Gardner v. International Harvester Co.

The plaintiff, Vera Gardner, brought this action in the circuit court of St. Clair County for damages for personal injuries suffered by her husband, Homer E. Gardner. International Harvester Company, one of the defendants named in the action, filed a motion for a change of venue, and the motion was denied. The appellate court affirmed that decision (133 Ill. App. 3d 665), and we allowed Harvester’s petition for leave to appeal (103 Ill. 2d R. 315(a)).

The plaintiff’s decedent suffered burns in a tractor fire on October 6, 1980, and he later died from his injuries. The accident, which occurred…