Crash on I-90 near Illinois border kills female pedestrian; Indiana man charged
CHICAGO (CBS) – A female pedestrian was killed, and a man is facing criminal charges following a fatal crash Friday afternoon on Interstate 90 just east of the Indiana/Illinois border.
Around 4:45 p.m., troopers were dispatched to the scene where a gray Nissan SUV may have hydroplaned and struck the concrete barrier that divides the east/westbound lanes. Police said the crash resulted in the left and center lanes being blocked by the SUV and debris.
The driver of a white Lexus saw the crash, pulled over to the inside shoulder, and walked to the crashed Nissan to speak to the female driver. She asked the witness to call 911 and report the crash.
While the Lexus driver was on the phone, the Nissan driver got out of her car and began to walk across the roadway to the witness' car.
A blue Ford F250 truck was traveling eastbound toward the crash scene when it appeared to have made a sudden lane change to avoid the crashed Nissan. The truck then struck the female driver and the Lexus that had pulled over.
The two occupants of the Lexus were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, and the driver of the Lexus was not injured.
The female pedestrian who was driving the Nissan was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lake County Coroner's Office.
Police at the scene saw signs of impairment from the driver of the Ford truck and requested him to take a blood test, which he agreed to. He was then taken to the Lake County Jail.
The truck driver, Scott Schuch, 55, of Porter, Indiana, was preliminarily charged with operating while intoxicated causing death, operating while intoxicating endangering, reckless driving causing serious bodily injury, and operating while intoxicating.
Police did not identify the female driver of the Nissan who died, but said the Lake County Coroner's Office would do so.
