Wheaton Mom Files Wrongful Death Suit in Fatal Joyride

Caption: Sean Hurley, 24, was killed in a car crash on May 17, 2014. The driver of the car was charged with aggravated DUI.

The mother of a 24-year-old Wheaton man who was killed in a car crash in May has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver and the car’s owner.

Wheaton resident Cynthia Keene, the mother of Sean Hurley, 24, the man killed in the crashed, filed the lawsuit in DuPage County Circuit Court on September 10.

Hurley was the front seat passenger in a car allegedly driven by Luis Jimenez, 22, of Bolingbrook, when Jimenez lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree near Sheffield and Cheshire Lane in Wheaton on May 17. Hurley died at the scene.

The lawsuit also names Aida Lopez, the owner of the 2013 Scion, who was seriously injured in the crash. Lopez is from Bolingbrook.

Authorities said that Jimenez had failed to negotiate a curve and lost control of the car. Police said he had a blood alcohol content of .09, just over the .08 legal limit. Jimenez has since been charged with aggravated DUI and is currently free on a $50,000 bond.

The DuPage County Coroner said that the time that a group of friends had decided to go for a “joyride” in the early morning hours of May 17 after a night of drinking.

Keene’s lawsuit claims that Jimenez’s negligent acts caused her son’s death because he head had been speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol.

The lawsuit further alleges that Lopez was negligent by allowing Jimenez to driver her car after he had been drinking.

Keene is being represented by attorney Carolyn Daley Scott.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in DuPage County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it only represents one side of the story.

This story has been updated.