Byron man files lawsuit following death of his wife

Sep 29, 2013 8:34 AM

Jeff Leon

A Byron man has filed a lawsuit against the Stephenson County Sheriff's Department in connection with the death of his wife last spring.

32-year old Sarah Kamp of Byron died May 20th from injuries following a 2-vehicle crash at the intersection of Montague and Rock City Roads, just south of German Valley.

Jason Kamp is seeking damages that total 4 million dollars claiming that a radio dispatcher failed to report a missing stop sign at the intersection to the Stephenson County Highway Department. The stop sign went missing following a storm the night before the crash.

The dispatcher knew about the missing stop sign the morning of May 20th from a caller. She forgot to relay the information to the Highway Department. After her shift, no one made the call about the sign. Kamp's accident took place a little over an hour after the stop sign had been reported missing.

Illinois State Police report that Kamp enterred the intersection west bound on Montague Road without stopping prior to the collision. Police later found the stop sign in a nearby field as it was damaged from the weather the night before.

Sarah Kamp taught language arts at Polo High School. She was pregnant with her 2nd child and was on her way to see her doctor in Freeport the morning of her accident.

Jason Kamp, who wants a jury trial in the case, also teaches at Polo High School.

A Stephenson County official mentioned in a published report that they have a worker respond to a location immediately when they learn that a traffic sign is on the ground. They would use a temporary sign or replace it at that time.