Lawsuit filed for winter pileup

Oct. 3--EAU CLAIRE -- A civil lawsuit filed recently in Eau Claire County Court seeks $141,000 to pay for lost wages and damage to a semitrailer truck from a February 2019 pileup on Interstate 94.

Underwriters at insurance company Lloyd's of London and truck driver Bertrand Jones of Lake View Terrace, Calif., filed the suit against four drivers involved in the chain-reaction crash that happened on a snowy afternoon.

Two of the defendants -- passenger car driver Joshua M. Tomlin of Bovey, Minn., and truck driver Niko Kola of Charleston, S.C. -- drove vehicles that collided with Jones' semi on the snow-covered highway.

Two other defendants -- motorist Derrick L. Martin of Eau Claire and truck driver Bradley K. Pederson of Ada, Minn. -- were part of the pileup but the lawsuit does not say they hit Jones' truck. Martin and Pederson were both cited for driving too fast for conditions though, and the lawsuit claims their negligence ultimately led to the collision between Jones' truck and other vehicles.

In addition to the four drivers, the lawsuit is also suing their respective insurers in an effort to recoup damages from the crash.

Trucking company Seaside Carriers, which leases and insures Jones' vehicle, paid $5,000 in deductibles to Lloyd's. Lloyd's paid for $66,189 in repairs to both the semi truck and trailer. It took several month to complete those repairs though, during which time Jones lost out on $69,813 in wages, according to the lawsuit.

Filed on Sept. 22, the lawsuit gives defendants two months to provide a written answer to the court.

A Leader-Telegram article on the Feb. 10, 2019 crash stated that the pileup involved 33 autos and seven semitrailer trucks on I-94 between Osseo and Foster. Several people were injured in the crash that caused a two-mile traffic backup on the interstate, prompting officials to detour traffic for about 5 1/2 hours while the crash scene was cleared up.

The winter of 2018-19 is the snowiest on record for Eau Claire with 53.7" of snow falling in that February alone.

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