Cops: Woman Tried To Kill Herself And Her Baby By Crashing Into House
(STMW) -- A southwest suburban woman was ordered held on $1 million bond Thursday after she tried to commit suicide by crashing her SUV, with her infant inside, Tuesday afternoon, police said.
Elizabeth Kruger, 28, of Evergreen Park, wanted to commit suicide, so she tried to crash her white BMW SUV into another vehicle near 79th Street and New England Avenue in Burbank, according to Burbank police.
When that attempt "failed," Kruger kept driving despite a police officer following her, police said. The officer had been flagged down by witnesses to the first crash.
As the officer tried to catch up with the SUV, Kruger allegedly ran a stop sign at 87th and New England, and collided with another car that was eastbound on 87th, a statement from police said. She then smashed her SUV into a house on the southwest corner of the intersection.
Kruger was treated and released from Advocate Christ Medical Center, police said. The infant remains hospitalized at Advocate Christ Thursday afternoon, but is listed in good condition. No one inside the house was hurt.
One of the other drivers Kruger allegedly hit was treated and released, while the other is still hospitalized, recovering from "serious injuries," police said.
During interviews with Kruger and witnesses, police learned she wanted to commit suicide by striking another vehicle, knowing she would have killed her baby as well, police said.
She was charged with attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery, aggravated fleeing and eluding, leaving the scene of an accident, endangering the life of a child and a multitude of traffic offenses, police said.
She was ordered held on a $1 million bond Thursday.
DCFS has been notified and is in the process of devising a "safety plan" for the child with other family members, police said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
