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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Friday, May 9, 2008 5:09 PM CDT
Lawsuit against trooper about accountability

By the Associated Press

UPDATED 5:45 PM BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A woman's wrongful-death lawsuit against an Illinois State Police trooper involved in a crash that killed her daughters is more about holding law enforcers accountable than the $24 million in damages sought, her attorney said Friday.

Tom Keefe Jr. filed the lawsuit Thursday in the Illinois Court of Claims on Kimberly Dorsey's behalf, accusing Trooper Matt Mitchell of negligence in the deaths of 18-year-old Jessica Uhl and 13-year-old Kelli Uhl, both of Collinsville.

A coroner's jury ruled the deaths reckless homicide after an accident reconstructionist testified Mitchell was traveling 126 mph on Interstate 64 just east of St. Louis the day after Thanksgiving when he lost control of his police car.

The cruiser crossed the median and slammed into the sisters' car. The girls, returning from a holiday photo shoot, died at the scene.

Mitchell, 30, has pleaded not guilty to two counts apiece of reckless homicide and aggravated reckless driving. He is free on bond and has been relieved of his trooper duties.

Mitchell's attorney, John O'Gara, did not return telephone messages left Friday by The Associated Press. The lawsuit also names the state and Illinois State Police. A state police spokesman said the agency has not seen the lawsuit and generally does not publicly discuss litigation.

Keefe cautioned against anyone fixating on the financial amount of the lawsuit, saying he arrived at the figure arbitrarily without input from the girls' parents.

The lawsuit, he pressed, is about justice.

``One of the things that obviously is preached by Illinois State Police as a law enforcement agency is that people have to be accountable for their actions,'' Keefe said. ``The message of this case is that accountability goes both ways.''

State police, Keefe said, ``have to be accountable for the fact that this trooper's conduct was pretty doggone outrageous.''

Each homicide count carries up to five years in prison; the reckless driving counts are punishable by up to three years in prison.

^———

On the Net:

Uhl family's remembrance site, www.jessicaandkelliuhl.com

Illinois State Police, http://www.isp.state.il.us

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