Clifford Law Offices Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Mother and Son Killed by Two Drag Racers

Clifford Law Offices on Tuesday, Feb. 7 filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Carol Stream man who lost his wife and four-year-old son when two young drivers who had more than 80 driving violations between them apparently had been drag racing.  One of the vehicles cross the center line and hit the young innocent victims head on, killing them.

Harry "Buddy" Westerhoff lost his wife, Nicole, 23, and his son Devin, when Matthew Lane cross the center line on Fabyan Parkway in West Chicago on Oct. 10, 2005.  He had 62 charges on his driving record, 59 of them for moving violations or related to the operation of his vehicle including being cited three times in July for moving violations on Fabyan Parkway.  In two months before the incident he had been charged with fleeing and eluding police as well as reckless driving, yet he still had his Illinois driver's license.  Lane also was killed in the accident.

The complaint filed by Clifford Law Offices in DuPage County also names Michael Aguilar of Aurora who allegedly was drag racing with Lane at the time of the crash.  The impact of the crash of Lane's car with the Westerhoff's vehicle was so great that Lane's 1995 Ferrari was split in half; the Westerhoff Toyota was smashed to where the front seat was pushed into the back where four-year-old Devin was belted in his car seat.

"This accident was so avoidable had the laws of this state been followed by these reckless young men," said Robert A. Clifford, partner at the firm.  "The deaths of these young people who were everything to Buddy Westerhoff was so unnecessary.  This lawsuit needs to bring a greater awareness to the people of this state that speed kills."

The Westerhoff family has started a website, www.faces4.org, that points out that speeding can kill. 

ROBERT CLIFFORD AND BUDDY WESTERHOFF SPOKE TO THE PRESS AT NOON AT CLIFFORD LAW OFFICES, 120 N. LASALLE ST., 31ST FLOOR, CHICAGO.  PHOTOS OF THE VICTIMS AS WELL AS OF THE VEHICLES WERE AVAILABLE TO THE PRESS.