A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the father of a man killed by an alleged drunk driver, claiming that the man who caused the death had been served alcohol at the Madison County Fairgrounds before the crash.
The lawsuit was filed in Madison County Circuit Court by William H. Dittmar, as representative of the estate of William E. Dittmar, naming as defendants the Helvetia Sharpshooters Society, Shaw’s Shack Inc. and Madison County.
The lawsuit claims that the deceased was a passenger in a car driven by Ryan Junker who, while allegedly under the influence of alcohol, crashed the vehicle in Highland, on Ellis Road, killing Dittmar.
The complaint alleges that the Helvetia Sharpshooters ran a booth at the Madison County Fair that served alcohol to Junker prior to the accident and that Junker also drank that day at Shaw’s Shack in Jamestown.
According to the complaint, the defendants violated Illinois’ Dram Shop Act and are responsible for Dittmar’s death. The lawsuit requests more than $100,000 in damages.
Illinois allows plaintiffs to recover under the Dram Shop Act if they are able to demonstrate that the defendant sold alcohol to a patron, that the sale was the proximate cause of the intoxication of the patron and that the intoxication was a cause of damages suffered by the plaintiff.
Bob Briskman is a wrongful death attorney and Chicago wrongful death lawyer with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit https://briskmanandbriskman.com/.