Woman injured in deadly King Dr. crash speaks from hospital bed
OAK LAWN, Ill. (WLS) -- One of four victims injured in a deadly crash on Chicago's South Side is speaking out from her hospital bed. Geraldine Snell suffered broken ribs and extensive bruises in a car crash along King Drive Monday evening.
"My body feels like I weigh 1,000 pounds. I can barely move," Snell said.
Snell had driven her mother, 88-year-old Margaret Silas, to a doctor's appointment on King Drive. They were heading home when they approached 75th Street. Their Saturn was nearly T-boned by a car speeding away from police. The impact pinned both women inside the car.
"I'm just laying there saying, 'Please, somebody help. Somebody please help.' I just kept saying that over and over," Snell said.
Help arrived and they were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where Snell is recovering and hoping to be discharged on Thursday. But Silas is still in serious condition and may not walk again.
"Half her body was in the back seat and her feet were in the front seat on her side," Snell said.
Chicago police say the crash happened after a driver sped away from officers during a traffic stop. They say the driver blew the red light at 75th and King Drive and hit Snell's car, pushing it into a pickup truck being fixed by Willie Owens. The 66-year-old was killed.
"I am just so sorry for that man and his family," Snell said.
While police say the pursuit was distance of three blocks, Snell is wondering whether it was necessary.
"Somebody always gets hurt, seems like, when they do these pursuits," Snell said.
The 26-year-old driver is in police custody, but no charges have been filed.
The Major Accidents unit is also investigating the crash and looking into whether departmental policies were followed.
