BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) -- A southern Illinois lawyer is accusing a car insurance company of fabricating and bribing a witness in a traffic case. Belleville attorney Chris Kolker wants $500,000 from Mercury Insurance Co. and a new hearing. Messages left for a Mercury spokesman weren't immediately returned Saturday. Kolker represents Steven Thomas Kirk, who was hit by a truck in 2006 as he rode his motorcycle. Kirk sued the truck's driver and won $1.3 million in damages. He acknowledged that he'd been drinking alcohol before the accident. A witness called by Mercury testified at trial that she could see Kirk from her apartment and that he was swerving and speeding. But Kolker says the witnesses' lease didn't start until six months after the accident. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
