Secretary of State George Ryan Monday revoked the driver’s license of a 76-year-old woman who killed three people earlier this month when her car plowed into a downtown crowd.
The state took Eleanor Soltis’ license even though the Southwest Side woman passed a state-ordered driver’s license test on Saturday that included written, road driving and vision tests.
“She passed the test, yes, but there is real concern about her ability to operate a motor vehicle safely,” said John Torre, spokesman for the secretary of state’s office. “Secretary Ryan made the decision based on the evidence that this driver has been involved in a number of accidents that raise questions about her ability to drive safely.”
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Soltis has been involved in three accidents in the last year, Torre said.
“Honestly, we thought she might voluntarily surrender her license after the most recent incident,” Torre said.
Soltis, who could not be reached for comment Monday, can appeal the revocation to a hearing officer, Torre said.
The most recent incident occurred Oct. 8 when Soltis drove her 1983 Cutlass out of a parking garage onto Wabash Avenue, drove through a red light and ran into several cars and an unsuspecting crowd. Ten people were injured, and three were killed.
Soltis told police her accelerator got stuck. She was later cited by Chicago police for operating an unsafe vehicle, failure to exercise due care with pedestrians in the roadway and disobeying a red light.
Two days later, the state ordered Soltis to retest her driving skills after police found no defects in Soltis’ car.
Six months earlier Soltis crashed into a 1989 BMW convertible as she pulled out of a parking garage on Walton Street near the Bloomingdale’s department store. Soltis and the driver of the BMW sustained injuries.
She also was involved in an accident in November, but Torre did not have details.