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Mom Overheard Crash That Killed NJ High School Sweethearts, Lawsuit Alleges

A New Jersey mother was talking to her daughter on the phone when she overheard the tractor-trailer crash that ended her and her boyfriend's lives in Illinois over the summer, a new lawsuit alleges.

Sadi Connors and Cole Young

Sadi Connors and Cole Young

Photo Credit: Point Pleasant Borough CERT

Point Pleasant high school sweethearts Marsada "Sadi" Connors, 20, and Cole Young, 19 — along with their yellow lab, Maezy — died when a tractor trailer veered into oncoming traffic and hit their 2008 Honda Odyssey on Route 70 in Illinois on Friday, Aug. 20.

Connors' mom Kimberly Kohler says she heard her daughter scream before the trailer hit the van and the line cut out, NJ.com reports.

A Cook County, Illinois lawsuit has been filed against the truck driver, 55-year-old Bill Lard of Los Angeles, as well as the trucking company, CRST Expedited, on behalf of Kohler and Young’s mother, Christine Kurzweil, the report says citing court records.

The wrongful death lawsuit claims Lard was not adequately trained to drive the vehicle and had been speeding and not paying attention, violating federal regulations.

“These families are suffering unbearable pain,” said lawyer Timothy J. Cavanagh, said in a press statement, according to the report.

“The families need answers as to why this happened. Both the driver and his employer must be held accountable.”

Click here for the full report from NJ.com.

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