Crime & Safety
Romeoville Man Rear-Ended in Bizarre Indiana Crash
A woman celebrating her 34th birthday with too much booze drove into the back of the Romeoville man's semi-truck — and he kept driving, according to cops.
A woman's 34th birthday came to a sudden and bizarre stop early Saturday when she rear-ended a semi truck on Interstate 80 in Indiana and was dragged along the highway until the driver noticed.
The semi driver, Juan G. Palafox, of Romeoville, drove for a mile before he realized Natasha M. Garza was stuck to the back of his truck. Then he pulled over on Interstate 80, near Gary, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Garz had been drinking to celebrate her birthday, according to police, when she crashed her Chevrolet Cobalt into Palafox's semi trailer around 2:40 a.m. Saturday.
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Garza's blood alcohol level was .21 percent, over two times the legal limit of .08, said Indiana State Police. Firefighters had to cut her out of her car. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital and treated for injuries that were not life threatening.
She was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, driving with a suspended license, and following too closely.
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Palafox, who was hauling 42,000 pounds of rice, was not hurt but was cited for an unrelated logbook violation.
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