BLOOMINGTON — The driver of a pickup truck that hit a school bus on Interstate 74 had ingested amphetamine and marijuana the morning of the accident, and he and the front-seat passenger both showed signs of alcohol use the night before, a coroner’s jury heard Wednesday.
In addition, state police are involved in a criminal investigation related to a party in Normal that the accident victims had attended the previous night.
“There may be criminal charges as a result of the investigation related to the party and alcohol being provided at this party,” said McLean County Coroner Beth Kimmerling.
The coroner’s jury ruled the Jan. 22 deaths of Michael Honan II, 18, and Celine Estes, 17, both of Tremont, as accidental. The panel discussed the possible need for the state to install a guardrail along the center median on the stretch where the crash occurred, but did not make a formal recommendation.
Honan and Estes both were students at Tremont High School and were driving west about 8:30 a.m. when the truck crossed the median and clipped the tire area of a semitrailer truck before hitting an eastbound Tremont High School bus carrying the girls’ basketball team.
Eleven occupants of the bus were injured but did not require overnight hospitalization. Estes’ sister, Briana, was a passenger in the truck and critically injured; another passenger, Brittany Fair, also was hurt.
State Trooper Joe Dittmer told the jury that two other crashes occurred the same day in the same location.
“It is our belief that all three crashes occurred because of the icy roadway,” he said, noting alcohol was found in the pickup truck wreckage.
The trooper said salt was applied to the road after the crash by state road crews.
Police believe Honan’s vehicle spun around and entered the median backward as it headed toward the eastbound semi and rotated again before it was hit by the bus, said Dittmer.
The officer said information collected from a crash data recorder in the truck may not be reliable because it’s impossible to tell at what stage of the accident the speed was recorded. He said the fact that the accident involved side impacts may have kept the vehicle’s airbag from deploying.
The night before
State police opened an investigation because of the alcohol and three underage people, including the driver, involved, said Kimmerling.
Honan and his passengers had been at a party the night before in Normal, according to testimony from Deputy Coroner David Killian. The four left the party around 8 a.m. because Honan was scheduled to go to work, said Killian.
Witnesses interviewed by police recalled seeing the occupants of the truck drink alcohol but did not recall seeing illegal drug use, said Kimmerling. Witnesses did not indicate that Honan went to sleep when others went to bed, she said.
Toxicology reports
Killian told the jury that toxicology results for Honan indicated recent use of amphetamines and marijuana. Both victims also had used alcohol the night before, according to tests results, said Killian.
If Honan had survived the accident, it’s likely he would have been charged with driving under the influence because of the illegal drugs found in his body, according to Dittmer.
Alcohol was not a factor in the accident, said Kimmerling. The coroner said the driver was impaired bcause of his drug use, but could not say for certain how much the impairment contributed to the crash.
History of roadway
The stretch of I-74 where the fatal accidents occurred has been a concern for several years, said the coroner.
“My office has been there several times over the last five to seven years,” said Kimmerling. She said the Honan family has asked the state to consider a guardrail.
Coroner’s juries determine the manner of death and can choose from accidental, natural, suicide, homicide or undetermined. A cause of death is determined by autopsy.
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In addition, state police are involved in a criminal investigation related to a party in Normal that the accident victims had attended the previous night.
“There may be criminal charges as a result of the investigation related to the party and alcohol being provided at this party,” said McLean County Coroner Beth Kimmerling.
The coroner’s jury ruled the Jan. 22 deaths of Michael Honan II, 18, and Celine Estes, 17, both of Tremont, as accidental. The panel discussed the possible need for the state to install a guardrail along the center median on the stretch where the crash occurred, but did not make a formal recommendation.
Honan and Estes both were students at Tremont High School and were driving west about 8:30 a.m. when the truck crossed the median and clipped the tire area of a semitrailer truck before hitting an eastbound Tremont High School bus carrying the girls’ basketball team.
Eleven occupants of the bus were injured but did not require overnight hospitalization. Estes’ sister, Briana, was a passenger in the truck and critically injured; another passenger, Brittany Fair, also was hurt.
State Trooper Joe Dittmer told the jury that two other crashes occurred the same day in the same location.
“It is our belief that all three crashes occurred because of the icy roadway,” he said, noting alcohol was found in the pickup truck wreckage.
The trooper said salt was applied to the road after the crash by state road crews.
Police believe Honan’s vehicle spun around and entered the median backward as it headed toward the eastbound semi and rotated again before it was hit by the bus, said Dittmer.
The officer said information collected from a crash data recorder in the truck may not be reliable because it’s impossible to tell at what stage of the accident the speed was recorded. He said the fact that the accident involved side impacts may have kept the vehicle’s airbag from deploying.
The night before
State police opened an investigation because of the alcohol and three underage people, including the driver, involved, said Kimmerling.
Honan and his passengers had been at a party the night before in Normal, according to testimony from Deputy Coroner David Killian. The four left the party around 8 a.m. because Honan was scheduled to go to work, said Killian.
Witnesses interviewed by police recalled seeing the occupants of the truck drink alcohol but did not recall seeing illegal drug use, said Kimmerling. Witnesses did not indicate that Honan went to sleep when others went to bed, she said.
Toxicology reports
Killian told the jury that toxicology results for Honan indicated recent use of amphetamines and marijuana. Both victims also had used alcohol the night before, according to tests results, said Killian.
If Honan had survived the accident, it’s likely he would have been charged with driving under the influence because of the illegal drugs found in his body, according to Dittmer.
Alcohol was not a factor in the accident, said Kimmerling. The coroner said the driver was impaired bcause of his drug use, but could not say for certain how much the impairment contributed to the crash.
History of roadway
The stretch of I-74 where the fatal accidents occurred has been a concern for several years, said the coroner.
“My office has been there several times over the last five to seven years,” said Kimmerling. She said the Honan family has asked the state to consider a guardrail.
Coroner’s juries determine the manner of death and can choose from accidental, natural, suicide, homicide or undetermined. A cause of death is determined by autopsy.
Provided By:pantagraph.com
Learn more about trucking law at http://truckinglawattorney.com/
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