Family Of Evanston Woman Killed In Hit-And-Run Files Lawsuit

CHICAGO — The family of the Evanston woman fatally struck by a minivan last week in Deerfield filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against its driver and his company.

Lucinda Rondon-Stanley, 53, had just picked up a cake Friday at Deerfields Bakery for a surprise 21st birthday party for her daughter when she was hit by a 2008 Honda Odyssey, according to attorneys for her family.

Multiple witnesses said Rondon-Stanley was still alive and "crying for help" after she was run over in the parking lot by the owner of an adjacent business, said attorney Andrew Stevens of Corboy & Demetrio, which represents the Stanley family.

But, according to Deerfield police, after striking Rondon-Stanley around 11:30 a.m., the minivan's driver did not stop.

Police said officers and paramedics attempted to provide aid, but Rondon-Stanley was pronounced dead at Highland Park hospital less than two hours later.

Autopsy results suggest she died from injuries suffered from being hit by a vehicle, according to Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper. He said he has not made a determination on whether her death was accidental.

Police said the driver was taken into custody about 1.5 miles north of the incident in the 1800 block of Waukegan Road and released later that day. He was cooperating with the investigation, according to police.

No citations have been issued and no criminal charges have been filed, Deerfield police confirmed earlier this week. An investigation by Deerfield police and the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team remained pending.

Larry Biernacki, 68, of Highland Park, the longtime owner of Music Center of Deerfield at 811 Waukegan Road, was identified in the lawsuit as the minivan's driver.

According to the complaint, he neglected to avoid hitting Rondon-Stanley as she carried the cake across the parking lot behind his business and "failed to stop his vehicle after striking the pedestrian with his minivan, dragging her underneath it."

Biernacki did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Thursday.

"It is totally unimaginable how someone could be going fast enough to inflict fatal injuries, or how he could have not seen this pedestrian," Stevens said.

The attorney said his firm learned Wednesday that Biernacki's minivan had already been released back to him by police. The next day, they went before Cook County Circuit Judge James O'Hara at the Daley Center and got him to approve an order requiring the minivan be preserved in its current condition.

"A big part of the urgency in filing this wrongful death suit is so that we have the power of court to make sure that some things that usually happen — but are not happening here — to make sure that they happen," Stevens said.

Biernacki's business, Deerfield Music Inc., is named as a defendant in the complaint due to the allegation he was acting in the scope of his work for it. It was not immediately clear why the Stanley family's attorneys decided to file the lawsuit in Cook County rather than Lake County.

"The family understandably wants to see our criminal system work and learn why in the world this driver fled the scene," said attorney Thomas Demetrio, announcing the suit and protective order.

Rondon-Stanley is survived by her husband and two daughters, according to the complaint.

Earlier:

• Evanston Woman Identified As Victim In Deerfield Hit-And-Run
• Hit-And-Run Driver Held After Fatally Striking Woman: Police