A record $11.5 million settlement has been reached in a lawsuit against a rental car agency after a 20-year-old man was fatally struck by a vehicle while performing utility work in Huntley last year.
Joseph Zephries, 20, who was working with USIC, was struck by a vehicle on January 8, 2024, while completing work along the roadway in the area of Main Street and Coyne Station Road in Huntley.
Paramedics rushed Zephries to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later as a result of his injuries.
McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein said an autopsy showed his cause of death was blunt trauma to the head as a result of the vehicle collision.
Huntley Deputy Police Chief Linda Hooten said that investigators learned the vehicle, a 2023 Kia Forte, was traveling eastbound on Main Street around 3:10 p.m.
Hooten said the Kia struck Zephries, who was on the south shoulder of Main Street, completing utility line location services with USIC.
The driver of the vehicle, a 27-year-old Chicago man, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
Drugs and alcohol were not believed to be a factor in the crash, Hooten said.
Zephries’ girlfriend, Angelina Madrid, told ABC7 that her boyfriend “was so full of life.”
“He really was, he was so ambitious. He was so, so mature for his age. He was like — he was a go-getter,” Madrid said.
“The USIC family conveys our deepest condolences and offers our support to his family and friends during this difficult time,” a spokesperson for USIC told Lake and McHenry County Scanner following the incident.
Kyle Sexton, who was a friend of the man, called Zephries a “beautiful soul” and said, “We are all devastated by this loss.”
“Joe touched the lives of everyone he came in contact with. Joe was a center piece in the car community, but more importantly he was a son, brother, boyfriend, and friend to many,” Sexton said.
Zephries’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in McHenry County in July against Enterprise Rent-A-Car and the driver of the Kia — Brandon L. Evans, of Chicago.
The family’s attorneys say Evans was driving an Enterprise vehicle when he fell asleep at the wheel, veered off Main Street and struck Zephries.
An $11.5 million settlement was reached this week ahead of a trial set to begin next Monday.
McHenry County Judge Joel Berg approved the settlement on Wednesday and the case was dismissed.
Attorneys say the settlement marks the highest known wrongful death payout in McHenry County history, surpassing the previous record of $7.5 million.
The family was represented by Brad J. Balke of Balke & Williams and co-counsel Ben Crane of Coplan + Crane.
“The size of this settlement reflects the extraordinary young man Joey was and the depth of loss his family has endured,” said Ben Crane, an attorney for the Zephries family.
“Enterprise stepped up and did the right thing by recognizing that a jury would have placed tremendous value on Joey’s life. This is the largest wrongful death settlement in McHenry County history, and it highlights the urgent need for rental companies to implement stronger safeguards—Joey’s legacy demands nothing less,” Crane said.
The lawsuit alleged that Enterprise failed to take reasonable precautions to prevent “foreseeable harm” involving its drivers.
“This was a young man who was full of life—motivated, enthusiastic, and driven by a clear vision of the future,” said Brad Balke, another attorney for the Zephries family.
“Joey had big dreams and the kind of energy that lifted up everyone around him. His loss is immeasurable, but we hope this result honors the legacy he was already building,” Balke said.