Victim's
parents file wrongful death suit
(As reported in Daily Herald 8/10/2004)
By Kimbriell Kelly
A
wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the parents of
a car salesman from Crystal Lake killed during a test drive
in South Barrington.
Roger
Czapski, 22, died Aug. 4 after the BMW sedan he was riding
in collided with an oncoming car. The car was turning left
from Algonquin Road onto Willow Creek Church Drive.
An
emergency hearing will be held this morning to protect the
vehicle and any other evidence needed for the civil trial,
which could get under way in the next year, said Timothy
J. Cavanagh, an attorney representing Mark Czapski and Anna
Czapski-Florek.
The
suit seeks a minimum of $50,000 in damages, but Cavanagh
said he anticipates a multimillion-dollar verdict.
Czapski
was a front-seat passenger in the BMW and a one-year employee
at Motor Werks of Barrington.
The
lawsuit, filed late Monday in the Circuit Court of Cook
County, alleges negligence against Christopher Maher of
Inverness, the test driver of the BMW, and Sarah Ferris
of Schaumburg, the driver of the Saturn that the BMW collided
with.
Ferris,
26, was released from St. Alexius Medical Center the day
of the accident. Maher, 20, remains in critical condition
at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, according
to a hospital spokesman.
According
to the lawsuit, Maher was careless and negligent by speeding
and failing to maintain control of the BMW or to reduce
speed. The suit also alleges Ferris is at fault for failing
to yield, reduce speed, and maintain proper lookout and
control of her Saturn.
An
effort to reach Ferris for comment Monday night was unsuccessful.
Czapski
was the only occupant wearing a seat belt. There were also
two backseat passengers, 20-year-old Thomas Guarnieri of
Lake Barrington and 21-year-old Paul Jasinski of McHenry.
Guarnieri
was released from St. Alexius Medical Center on Aug. 6.
Jasinski was in fair condition at Advocate Lutheran General
in Park Ridge, a nursing supervisor said.
