Fatal Motorcycle Crash Caused By Hooters Patron: Lawsuit

JOLIET, IL — Will County's largest private law firm has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family of Austin Hoard, a 22-year-old Plainfield Central class of 2015 graduate who was killed May 24 while riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle near the Hooters by the Louis Joliet Mall. The lawsuit was filed at the Will County Courthouse last week against Adryanna Taylor and her mother, Emily Shewmake. The lawsuit indicates that Taylor, a resident of Rockdale, was the driver of Shewmake's car on the night of the fatal crash.

Austin Hoard, the lawsuit states, "was serving his country in the U.S. Army reserves and was an automobile technician at a Volkswagen dealership in the Chicagoland area."

According to the plaintiff's law firm, Rathbun, Cservenyak & Kozol, the following events occurred shortly after 9 p.m. on May 24 here in Joliet:

There is a parking lot for the Hooters restaurant in close proximity to the Louis Joliet Mall and the Hooters parking lot restricts all exiting traffic onto Hennepin to right turns only. At 9:07 p.m., Adryanna Taylor "was operating (her mother's) silver 2005 Chevy Cavalier, which was attempting to exit from Hooters' parking lot ... Austin (Hoard) was operating a motorcycle, a black 2016 Harley Davidson XG750 ... traveling westbound on Hennepin Drive," the lawsuit states.

The plaintiff's lawyers indicate that Hoard "was exercising due care and caution for his own safety and the safety of other motorists ... (when) without warning, Taylor abruptly executed a left-hand turn directly in front of all westbound traffic on Hennepin Drive, including directly in front of Austin, who was lawfully traveling upon that roadway."

The lawsuit states that Austin Hoard "took emergency evasive actions to avoid colliding with Shewmake's Cavalier, but was unable to avoid violently colliding with that vehicle that blocked his path of travel."

The wrongful death lawsuit indicates that Austin Hoard was thrown from his motorcycle, hitting the pavement. He was later transferred from St. Joe's hospital to the intensive care unit at Loyola Hospital in Maywood. He died the next day, May 25.

A review of Will County court records does not reflect that the Joliet Police Department issued any traffic citations or criminal charges against the lawsuit defendant, Adryanna Taylor, in connection with the May 24 fatal crash.

A May 29 article from the Chicago Sun-Times informs readers that Austin Hoard was not wearing a motorcycle helmet at the time of the crash that killed him.

According to the lawsuit, Austin Hoard was survived by his mother and father, Jennifer and Evan Hoard, as well as an adult sister, Jillian Hoard, and an adult brother, Ian Hoard.

To read the full obituary, visit the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home website.