Driver Faces 29 Felony Counts In Crash That Left Woman, 81, Dead At Fullerton And Cicero In September
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man stood charged Wednesday in a horrific crash that killed an 81-year-old woman at Fullerton and Cicero avenues back in September.
Ethan Malyj, 34, now faces 29 felony counts – including drunken driving – in connection with the crash that killed Myrna Logan.
Malyj was initially taken into custody and then released without charges. Logan's family had been pushing for charges ever since.
CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey spoke exclusively with the family at the time.
Logan – a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother – was waiting for the bus at the time of the accident.
The driver of a white sport-utility vehicle hopped the curb near a pizza parlor, plowing into the building and hitting five people on the sidewalk. Logan was pinned underneath the vehicle.
"No one deserves to die that way, and no one's family should have to mourn that way because of someone else's carelessness," Logan's granddaughter Christina Ulreich said in September.
Witnesses from the restaurant who ran to Logan's aid said the driver seemed disoriented and tried to leave the scene before they stopped him.
Two days after he was taken into custody, the driver was released without charges. Chicago Police said the Cook County State's Attorney's Office failed to approve the charges, but the state's attorney's office said it had yet to review the case.
On Wednesday, Logan's family said they were happy finally to see serious charges. But they said it still doesn't ease the pain of losing a loved one.