Naperville police say there are no charges pending or citations issued as of Thursday in the Sunday death of Naperville resident Emily Driscoll. The 22-year-old, along with her rescued greyhound dog, Quincy, was killed while crossing the intersection of Rickert Drive and Book Road.
The accident is still under investigation by the Naperville Police Department’s traffic unit, Sgt. William Davis shared via email.
An initial investigation conducted by the Driscoll family’s attorney, and confirmed by a Naperville Police Department media release, reported that Driscoll was struck about 8:15 p.m. by a Maroon 2001 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Kenneth E. Holmberg, 74, of Plainfield.
She was taken to Edward Hospital in Naperville where she died of her injuries.
“Our investigation has shown that Emily was in the crosswalk crossing with the light, and the driver that hit her was driving into the intersection against a red light,” according to G. Grant Dixon III, the family’s attorney. Those details have not been confirmed by police.
The family is very appreciative of the work the Naperville Police has done, Dixon III said. “We understand that it is a continuing investigation.”
In addition, the Driscoll family attorney’s preliminary investigation found “no skid marks at the scene.” She was at least two-thirds to three-quarters of the way across the street when she was struck, according to Dixon III.
On that day, Emily had returned from work and walked her dog, Quincy which was her habit, Dixon III said. “The next thing the Naperville Police are pounding on the family’s front door.”
“The family is trying to cope with the death of their 22-year-old daughter,” Dixon III said. “There is no rule book for this.”
It is always hard to lose a love one, he said.
“But when it is someone so young, engaging and with such a bright future ahead of her to see that taken away and in this manner, when she was doing nothing wrong, it is difficult to comprehend,” he said. “It is something we all do.”
“We will never get closure,” Emily’s father Timothy Driscoll said. “I have walked with her and her sister has walked with her on the same pathway hundreds of times with the dog.”
Knowing how fast cars drive along those roads, he said, the family knew to wait for the walk sign before crossing the street.
Since 2011, a total of 31 accidents have been reported at the intersection — not including the one involving Driscoll. Nine were reported through September of this year. Davis said these numbers don’t put the intersection in the top 10 in the city for the most accidents and is “probably average for intersections with a traffic light.”
The case has touched a nerve in the community, because it is a situation everyone can relate to, Dixon III said.
If the attention brought to Emily’s tragic death, Dixon said, can prevent this from happening to another family, maybe some good can come out of it.
“No one wants to be in this position, but if it causes someone to pay attention while they are driving, slow down in a neighborhood, or look at the lights before they enter an intersection, some good will come out of it,” he added.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has any additional information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Naperville Police Department’s Traffic Unit at 630-305-5379 or email parcelk@naperville.il.us.