The proud mother was driving her three sons to vacation Bible school when a Chevy S10 pickup truck drove through a stop sign at high speed and struck her 2014 Subaru Outback. The pickup t-boned Lidsay’s SUV on the drivers side, pushing it off-road into a crumpled pile. The 25-year-old Chevy driver sustained minor injuries, but the Schmidt family wasn’t so lucky.
Despite being properly secured by seat-belts and appropriately sized car seats, Lindsay, her unborn child, and her 1-year-old son Caleb died instantly. 4-year-old Weston and 6-year-old Owen survived the crash in critical condition, but died at the hospital. Edward was now left alone to bury his entire family.
Utterly devastated by the loss of his entire world, Edward was faced with a second bombshell when he learned what caused the accident. The pickup driver was likely texting.
Charges are still pending, but a police report shows that the pickup driver’s view was unobstructed and his cruise control was turned on. The driver had initially been charged with a traffic citation for failing to stop, but the citation was later dropped. “Obviously, we don’t want a plea on that charge and have double jeopardy bar us from any future charges,” explained Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. “This was the right thing to do.”
The citation was dropped, but can be reissued at a later date after the Will County Sheriff’s Department has completed their criminal investigation. The deputies are still waiting the outcome of chemical tests and a phone record review.
Rev. Frank Italiano led a private service for Edward’s family on August 2nd, 2017.
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