Lawsuit Filed Over Facebook Bragging About Car Before Crash
WHEATON, Ill. (CBS) -- An Aurora couple is suing a Naperville man who posted comments about speeding on Facebook before getting into a crash.
As WBBM Newsradio's Nancy Harty reports, on Vema Revanth's Facebook page are pictures of his black 2004 Honda Accord, which he posted in May 2010.
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Under one, he wrote, "Front view with style and elegance, ready to drive at 90 mph."
It is not clear Revanth, 28, was going that fast when Naperville police say he crossed into oncoming traffic on Warrenville Road near Herrick Lake Forest Preserve and hit a motorcycle last month.
Motorcyclist Michael Dunker, and his girlfriend, Corinne Smith, both 60, were severely injured in the Sept. 9 crash. Dunker was piloting the 2005 Harley-Davidson Road Glide, and Smith was his passenger.
Attorney Jeffrey J. Kroll represents Dunker and Smith, who also lives in Aurora. Both were hospitalized after the crash.
Dunker suffered a fractured skull, brain swelling and "multiple fractures to his upper and lower extremities," Kroll said Friday.
Smith sustained "very serious lower extremity injuries" that required her to undergo "multiple surgeries," Kroll said. She and Dunker are recuperating at private rehabilitation facilities, he said.
Two other vehicles were also involved in the crash, although their drivers were not seriously hurt. Revanth is awaiting trial in traffic court on a charge of driving on the wrong side of the road.
"Unfortunately, my two clients have life-changing injuries, and it was through no fault of their own. They were stopped in a place where they had every right to be," Kroll said.
Dunker is a carpenter, painter and handyman, "and for someone like this, who's unable to work, he's losing his livelihood," Kroll said.
"From my experience with these types of injuries, pain and disability will be their constant companions for the rest of their lives," Kroll said of his clients.
Dunker's lawsuit, seeking damages in excess of $50,000 is to be heard Jan. 3 in DuPage County court. Kroll said similar litigation will be initiated soon in Smith's behalf.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
