Crime & Courts

Wrongful death lawsuit filed over Joliet fatal crash

No charges filed against motorist named as defendant in lawsuit

The widow of a Wilmington man who was killed in a crash in Joliet has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the other driver, who has not been charged in connection with the incident.

On April 1, Charlene McDade, the widow of John McDade, filed a lawsuit against Kasandra Brown, 21, of Lockport in connection with a Feb. 11 crash on Larkin Avenue and Douglas Street in Joliet.

Charlene McDade’s lawsuit accused Brown of failure to exercise due care to avoid colliding with her husband’s vehicle, failure to decrease speed, failure to sound the horn, failure to stay in the lane of travel, improperly crossing over into oncoming traffic and failure to operate a vehicle “with ordinary and due care given the road conditions at the time of the collision.”

The Herald-News contacted Brown by phone seeking comment on the lawsuit, but the person who answered hung up.

No charges have been filed against Brown, who told police that she lost control of her vehicle on an icy road. The case remains under investigation by the Joliet police traffic unit, Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said.

Officers responded to the scene of the crash and found Brown outside of her Nissan Rogue and sitting on the ground, according to crash reports.

John McDade, 75, was trapped inside his GMC Terrain. He was extricated from the vehicle by the Joliet Fire Department and taken to AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center, where he died, police said.

Two witnesses said they saw Brown’s vehicle strike McDade’s vehicle head on, according to crash reports.

An officer spoke with Brown, who said she “hit a patch of black ice on Larkin Avenue, which caused her to lose control of her vehicle” and struck McDade’s vehicle, according to crash reports.

Charlene McDade was a passenger in her husband’s vehicle and told police she saw Brown’s vehicle go into their lane of traffic and strike their vehicle, according to crash reports. Charlene McDade reported she suffered back, chest and leg injuries.

Brown had been flown to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood for her injuries but she has since been released, English said.

McDade’s lawsuit also named Lockport-based KB Conglomerate as a defendant. Brown is listed as a manager of the company, state records show.

According to John McDade’s obituary, he was married to his wife for almost 49 years and he has two adult sons. He was a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War and worked for Argonne National Laboratory for 29 years, according to his obituary.


Felix Sarver

Felix Sarver

Felix Sarver covers crime and courts for The Herald-News