Charles Neace, and Cross-Appellee v. Mark Laimans, Ford Brothers Van & Storage, and Allied Van Lines, Inc., and Cross-Appellants

ESCHBACH, Senior Circuit Judge.

On September 18, 1986, a wheel and axle combination detached from a truck and struck Charles Neace’s car. Although Neace was stuck in traffic at the time, the impact caused his body to strike certain interior components of the car. Neace brought a personal injury suit against Mark Laimans, the driver of the truck, Ford Brothers Van & Storage, the owner of the truck and an agent of Allied Van Lines, Inc., and Allied itself (collectively, “the defendants”). The district court, sitting in diversity and applying Illinois law, tried the case without a jury. The court…