Coroner's jury returns an 'undetermined' in May car-truck crash
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[July 12, 2012]
On a Tuesday night in May, a young
woman and a truck driver lost their lives on the interstate west of
Lincoln. Lakesha R. Williams, 21, of Calumet City, was driving a
2006 Hyundai Elantra and Donald L. McGregor, 67, of Fall River,
Kan., a tractor-trailer.
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Tuesday evening, Logan County Coroner Robert Thomas conducted an
inquest into their deaths. Six jurors heard expert witnesses
regarding the event. On May 8, Illinois State Police District 9
was notified of a vehicle sitting on the interstate with its lights
out.
Trooper Anthony F. Kink said it was after 11 p.m. and he was in
Springfield when he was dispatched to check on a vehicle on
Interstate 55, near the 124 mile marker. It was stopped in the
right-hand lane, southbound, with its lights off.
Kink said that while he was en route, he was notified that the
vehicle had been involved in an accident. When he arrived, Logan
County deputies were already on the scene.
Kink, a state-certified accident reconstructionist, took pictures
at the scene. He reviewed a diagram and photos, explaining for the
jury what had happened.
At the time of the impact, the vehicles were in the right-hand
lane. They moved left toward the median together and went through a
guardrail.
Both drivers were ejected after the vehicles struck the guardrail
and left the highway.
It was then that the vehicles separated. The truck hit a bridge
abutment and slid down the hill and into the creek.
The Hyundai stopped nearer to the top of the hill. In one photo,
a tire mark was noted on the passenger-side front-seat headrest from
the truck driving over the car.
Both Williams and McGregor were pronounced dead at the scene at
11:40 p.m. by paramedics.
A deputy coroner, Penny Thomas, first gave testimony. Thomas was
at the scene and reviewed the autopsy results on Williams.
Another deputy coroner, William Brooks, reviewed McGregor's
autopsy results.
Both autopsies were performed by Dr. Denton at the McLean County
Morgue.
The reports revealed that both Williams and McGregor received
extensive external and internal injuries. Toxicology results on both
drivers were clear of any drug or alcohol, other than a slight
amount of caffeine in McGregor.
Denton's conclusion on the cause of death of both Williams and
McGregor was the same: multiple injuries from the collision of the
car and tractor-trailer.
As the question-and-answer period began, an additional
circumstance was added. The vehicle involved had been reported
stolen two to three hours before the accident. The vehicle belonged
to the mother of the deceased.
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One juror asked if it could be determined that Williams was alive
at the time of the crash.
The coroner said that Denton did say it was his opinion that she
was alive until the impact of the crash.
Another juror questioned if this took place where the road was
flat, with no hill.
It was confirmed there was no hill where this took place.
The coroner's inquest is not a civil or criminal trial. According
to Thomas, "it is simply an inquiry into the manner and cause of an
individual's death."
The "cause" is what is responsible for the fatality as evidenced
by the autopsy results.
Jurors would need to determine the manner of death, or how the
death took place.
The manner of death falls into five
categories:
-
Natural death is
by disease or natural cause.
-
Accidental death
is from circumstances not intentionally caused by the deceased
or by another person.
-
Homicide is a
death resulting by circumstances intentionally caused to the
deceased by another person.
-
Suicide is when
death results from circumstances intentionally caused by the
deceased.
-
Undetermined death can be ruled when
none of the above can be established with reasonable certainty.
Jurors convened for about 35 minutes.
When they returned, the coroner read that the jury was in
agreement with the medical examiner's findings that the cause of
death for both Williams and McGregor was due to injuries related to
the crash.
For the manner of death, the jury declared "undetermined." for
Williams.
The manner of death for McGregor was determined "accidental."
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