The family of a pregnant woman killed at an intersection in German Valley where a stop sign was missing has settled a wrongful death suit against Stephenson County for $3 million.
A 32-year-old woman was driving to her doctor’s office for a prenatal checkup early one morning. When she drove through an intersection, she was struck by a car coming down the other road. She died as a result of her injuries soon after.
She was supposed to have come to a stop at the intersection, but a storm the night before had blown off the stop sign. A resident who lives near the intersection had called 911 early that morning to report that the stop sign was missing. But the operator forgot about the call and took no action on it.
Attorneys Ben Crane and Stephen Blecha of Coplan + Crane represented the family, along with Tim Mahoney of Mahoney & Mahoney.
“It was absolutely clear that negligence led to the tragic death of this young mother,” attorney Ben Crane said. “We are pleased to reach a resolution that provides her family with compensation to help them move forward.”
