two Algonquin brothers killed when a car in which they were riding careened off the road and into a tree is suing the vehicle's driver, alleging that his negligence caused their deaths.

The suit claims Kumail Husain, 20, and Zohair Husain, 18, died because Fakir M. Jaffrie, of Crystal Lake, drove too fast, didn't slow down to avoid losing control and failed to keep a proper lookout before the September 2007 crash.

Filed this week in McHenry County Circuit Court, the suit seeks at least $50,000 in damages.

Jaffrie, 26, is awaiting trial in Kane County on aggravated driving under the influence and reckless homicide charges alleging he was high on marijuana when the crash occurred on Dietrich Road between Brier Hill Road and Route 20, west of Huntley.

Authorities and court records say Jaffrie was driving west on Dietrich about 3:30 a.m. Sept. 8, 2007, when his car left the road, struck a tree stump and then slammed into a tree. The collision killed the Husain brothers, as well as passengers Ayush Joshi, a 20-year-old from Hoffman Estates, and Henry Onwualu, 19, of Huntley.

Jaffrie, who is free on a $75,000 bond, is scheduled to face trial in January on the charges that could put him in prison for 28 years.

The Husain suit is at least the second filed in connection with the crash. In November, the father of Joshi sued for at least $50,000, citing Jaffrie's negligence as the cause of his son's death.

Court documents indicate the Husains were survived by their parents, but neither is named in the lawsuit. As attorney for the estate did not return a call for comment this week.

The case is scheduled to appear in court for the first time Jan. 6 before Judge Michael Caldwell.