Alcohol found in car after mom, son die in crash

By Admin on July 4, 2009

A 24-year-old Wisconsin woman and her toddler son died late Friday in a possible alcohol-related head-on collision on the Tri-State Tollway near Wadsworth that also critically injured another son who was riding with her, state police said.

Nicole Polk, of Algoma, Wis., and her 16-month-old son were declared dead on the scene following the crash just after 11 p.m. on I-94 near Russell Road in Lake County, said State Police Master Sgt. Susan Ewald. Polk’s 2-½-year-old son was critically injured in the crash and taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Ewald said.

The son killed in the crash was identified as Tevin Temple, said Lake County Coroner Richard Keller.

The driver and three passengers in the other vehicle received minor injuries.

Polk was not wearing her seatbelt and open alcohol was found in her car after the crash, Ewald said.

The crash happened when the 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier Polk was driving south on I-94 crossed the grassy median of the highway and collided head-on with a northbound 2004 Toyota Camry driven by an Orland Park woman, Ewald said.

Polk was not wearing her seatbelt but was not ejected; the carseat her 16-month-old son was riding in was ejected, Ewald said. The older son’s carseat remained in the vehicle following the crash, Ewald said.

Police were still investigating what role alcohol or speed may have played in the crash, which caused extensive damage to Polk’s car, Ewald said. A determination on the level of alcohol in Polk’s blood at the time of the crash will have to wait until a toxicological screening is completed following an autopsy, Ewald said.

Autopsies on Polk and her son were scheduled for Sunday, and a determination on blood-alcohol could come as soon as Monday, Keller said.

– Liam Ford and Deanese Williams-Harris

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