TRAFFIC ACCIDENT: Family to file suit

The family of a Canadian truck driver who died last year after his semi struck a moving train in Minnesota is planning to sue two railroad companies and the state for negligence.

Robbie David Gordon Johnson, 21, was driving a 1994 Kenworth tractor and trailer rig Jan. 28, 2005, when he collided with a freight train near Thief River Falls.

Days after the crash, authorities noted that railroad crossing warning lights were not working at the time of the accident.

Johnson’s family has called in Minneapolis attorney Paul Godlewski in their wrongful death lawsuit. In paperwork received at the Herald late last week, Godlewski stated that the suit will be filed in Pennington County District Court "in the near future."

 As of late Monday, court administrators said the suit had not yet been filed.

The family is seeking at least $50,000 from the defendants.

Officials from the Minnesota Attorney Generals Office and the Minnesota Department of Transportation said they had not heard about the pending lawsuit and could not comment until more information was received.