A Westville man has filed suit against drug-maker Pfizer, claiming a Kansas woman driving a company-owned vehicle caused a wreck north of Valparaiso that put the man in a coma for weeks and cost him a career worth millions.

The lawsuit filed Thursday in Hammond federal court claims plaintiff Robert Witt was driving on Ind. 49 when defendant Beata R. Willy, of Kansas, ignored a yield sign on County Road 600 North and crushed Witt's vehicle. Witt's vehicle flipped and he was ejected, the lawsuit states. Witt's two girls were not severely injured, but they were traumatized, the suit claims.

Witt's brain hemorrhaged and the skin peeled off his skull, the suit says. He suffered spinal fractures and he was comatose for weeks, the suit claims.

Witt still is "not well," said his lawyer, Marshall Whalley.

"It's just had a horrific impact on him and his family," Whalley said.

Witt is suing Pfizer, Willy and the company Wheels Lt. Court papers indicate Pfizer and Wheels co-own the car.

Lawyers for the defendants did not return calls for comment.

Before the wreck, Witt was a former stock trader who made a six-figure salary at a local steel mill, Whalley said. He also worked in real estate, Whalley said. The suit claims Witt's medical costs will run above $3 million.

Whalley filed the suit first in Porter County, but the defendants moved to send the suit into federal court. Whalley said he sees no grounds to contest the move. A judge will have to rule on jurisdiction.