Sugar Grove woman files suit against Geneva, Buffington estate
A woman injured in a June 2014 crash that killed Geneva Electrical Superintendent Michael Buffington has filed a lawsuit seeking damages for injuries.
Buffington, 64, and the city of Geneva were negligent in not ensuring the safety of others in the crash and causing injuries to Terri Lakomek and her two children, according to the lawsuit.
Buffington died June 12, 2014, after his city-owned Ford Taurus proceeded through the stop sign at the eastbound exit ramp from Interstate 88 to Route 47 and was hit on the driver's side by a Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by Lakomek, then 46, of Sugar Grove, police said.
Lakomek and the two children - ages 12 and 14 - were taken to a hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries, police said.
The lawsuit says Lakomek and her children suffered "severe" personal injuries, incurred medical expenses, and seeks unspecified damages from the estate of Buffington, who also was president of the Northern Illinois Municipal Power Agency.
The lawsuit doesn't explicitly state why the city should also be held responsible for the crash, such as if Buffington was engaged in official duties for the city at the time of the crash.
Bradley Pollock, attorney for Lakomek, did not return a phone message Tuesday.
Geneva City Administrator Mary McKittrick said the city had no comment on the lawsuit.
The two sides are due in court Aug. 27.