Bad crash in Oswego

[Soxy]

Link

 

If you all find time, I would really appreciate it if you could send some warm thoughts or prayers to these kids. I babysat one of the injured kids through most of junior high and high school, so I doubt there is really anyone in Oswego that isn't affected by this. Just really horrible.

 

Four teens killed

Oswego shocked; 5 hurt; DUI charged

 

February 12, 2007

By MATT HANLEY Christine Moyer and Andre Salles Staff writers

 

OSWEGO -- Four Oswego teenagers died and five other people were injured Sunday when a car struck a utility pole on Route 31 north of Route 34 .

 

Eight of the nine victims attended Oswego High School. The ninth person, the driver of the vehicle, was Sandra Vasquez, 23, of Montgomery. She has been charged with drunken driving, police said.

 

All nine people were riding in a four-door sedan when the accident occurred at 2:20 a.m., said Oswego Police Detective Rob Sherwood. The speed limit in that area of Route 31 is 45 mph.

 

Accident reconstruction specialists are trying to determine the speed of the vehicle at the time of the crash, Sherwood said.

 

"It was a mess of a scene," said Sherwood. "We'll have to talk to the survivors and see what happened."

 

Katherine Merkel, 14; Tiffany Urso, 16; Jessica Nutoni, 15; and Matthew Frank, 17, all of Oswego, were pronounced dead at the scene, Sherwood said.

 

The other occupants of the car were taken to hospitals.

 

Joshua Dillon, 16, of Oswego, was taken by helicopter to Loyola Hospital in Maywood, although officials there offered no information.

 

Robert Larson, 15, of Oswego, was taken by helicopter to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, and his condition remained critical late Sunday.

 

Police said James McGee, 14, of Oswego was taken to Provena Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, although officials there would neither confirm nor deny that information.

 

Arielle Rexford, 16, of Oswego, and Vasquez were taken to Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora. Rexford's condition was listed as fair, while Vasquez was listed in critical condition.

 

In addition to the DUI charge against Vasquez, other charges are likely, Oswego police said. Kendall County State's Attorney Eric Weis said that he expects further charges to be brought as soon as today.

 

Sherwood said the relationship between the students and Vasquez remains unclear. No one contacted by The Beacon News knew why the eight teens were in Vasquez's car after midnight.

 

A crisis team was being set up by the Oswego School District to help students and families deal with the tragedy. Information will be posted at www.oswego308.org. School will be open this morning, Superintendent David Behlow said.

 

Behlow encouraged parents to send their children to school, because the School District will have the appropriate resources in place to help the students.

 

"Every fatal accident is devastating. But the number of kids we lost is shocking and devastating," Behlow said.

 

"Our hearts go out to the children and to the friends and to the families whose children were victims."

 

The 2001 Infiniti driven by Vasquez was southbound on Route 31 between Mill Road and Washington Street (Route 34). The car crossed into the northbound lane, then slid sideways and struck a utility pole on the east side of the road near the intersection of Route 31 and River Run Boulevard.

 

Sherwood said he did not think that weather was a factor, and he said that he considers that stretch of road to be "relatively straight."

 

"I don't know what word you would use to describe (the car). It was totaled," Sherwood said.

 

The pole was sheared off at the bottom, but stayed connected to the power lines.

 

Sherwood said the impact on the pole was centered on the driver's side of the vehicle.

 

According to Sherwood, only Vasquez was ejected from the vehicle upon impact. The other eight passengers remained trapped in the car. He said that the roof of the car had been removed when he arrived, but he remained uncertain whether it had been cut off by rescue personnel, or sheared off by the impact.

 

Damage to the utility pole caused a power outage that lasted nearly two hours and affected about 1,500 people, said ComEd spokeswoman Judy Rader.

 

A section of Route 31 was temporarily closed Sunday as police investigated. By early afternoon the road, a major north-south highway, was open in both directions.

 

It is not clear how many, if any, of the people in the car were wearing seat belts.

 

"There were nine people crammed in that car," Sherwood said. "We don't know if they had seat belts on or if they were doubled up. Who knows what they did."

 

Jim Detzler, deputy Kendall County coroner, said he arrived at the crash scene at 4:15 a.m.

 

He said the four victims pronounced dead at the scene died from blunt force trauma.

 

"It seems like a case of driving too fast too late at night," Detzler said. "Just a tragic accident."

 

Oswego Village President Craig Weber said he knew the Dillon family from Oswego Presbyterian Church on Route 25, where they were all members. He described them as an "outstanding family" that was "very actively involved in the church."

 

"We haven't had a tragedy like this in the community for several years," Weber said.

 

On Sunday afternoon, Matt Allseitz, a 17-year-old Oswego High School student, was among the teens huddling around four white crosses perched in snow on the side of Route 31 across from the River Run subdivision.

 

"It's just, I mean, it's crazy, seeing this in real life," Allseitz said, shivering in a brown hooded sweatshirt and shorts.

[iWiN4PreP]

Dam... that must be devasting on the school, and the students there.

 

Terrible.

[Texsox]

[southsider2k5]

Wow 9 people in one car and a drunken driver? Yuck.

 

for everyone invovled.

[maggliopipe]

I like seeing Oswego make the news since it's my hometown, but not for this sort of tragedy. This is just awful. A couple of those last names sound familiar.

[Queen Prawn]

That is quite a few people crammed into one car.

 

for everyone invovled.

[mmmmmbeeer]

I like seeing Oswego make the news since it's my hometown, but not for this sort of tragedy. This is just awful. A couple of those last names sound familiar.

 

 

Yeah, I graduated with both an Urso and a Merckel. I don't know if the Urso is a sibling of the chick I went to school with but one of the articles I read mentioned that the Merckel girl had 4 older brothers, so one of them must be the dude I graduated with.

 

I read in another article that the kid mentioned at the end of this article was actually called for a ride by the Merckel chick. Apparently she either didn't know where she was at or he didn't know how to find it, whatever the case he wasn't able to pick them up...and now this.

 

Hopefully those that survived make it without any permanent physical disabilities.

[witesoxfan]

Thoughts and prayers towards Oswego

 

It's really quite pathetic when a 23 year old is not only dumb enough to drive drunk, but to do so with 8 teens in a sedan. How dumb can one person get?

[Texsox]

We see so many messages about don't drink and drive, but riding is equally bad. My heart goes out toi the families and friends. That woman who was drunk will now spend her adult life behind bars, probably never have children, be haunted by the victims she killed. And it probably isn't enough punishment.

[mmmmmbeeer]

We see so many messages about don't drink and drive, but riding is equally bad. My heart goes out toi the families and friends. That woman who was drunk will now spend her adult life behind bars, probably never have children, be haunted by the victims she killed. And it probably isn't enough punishment.

 

The driver already has a kid or two...which means she f***ed up their lives too.

[Brian]

My Junior year in high school, we had 6 kids die throughout the year. It really shakes you cuz at that age you think you are invinsible to a point. One of the girls who was killed in a car wreck sat next to me in my Geometry class. Friday she was there, Monday she wasn't.

[southsider2k5]

I had a college roommate killed by a drunk driver between my sophomore and junior years. I remember not believing the person who was telling me what had happened. It was so surreal, even through the funeral and everything. It took forever to set it.

[Texsox]

I brother died drunk driving and almost killed a friend of his who was in the car with him.

[Soxy]

I had a college roommate killed by a drunk driver between my sophomore and junior years. I remember not believing the person who was telling me what had happened. It was so surreal, even through the funeral and everything. It took forever to set it.

I'm so sorry.

 

My first year of college 5 of my friends that were a year ahead were going to spend their spring break volunteering in St. Louis. 3 of them were killed by a drunk driver on the way down. It was horrible, one of my friends called me to tell me over Spring break. It was just such a shame. And so completely perventable. Apparently the drunk driver was driving THE WRONG WAY down a freeway, and the police had been called and were looking for him.

 

Very few things make me as angry and upset as drunk driving. Very few.

 

I feel so bad for the kids, especially the ones that the youngest victim tried to call to get a ride home from. And for the ones that survived. What a tragedy.

[southsider2k5]

I'm so sorry.

 

My first year of college 5 of my friends that were a year ahead were going to spend their spring break volunteering in St. Louis. 3 of them were killed by a drunk driver on the way down. It was horrible, one of my friends called me to tell me over Spring break. It was just such a shame. And so completely perventable. Apparently the drunk driver was driving THE WRONG WAY down a freeway, and the police had been called and were looking for him.

 

Very few things make me as angry and upset as drunk driving. Very few.

 

I feel so bad for the kids, especially the ones that the youngest victim tried to call to get a ride home from. And for the ones that survived. What a tragedy.

 

Thanks.

 

I agree with you, that is was completely preventable.

 

In my friends case, this SOB was a lawyer from another state who had gotten bombed at a wedding and decided to drive his sportscar back to his hotel. Apparently the guy was doing nearly 100 MPH on one of the little state highways, and got underneath my friend's car who was going something like 30-40 mph less than he was and flipped them over. Both his and his best friends necks broke on impact and they died instantly.

 

The guy got released on bond the next day, and was out of the state on his own recognisence.

 

There are very few times in my life I have ever been so mad.

[Texsox]

A friend of mine is the Director of MADD here, it's her job to work with the victims and families and be at all the court proceedings. I couldn't do her job. No amount of money could replace the years of my life it would cost.

[Soxy]

5th teen dies.

 

My parents went and visited the boy I used to babysit (family friends), and heard from his parents that the McGee had some serious TBI and spinal cord injuries--and they weren't sure he would make it. So, I'm not surprised that this has happened.

[Texsox]

5th teen dies.

 

My parents went and visited the boy I used to babysit (family friends), and heard from his parents that the McGee had some serious TBI and spinal cord injuries--and they weren't sure he would make it. So, I'm not surprised that this has happened.

 

I am so sorry, E

[Soxy]

I think one of the things that bothers me the most about this, is that if this 23 year old had walked into OHS with a gun and shot 8 teenagers this would be all over the news. Instead, she killed 5 of them by driving drunk and it's a local news story. I don't know anyone that has died or been injured in a school shooting, but I've lost 3 friends and 2 family members to drunk driving. I just wish this would get the type of coverage that a shooting would. The kids in this car's death was no less violent (or avoidable) than if they had been shot. It just drives me up the wall.

[DrunkBomber]

Yeah, I really havent heard anything about this on a national scale and everything has been local. My only guess would be because of how much more often these types of thing happen and that theyre terrible mistakes whereas a school shooting is more premeditated.

[Texsox]

Not that it is right, but people have to go to school, they choose to get in the car with a drunk driver. Perhaps unfairly, we place some blame on the victim in this case.

[Soxy]

Not that it is right, but people have to go to school, they choose to get in the car with a drunk driver. Perhaps unfairly, we place some blame on the victim in this case.

It's just annoying that something as commonplace as drunk driving doesn't get the outrage and media attention of other stuff. I know those kids chose to get the in car, but, well, they're dips*** kids. I just get so incredibly frustrated that there isn't more outrage about drunk driving. It just boggles my mind.

 

I feel like, in general, people who drive drunk are in public before they get in the car. They're around people, they're at weddings, bars, etc. It's just ridiculous that no one stops them. Going into a bar, I have to stop, show my id, get my handstamped/wrist banded whatever. Would it be that hard to breathalyze people as they leave bars? I am just absolutely flabbergasted by how prevelant drunk driving is, and how little people seem to do to prevent it.

 

And, this is not 100% verified, but the friends of my family (whose son was injured in the crash) said that around 2am at the night of the party, the adults that were renting the house in the Oswego party came back. Instead of calling the kids' parents, or taxis, or the police, the people just kicked the kids out (in the middle of a freezing February night) with no concern or responsibility about how that many teenagers would go home. Had that homeowner done anything remotely responsible this whole thing could have been averted. It's just disgusting.

[Texsox]

You hit the nail on the head when you said commonplace. News is the unusual.

 

There should be some checkout at bars, I really like that idea, my brother would probably be alive today if Softball City in Grayslake, IL. did that. He later registered .21 at the morgue.

 

Thinking aboout the parents, Coming home at 2 am to a party, I'd probably yell first and think later. I can't hold them too responsible. They are probably feeling pretty bad right now.

[southsider2k5]

This was an odd situation with all of the side stories about people being asked for help and denying that help. I know I have gotten out of bed many a times on weekends to make sure that someone didn't get into a dangerous situation. I can't imagine turning someone down and either making the drive drunk, or with someone who was drunk.

[Texsox]

This was an odd situation with all of the side stories about people being asked for help and denying that help. I know I have gotten out of bed many a times on weekends to make sure that someone didn't get into a dangerous situation. I can't imagine turning someone down and either making the drive drunk, or with someone who was drunk.

 

Same here, I've also made the call a couple times, good to have friends you can count on.