Elderly Southern Illinois Man Hits Three Chicago Bicyclists, Kills 17-year-old
Two of the bicyclists were injured while one of the teens died from her injuries. The three teens - Julie Baird, Kaia Tammen and Faith Dremmer - were seniors at University of Chicago Lab School. On March 21 Baird had posted on her Facebook page "3 friends, 3 bikes, 500 miles, let's do this."
The accident occurred around 2 p.m. on March 24 when John Hillyard, 86, crossed the center line in his minivan as the bicyclists were traveling in the opposite direction, hitting all three teens.
Dremmer, 17, was pronounced dead at Ferrell Hospital in nearby Eldorado. Baird, 18 and Tammen, 18 were airlifted to Evansville, Indiana hospitals for treatement. According to Chicago Breaking News, Tammen underwent surgery on Wednesday with more scheduled for Thursday. Tammen is reported to have suffered significant injuries to her head but Thursday morning was "conscious enough to flutter her eyelids and sort of lift her fingers."
Baird was reported to have broken ribs and a broken collar bone.
The trip to southern Illinois was organized and planned by Baird and her father in celebration of the teen girls' upcoming graduation from high school. Baird's father accompanied the teenagers by driving his car in the area, transporting their gear and catching up with the cyclists at the end of the day to set up a campsite.
The southern Illinois area is popular because of the scenic and hilly terrain. Most of the region is encompassed by the Shawnee National Forest. The location of the accident was north of the popular Garden of the Gods - a scenic area that features unusual rock formations. Gallatin County is located close to the Ohio River and Kentucky in southeastern Illinois.
The Illinois State Police, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, Gallatin County Ambulance Service and the Ridgway Fire Department responded to the accident which is currently being investigated by the Illinois State Police.
Published by Tammy Lee Morris - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
Tammy Lee Morris is a lifelong resident of southern Illinois where she enjoys a quiet life in a rural area. After working for a local newspaper while studying journalism at a local community college, she dev... View profile
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14 Comments
Post a CommentWhat a tragedy.
Tragic. I have no words.
Yes, a very sad story.
Very sad story.
It's so sad. I know a writer from another website who shared her story (and photos) about marrying the love of her life. Less than a year into their marriage, her husband was mowed down by an elderly driver. So senseless.
Heard this on the radio news; what a tragedy. Seems like lately I hear of more serious accidents involving elderly drivers than young "risk-factor" drivers. It certainly is a problem for everyone on the road.
Sad story, perhaps something will be done to ensure everyones safety on the road. It's sad that in order to change regulations someone usually has to be injured or killed, perhaps they should write a law that forces people to take over the road driving tests each year after a certain age...
My gram is 92 and drives and I'm always afraid something awful like this will happen. She does fine but things can happen so quickly. I understand old people not wanting to give up their freedom but when they could possibly take away someone else's life.. it's sad all around.
How sad
The U.S. needs to make new laws for elderly drivers. There are way too many of them that are not capable of driving safely any longer. My grandson was hit by an elderly driver 1 1/2 years ago and he will always suffer from the injuries he sustained. He had to be airlifted downstate, underwent extensive surgery, was in a rehab hospital for a couple month and had to learn to walk, etc. Why? Because an old woman couldn't see well! She is still driving. It's a very sad situation as more of our population gets old. Laws need to change to have testing done for these people yearly. I feel so bad for these girls and their families. I know what they are going through...hell.