Lawsuit filed against 23 defendants in 2015 I-69 pileup
DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) — A couple whose vehicle was in a pileup on Interstate 69 in the winter of 2015 has filed a lawsuit against 20 other drivers involved, East Allen County Schools and two trucking companies.
According to the complaint filed by law firm Blackburn and Green on behalf of Shameron and Jerome Bostic, on February 14, 2015 the couple was driving in the southbound lane of I-69. There were whiteout conditions at the time, with heavy snow and high winds passing through the area.
The Bostics pulled over to the right shoulder in order to avoid a collision. The complaint states their vehicle wouldn’t have been hit if it hadn’t been for a chain of reaction collisions.
The pileup happened on southbound I-69 in Delaware County, near State Road 28. At the time of the crash, Indiana State Police said the collisions started when an EACS bus, driven by Sabrina Klotz, ran into a van, driven by Oratia Peralta, slowed or stopped in the driving lane for an unknown reason.
Court documents claim the crashes that followed were caused by the “carelessness” and “negligence” of dozens of drivers who failed to maintain a “reasonable and proper lookout.”
Both Shameron and Jerome Bostic are asking for compensation for their injuries and damages sustained in the crash. The lawsuit said Shameron Bostic suffered physical injuries that may be permanent.
Investigators determined there were six semis, the EACS school bus and 33 passenger cars involved in seven separate crashes in the southbound lanes that day. The lawsuit includes only 23 defendants.
However, in all seven crashes, investigators said 16 people were transported, treated and released for non-life threatening injuries. At the time of the crash, troopers said most of the crashes were caused by people driving too fast and following too closely.
In response to the lawsuit, EACS Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Folks shared the following statement with WISH-TV’s sister station WANE:
There is nothing new to report on this accident that occurred over a year ago. The Indiana State Police conducted the investigation at the time of the accident and as far as we know nothing has changed.