One charged with DUI in I-57 crash that killed one, ejected child
March 10, 2010
A woman was killed, a 9-year-old girl was ejected and another woman who was charged with drunken driving was hurt when the car they were in crashed Tuesday night on Interstate 57 on the Far South Side.
About 10:15 p.m., a Ford Escort was northbound in the left lane on Interstate 57 near South Halsted Street when, for unknown reasons, the female driver lost control and crossed the center and right lanes, ultimately driving off the right embankment into a light pole causing it to break at the base, Illinois State Police District Chicago Master Sgt. Joe Stangl said.
A 9-year-old girl who was sitting in the back of the car was ejected and landed on the grass where the light pole fell on top of her, he said. She and the woman driving the car were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with "non-life threatening" injuries, Stangl said.
All three passengers were reportedly wearing seat belts, according ISP District Chicago Sgt. Jason Lococo.
Katrina Jackson, who was a front-seat passenger in the Escort, was killed, according to Stangl.
A woman in her 30s was transported to Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers in Evergreen Park where she was pronounced dead at 10:24 p.m., according to a spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office who could not identify her as of 5:30 a.m.
The driver is reportedly the mother of the 9-year-old, Stangl said. He did not immediately know the relation of the driver and Jackson.
The driver has been cited with DUI and there is a possibility of upgraded charges, Stangl said.
During the investigation, an intoxicated motorist attempted to pass the accident scene and was arrested for violating Scott’s Law, ISP District Chicago Trooper Ivan Bukaczyk said.
Scott’s Law increases the penalties for drivers who don’t yield to emergency vehicles.
The crash was initially reported as a hit-and-run due, but State Police are now investigating the incident as a single-vehicle crash, Stangl said.
All lanes were opened at 2 a.m., Stangl said.
State Police are investigating.