ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Over seven months after a mother and her two daughters were killed in a crash, two family members have filed a lawsuit against a lumber company’s semi truck and its driver for causing wrongful deaths.

On May 24, a truck hauling lumber and a forklift pulled onto the inside shoulder of the ramp from Interstate 55 to Interstate 270 around 8 a.m. The driver, David Frazier, thought there was an issue keeping the load secure.

45-year-old Michelle Yaeger and her two daughters, Kenzi, 7, and Natalie, 10, were in an SUV along the same stretch of road. According to the lawsuit, Michelle was traveling at an appropriate speed when traffic in front of her halted, which caused her to react by swerving left, ultimately crashing into the forklift that was sitting on the back of the truck, leading to a large fire.

The crash killed all three in Michelle’s vehicle. The suit states Michelle died upon impact. Kenzi was said to be conscious, holding conversations with bystanders attempting to help. She died in the fire.

Natalie was unconscious but alive when she was pulled from the car. She was transported to the hospital and was later pronounced dead.

Kenneth Brooks, the father of the two girls, along with Brendan Yaeger, Michelle’s son, filed the lawsuit Nov. 25 against Frazier, Hiab U.S.A. Inc., Wil-Sites Truck Lines, LLC, and Hardy Holdings Inc.

The two claim that the forklift on the back of the truck was “in a defective and unreasonably dangerous condition when put to a reasonably anticipated use,” according to documents.

The forklift has brought contentions of a defective design in several ways, including increasing the chances of a crash occurring as it sits 80 inches off the truck and insufficient structure to protect the fuel lines and tanks.

Additionally, the suit also states the design did not provide a way to absorb energy during collisions or prevent vehicles from crashing underneath the forklift, which is what occurred in the crash.

The driver of the truck and the companies associated are accused of negligence, citing Frazier’s failure to park in a safe location, not utilizing emergency procedures, the company’s lack of training provided to Frazier, and inadequate policies.