Tree Cut Down By City Workers Fell on Joliet Woman as She Drove Along Street: Lawsuit

JOLIET, IL — A Joliet woman was injured by a tree felled by a city worker as she drove down the street in her Jeep, according to a lawsuit filed in Will County court.

Sonya Smith, 34, is suing the City of Joliet for the injuries she allegedly suffered when the tree fell on her Grand Cherokee nearly a year ago.

Smith was heading west on Grand Boulevard when a “tree that was being cut by the city’s public works department fell on her car,” her lawsuit said. Smith was “violently struck and seriously injured,” the suit said.

On the same day at the same location, Smith was cited for talking on the phone while driving. She later pleaded guilty and was fined $120.