A team of accident investigators assisted River Grove police in determining the circumstances behind a May 7 multi-car accident on Grand Avenue that killed a 48-year-old Des Plaines man and injured eight others.
According to police, Vega J. Ochoa, of the 1100 block of Arnold Court, Des Plaines, was driving alone eastbound on Grand Avenue near West Street around 5:30 a.m. when he crossed into the westbound lane, struck one car, and other autos sideswiped each other as they tried to get out of the way, River Grove Police Chief Mike Konwinski said.
No arrests were made in the case, he added.
Ochoa was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, but Konwinski said he did not know if Ochoa died at the scene or on the way to hospital. The injured were taken by River Grove, Franklin Park and Elmwood Park fire department ambulances to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Melrose Park, where they were treated for minor injuries and released, Konwinski said.
Witnesses told police Ochoa maneuvered his car in a way that didn’t appear to be the normal reaction of someone who realized they’d crossed into oncoming traffic, said Konwinski, who speculated Ochoa may have had some sort of medical emergency that contributed to the accident.
“He could have passed out or had some other medical emergency that made him unconscious and that caused him to accelerate and go into oncoming traffic. His adverse action triggered the accident. There is no reason to believe that distracted driving caused the accident or was a contributing factor in the accident,” said Konwinski, who added that road conditions did not play a role in the accident. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office may provide more information what contributed to Ochoa’s medical emergency.
Grand Avenue from Elm past West Street was blocked off for about five hours while a unit from the West Suburban Major Crash Unit reconstructed the accident and the roadway and sidewalks were cleared. Cars were directed to go north or south on River Road or were directed to take Elm to Belmont, Konwinski said.
“The area was impassable with vehicles scattered on the street, the sidewalk, everywhere,” Konwinski said.