Crime & Safety

In Crash That Killed 3, No Charges Against Skokie Garbage Truck Driver

Glenview police say they will not file any criminal charges in relation to a crash between a village of Skokie garbage truck and an SUV. All three people in the SUV died.

Glenview police announced today that the agency is not filing criminal charges in relation to a fiery traffic crash that killed three people on Oct. 15.

Members of the police department’s traffic unit and the regional major crash assistance team have completed their investigation of the collision between a village of Skokie garbage truck and a passenger car, according to Glenview Police Sgt. Patrick Schuster.

“No criminal charges have been filed and no traffic citations have been issued,” Schuster said in a press release. “The Village of Glenview will have no further comment.” 

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Gwi Rye Kim, a 65-year-old woman; Jung Ran Min, a 51-year-old woman; and Won Suk Lim, a 56-year-old man, were traveling east on Harrison Street when their car collided with a village of Skokie garbage truck that was heading north on Harlem Avenue, according to police. Both vehicles burst into flames, and all three people riding in the passenger vehicle died at the scene.    

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"The Village refuse truck had complete right of way and entered the intersection, at which time a passenger vehicle violated the two-way stop sign control and entered the intersection," the village of Skokie said in a press release. The driver of the truck was not injured, and had a 19-year record of “excellent performance,” according to the village of Skokie. 

Last week, the family of Gwi Rye Kim announced that they were filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the village of Skokie. The suit alleges that the truck driver was negligent by driving too fast for conditions, not keeping a proper lookout for vehicles and failing to give warning with its horn, among other charges.

Thomas Prindable of Clifford Law Offices, an attorney for the family, told reporters at a press conference that Kim was “the most innocent party, because she was a passenger.”

Because Won Suk Lim was driving the car that day, Prindable said his firm might add him to the lawsuit, as well as the driver of the garbage truck, who has not been identified by the village of Skokie. 


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