ILLINOIS FIREFIGHTER'S FAMILY SUES BUS COMPANY DRIVER

The family of a firefighter in southern Illinois is suing the man they say is responsible for his death. James "Shib" Miller was hit by a Greyhound bus while responding to an emergency call on Interstate 57 in Franklin County in July. Sammie Rogers, Jr. of Chicago was in court this afternoon. Investigators say he was driving the bus that hit Miller. Wednesday, Miller's family filed paperwork moving forward with a wrongful death law suit.

James Miller’s brother, Kevin Miller says he was his hero. He says many times he helped save him from injury and harm. Mourning the loss of his big brother, Kevin Miller now tends to the grave of the firefighter he followed into service 22 years ago.

“This won't be over until this is stopped. He can't speak now so I'll speak for him,” said Miller. Miller says his brother's death could have been prevented if traffic would have stopped around the accident site. However, because firefighters don't have the authority to close down the roadway, yellow cones surrounding the scene were the only things protecting these men from harm.

“They did everything right, they did it the right way’said Miller.

Firefighters who showed up to the Franklin County courthouse want to use Shib's death as a push to further protect workers along roadway's like Interstate 57 where he was killed.

More than 24-hundred people have signed a petition supporting the passage of Shib's Law. They say it's the emergency back-up they need in the field.

“People call us angels but we don't get the respect as angels we're only angels when they need us,” said Kevin Miller.

Sesser firefighters say they hope to get Shib's Law passed by the end of the year. The law would take Scott's Law one step further allowing firefighters to shut down a road if they respond to a call. Firefighters say they want the penalties for Shib's Law to be either the same or stiffer than Scott's Law which allows up to a ten-thousand dollar fine and 2 years suspended license.