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A Wreckless Act Killed My Daughter
Sep 09, 2002
07/06/02
My daughter, Karissa Ann , was tragically killed in an automobile accident on Friday, April 19, 2002. The accident occurred on US 150 just two blocks from Main St. in Muncie, Illinois.
I was on my way to visit my daughter and grandson around 4:20 PM that day. As I got closer to Muncie, I noticed an accident up the road so I proceeded to take the side roads to Karissa’s home. I realized she wasn’t home when I pulled into her driveway. My gut instinct told me to head back in the direction of the accident because I knew that she should have been home by that time. As I approached the scene of the accident I saw that one of the vehicles was my daughter’s. Vermilion CO. Sheriff Officer came up to my car and told me that it was my daughter and that she had been killed in the accident. Of course my first reaction was shock, fear, and disbelief. This couldn’t have been my daughter. I then asked where my grandson Jeffery was and they weren’t sure if he was in the car or not. Karissa would have been picking him up from day care on her way home from work at about the time of the accident.
The young man driving the vehicle that killed my daughter was seen driving erratically just moments before he knowingly crossed the center line and continued driving east in the west-bound lane for approximately 100 yards. My daughter was travelling west in this lane when he hit her head-on killing her instantly. The force of the accident was so great, the motor of the car was pushed all the way into the front seat of Karissa’s car. Her poor body was crushed so badly that it took the fire department over two hours to remove her from the car. I was left to sit in the grass at the side of the road in shock and disbelief as they tried to free my daughter from the wreckage.
It has now been three months and twelve days since my beautiful daughter Karissa was killed. I feel that our law system has failed my family miserably during this horrific time of pain and sorrow. Our family has contacted the Vermillion County State’s Attorney office multiple times during these three months. We have made three appointments with his office to discuss the following issues regarding her accident:
The family has provided names and phone numbers of four witnesses from the scene of the accident.
None of these witnesses have been contacted by the State’s Attorney, the County Investigator, or the Sheriff’s Department.
The county investigator interviewed witnesses on the day of the accident over 3 months ago but has not interviewed anyone since that day 04/19/2002.
The states attorney has not requested the transcript of the 911 call that was made on 04/19/2002.
The sheriffs department has not done any investigation as to how fast the driver was driving nor why he was driving in the wrong lane.
Karissa has three young sons that no longer have their mother. How do I help my grandchildren understand why their mother is no longer with them when I myself feel helpless because we feel our law system has decided it isn’t worth their time to pursue this investigation and prosecute this young man for his recklessness. No matter what his excuse is for crossing the center line.
(His actions while driving on this counties road KILLED my beautiful child who was my best friend, and a mother,wife, daughter, sister,friend to all who knew her.)
This Illinois law states:
Illinois law (720 ILCS 5/9-3) (from Ch. 38, par. 9-3) states:
Involuntary Manslaughter and Reckless Homicide
A person who unintentionally kills an individual without lawful justification commits involuntary manslaughter if his acts whether lawful or unlawful which cause the death are such as are likely to cause death or great bodily harm to some individual, and he performs them recklessly, except in cases in which the cause of the death consists of the driving of a motor vehicle or operating a snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle, or watercraft, in which case the person commits reckless homicide.
How can we convince our governmental officials to protect us from those that choose to be irresponsible and reckless? Reckless acts like these will continue and there will be more mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters who are forced to live the rest of their lives with a hole in their heart unless our government officials decide to make this a priority. If our law system doesn’t feel that it’s important to hold people responsible for taking someone’s life, then who will?
Barbara Switzer,
08/26/02
My daughter was a victim of a horridness and untimely death. Now her family is also the victims of this accident. Do we also have no rights? We have been told by the states attorney that the driver of the truck that killed her may have not done anything criminal or against any Illinois law. I do not believe that can be true.
I sent a letter about 3 weeks ago and this is some of the reactions that I received. After my previous article was ran I contacted the states attorney’s office 4 times to set up a time to talk to him. I was finally allowed an appointment with him 08/22/02 at 4:30. He had the chief investigator from the sheriffs department in our meeting. My son-in-law and I AGAIN tried to stressed to the states attorney that the witness who actually saw the accident needed to be contacted. We were informed that phone calls had been made but he stated that the witnesses had not actually seen the accident but were at the scene. We do know that one witness was there because he approached my son-in-law and told him what he had seen. He was one of the people who first called 911 for assistance.
This is what he said:
On 04/19/2002 at approximately 4:20 PM a witness was at the intersection of Main St. and Rd 150 in Muncie, ILL. As he looked right before he pulled out onto RD 150 he saw a pickup truck driving east in the westbound lane. He thought that the truck might hit a telephone pole or another vehicle. He pulled out into the east lane and honked his horn as he drove out onto RD 150 but he had no reaction form the truck as he tried t to get the drivers attention. The distance he drove was approximately 2 blocks. At that moment my daughter was coming home from he job at the Veterans Administration in Danville, ILL.
It was a beautiful clear day and no one would expect to see a truck coming head at you. As we were told he was driving approximately 60 MPH. I do not know if she saw him or not but I do know that she had no time to react. I can only imagine that the driver of the truck is the only person alive who knows.
This careless driver has killed my beautiful daughter and she isn’t here to tell us what actually happened to her that day.
All that is left is for her family is to fight and make as many people aware that we will not just sit back and accept what has been done to us. I do know losing a child is perhaps the most acute trauma a person can endure. The death of a child represents not only the loss of a loved one, but also a violation of the natural order and an end to hopes and dream. People expect to bury their grandparents and their parents, maybe even their siblings But not their children.
As Karissa’s mother I know that my days and life will go on because I have faith. I will never get over her death, the days will get better but I will never get over losing her. I believe that your life is built around your own choices. How could Karissa have known that if she had stopped at the bank first that day she would not be at the exact spot where a careless driver took her life and stole my grandchildren’s mother?
I will never believe that the driver of the truck that killed my daughter did not commit a crime. What ever his reason is for driving on the wrong side of the road. He made that choice and he should be punished for his careless mistake. Does anyone that is reading my message want him out on our Illinois roads knowing he could still be careless enough to do the same to one of your loved ones. I know that I wouldn’t want anyone else to endure the pain that my family or I are.
Our family has contacted the Vermillion County State’s Attorney office multiple times.
We have made this appointment with his office to discuss the following issues regarding her accident: As the chief investigator read HIS report, which we were not allowed to read. He read the very same account of events that we had been trying to stress to the states attorney. At the end of our meeting we were told that they would do the following:
The County Investigator, or the Sheriff’s Department will contacted the witnesses.
The Chief County investigator will interview witnesses of the accident.
The Chief County investigator will request the transcript of the 911 calls that was made on 04/19/2002.
We are awaiting their reply.
I feel that our law system has failed my family miserably during this horrific time of pain and sorrow. I feel our law system has decided it isn’t worth their time to pursue this investigation and prosecute this young man for his recklessness. His driving KILLED my beautiful daughter who was as well my best friend.
"Children are our sense of immortality". They are the ones a parent expects to carry on his or her memories, values and perhaps fulfil goals never realized. When you bury your child, “You bury your future.”
How can we convince our governmental officials to protect us from those that choose to be irresponsible and reckless? Reckless acts like these will continue and there will be more mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters who are forced to live the rest of their lives with a hole in their heart unless our government officials decide to make this a priority. If our law system doesn’t feel that it’s important to hold people responsible for taking someone’s life, then who will?
Sincerely
Barbara
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