A woman was killed and her 7-month-old son was injured early Monday afternoon when the woman apparently lost control of her car as she exited Interstate 80 onto northbound La Grange Road, crossed over a median and hit a southbound car head-on.
Sandra R. Lautenbach, 26, of the 10700 block of White Trail Run in Orland Park, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Will County coroner. Her 7-month-old son, Jonathan, was in fair condition in Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet and was expected to be transferred to Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago, according to hospital spokeswoman Tracy Simons.
Steven B. Thomas, 38, of the 19400 block of 104th Avenue, Mokena, whose Ford Contour was hit by the woman’s BMW 325IS, was able to get out of his car on his own and was walking around when fire paramedics arrived. He also was taken to Silver Cross Hospital and was in good condition, Simons said.
The woman’s car caught fire and two men in a tow truck managed to rescue the woman’s child and extinguish the blaze along with another motorist who stopped to help.
“Everyone was trying to attend to the woman and get her out, but no one saw the baby at first because of the fire and smoke,” said Chris Lamble, 27, of Tinley Park, a tow truck driver with Authorized Towing in Mokena.
Lamble said he didn’t know if the baby was alive at first. “The baby wasn’t making any noise at first, but finally started crying after I got it away from the car.”
As Lamble was removing the baby, Frank Remblos, a partner who was with him in the tow truck, used fire extinguishers from the truck to put out a fire that started under the front of the car.
“There was a lot of smoke and fire coming from the car, and it took two extinguishers to put it out,” said Remblos, 35, of Mokena.
Firefighters from Mokena and Orland Park had to cut the roof from the BMW to try to administer aid to the woman.
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“I don’t know if the woman was just going too fast and lost control, or hit the gas instead of the brakes,” said Mary Ann Regnier, of New Lenox, who was driving up the exit ramp in her van about 100 feet behind the BMW.