Blaum fell asleep

Crash that killed officer ruled accidental       

[June 07, 2007]  Off-duty Lincoln Police Department patrolman Todd M. Blaum fell asleep at the wheel and that led to the crash that killed him, according to an Illinois State Police investigator and autopsy results presented at a Sangamon County coroner's inquest on Wednesday morning.

Coroner Susan Boone read an autopsy report based on the autopsy that was performed by Jessica Bowman. It said that the cause of death was due to blunt-force trauma related to a single motor vehicle incident.

Boone then called Illinois State Police District 9 special investigator Robert M. Jennings to explain the findings from his investigation.

Jennings gave details of the events leading up to the time of the crash, how the vehicle was found and an examination of the scene.

Blaum had spent the day May 18 visiting with various friends in the Springfield area. He had called and spoken several times that day with Illinois state trooper Craig Rios. It was found later that he had tried to call several family and friends at late hours, but none of the calls had a completion and he left no messages. The last of those calls was at 3:15 a.m. on May 19.

An official search began when Blaum did not show up for his shift at 1 p.m. on May 19, though many had begun searching earlier in the day.

It was not until about 10 p.m. on May 19 that officers noticed vehicle tracks in the median grass of a northbound roadway leading to Interstate 55 north of Sherman. The sturdy bridge structure and 2-foot-tall grass made the vehicle difficult to see, Jennings said.

The area was formerly four lanes of I-55. Now the southbound lanes are blocked off. The tracks went off the northbound roadway to the left. The vehicle traveled 450 feet through grass and then went airborne for a significant distance, landing in the middle of Fancy Creek. There was 2 feet of water at the point of impact in the creek.

As an eyewitness to the conditions of the location, Jennings said with no doubt that the impact of the crash would have killed Blaum instantly.

He also said that when he arrived, shortly after Blaum was found, it was evident that he had been dead for some time.

He said that there was no smell of alcohol and no contraband present.

From the conversations that Blaum had had with others that day, he had only had two hours of sleep. Jennings believed that the crash took place shortly after the 3:15 a.m. call was made. Jennings said it was his belief that Blaum had fallen asleep and the vehicle left the road.

Jennings said that he had closed his investigation of the crash.

The jury ruled the death as accidental.

Following the hearing, media representatives asked for a copy of the toxicology report. Boone said that toxicology would not be available for probably another month. Then she said that the family would get the report and the media would need to ask the family for a copy.

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