A respected physician from Aurora who was seriously injured Friday morning in a traffic crash in the west-central part of Naperville has died of his injuries.
Nikhil J. Siony was an internal medicine physician on the staff of the Lawndale Christian Health Center on Chicago’s west side.
A spokesman for the DuPage County coroner’s office confirmed Siony died at 12:40 a.m. Monday in Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.
Siony, 45, died of “traumatic injuries” he sustained in the crash, said the spokesman, who declined to be identified by name. Coroner’s office staff members are awaiting the results of toxicological testing on Siony’s body, and the case remains under investigation, the spokesman said.
Naperville police, likewise, are continuing their investigation into the two-car crash. It occurred about 8:25 a.m. Friday at the intersection of 75th Street and Book Road, near the Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve.
Rescue workers found Siony inside the wreckage of his silver, 2008 Toyota, police said Friday. They also found a damaged, black, 2009 Mazda that was being driven by Rachel Nowakowski, 30, of Villa Park.
Police Sgt. Bill Davis said Siony “was entrapped in his vehicle and needed to be extricated” by firefighters.” Due to the serious injuries, (he) was airlifted” by helicopter to Good Samaritan, Davis said.
The preliminary police investigation indicated Siony had been driving east on 75th Street. Davis said Nowakowski “proceeded to turn (onto) southbound Book Road from westbound 75th Street, and struck (Siony’s) vehicle.”
Nowakowski suffered minor injuries in the crash. She was treated at Edward Hospital in Naperville and later released.
Police on Monday charged Nowakowski with driving without a license, driving without insurance and failure to yield the right of way while making a left turn.
Lawndale Christian Health Center “has its roots in the efforts of a group of community residents, largely from Lawndale Community Church,” according to the center’s website. Those residents in 1984 “spearheaded an effort to address the lack of affordable, quality health care services in their community.”
Amanda Bratschie, the center’s marketing and communications manager, said Siony had worked there since 2005 as an internal medicine physician, and had between 500 and 600 patients.
“He was amazing,” Bratschie said Monday by telephone before reading from a brief statement that had been sent to Siony’s colleagues and patients.
Siony was “a caring and skilled clinician,” Bratschie said. His colleagues and patients “knew him to be a faithful servant, with a great sense of humor and a strong desire to live out the gospel of Christ in his daily work.”
Witnesses to the crash, or those who believe they have information about it, were asked to call the Naperville Police Department’s Traffic Unit, at 630-305-5379; or to email police Cmdr. Ken Parcel, at parcelk@naperville.il.us.