Third update: it appears that there was a chain reaction involving multiple vehicles. According to the Sun-Times:
A man faces DUI charges in a crash Sunday on Interstate 55 that ultimately led to another collision, resulting in the death of a Berwyn police officer.
Rodrigo Marin, 42, is charged with two counts of aggravated DUI, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to render aid, driving without valid insurance and driving on a revoked license, according to Illinois State Police. He was also cited for failure to reduce speed and improper lane usage.
Marin was driving a 2006 Nissan Titan about 6 a.m. on I-55 when he lost control and crossed into another lane, striking the left side of a 2008 Hino Box truck driven by a 44-year-old man, state police said.
Both vehicles came to a stop in the right two lanes, and Marin allegedly ran off from the crash, state police said.
While the vehicles were blocking the lanes, a Dodge Durango slammed into the box truck, state police said.
Earlier stories focused on the driver of the vehicle in which the Berwyn officer was a passenger. That driver is a Joliet police officer, who was charged with misdemeanor DUI.
From the Chicago Tribune:
A Joliet police officer faces drunken driving charges after a Berwyn police officer who was a passenger in her car died in a crash Sunday morning on Interstate 55 in Plainfield Township, officials said.
Charles “Chuck” Schauer, 33, who died as a result of the crash around 6 a.m., had been a 10-year veteran of the Berwyn Police Department, according to a statement from the agency. Berwyn Mayor Robert Lovero announced Schauer’s death in a post on social media, referring to his death as a “tragic traffic accident.”
“Please keep Officer Schauer’s family and friends, as well as all Berwyn police officers in your thoughts and prayers during this time of grief,” he wrote.
Erin Zilka, 35, of Plainfield, faces a charge of driving under the influence, according to Illinois State police. Joliet police released a statement Monday saying that Zilka, “a 12-year veteran, was involved in an off-duty vehicle crash on I-55 near Route 30 where her passenger was tragically killed.”
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Zilka’s attorney, Jeff Tomczak, said her blood-alcohol test came up under the legal limit, but declined to specify the number. He said Zilka was friends with Schauer, and was in “a really bad way.”
“She’s absolutely devastated to a degree I can’t express verbally,” Tomczak said.
He said Zilka “came upon” an earlier accident in a “darkened” part of the road before crashing.
Zilka has been an officer with Joliet police for 6 years, and had served in Shorewood for another 6 years, Tomczak said. He said she is due in court March 18.
Zilka, of Plainfield, was also cited for driving too fast for conditions, state police said.
Like this:
Like Loading...
