ST. LOUIS – A passenger in a vehicle owned by the city of St. Louis alleges the driver was distracted and disobeyed a red light before causing a collision.
Teresa Vitale filed a complaint on April 25 in the St. Louis Circuit Court against Katrina L. Neal alleging negligence.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on Oct. 16, 2013, she was a passenger in a motor vehicle owned by the city of St. Louis, driven by defendant, traveling on Market Street near its intersection with 10th Street. The suit states the defendant failed to stop at a red light and struck a BMW 328i driven by Arnetta Smith.
The plaintiff alleges she sustained serious injuries, including herniated lumbar intervertebral disc at L5-S1, closed head trauma and cervical herniation at C6-C7 and incurred medical expenses of more than $100,000.
The plaintiff holds Neal responsible because the defendant allegedly negligently drove her vehicle while distracted, disobeyed the red light signal, entered the intersection without keeping a careful lookout and failed to yield to the right of way.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks damages of no less than $25,000, plus interest and costs. She is represented by Leonard P. Cervantes, Phillip A. Cervantes and Michael T. Flachs Jr. of Cervantes & Associates in St. Louis.
St. Louis Circuit Court case number 1822-CC00847