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Another lawsuit filed over accident

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By Dustin Lemmon | Tuesday, April 17, 2007 12:21 AM CDT | () comments

Five more jail inmates who claim they were injured in an April 2006 traffic accident while on their way to a maintenance detail have filed suit against Rock Island County and the jail employee who was driving.

The suit filed in Rock Island County Circuit Court names the plaintiffs as Lawrence McGhee, Nate Rhoden, Bobby George, Joseph Ramos and Thomas Jordan Sr.

The five men were in a van driven by Omar R. Rubalcava, an employee of the sheriff’s department, when he allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of 7th Avenue and 19th Street in Moline and was struck by a car.

A sixth jail inmate, Willie E. Watson Sr., who was also in the vehicle, filed a separate lawsuit against the county, sheriff’s department and Rubalcava last week in the same court. Watson is seeking more than $50,000 in damages; the five other men each are seeking less than $50,000.

The latest lawsuit claims McGhee suffered back and neck injuries but doesn’t detail what injuries the other inmates suffered. They each claim to have suffered severe and permanent injuries, the suit states.

According to the citation Rubalcava received, he was looking for an address on a piece of paper when he went through the light and struck a vehicle that was turning left on green April 22, 2006. He said he thought the light was still yellow when he entered the intersection. But one witness confirmed that his light was red and another that the other vehicle was turning on green, the citation reports.

Sheriff Mike Huff said he couldn’t comment on pending litigation and referred questions to the county’s legal department.

Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com.