The parents of an SIUC student killed in an automobile accident have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the corporate owner of the VH-1 TV show "Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels."
Kevetta Davis, a 19-year-old sophomore from Chicago studying physiology, was killed Sept. 26 when the SUV she was riding in on I-57 was struck head-on by a truck that crossed over the median. The driver of the truck, Dennis Hernandez, was hauling sound equipment for the reality show.
The suit alleges Hernandez, who is also named as a defendant, was careless and negligent while driving the truck, which he operated without a valid driver's license. It asks for damages in excess of $50,000.
Therefore, VH-1 and its owner Viacom Inc. should be held responsible for the death of Davis, said Dan Kotin, who is representing Davis' mother in the suit.
"The bottom line is this was a production vehicle going from site to site, and that's what (Hernandez) was doing," he said.
Hernandez, 38 of Lemont, Calif., received minor injuries and was cited for driving on a suspended license, driving in the wrong lane and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
Hernandez fell asleep at the wheel while traveling south on I-57 near West Frankfort, causing him to drift in the opposite lane, Illinois State Police said.
Davis was a passenger in the SUV of Yasmin Jackson, also a 19-year-old SIUC sophomore who was killed in the accident.
Jackson was driving to her St. Louis home for the weekend and planned to drop Davis off to visit her boyfriend in Missouri, friends said.
The suit was filed in the Cook County Circuit Court Friday, Kotin said, and the defendants have not yet been served with the complaint.
He said he and James Montgomery Jr., who is representing Davis' father, would not likely hear from the Viacom corporate lawyers for several weeks.
Sean McGahan can be reached at
536-3311 ext. 254 or
mcgahan@siu.edu.
