Gravel Pile Removed After Fatal Elmhurst Crash

Elmhurst IL

10 November, 2021

10:05 AM

Description

ELMHURST, IL — A driver crashed into a gravel pile in August on Elmhurst's Van Auken Street, killing her fiancé, who was a passenger, police said. She was charged with aggravated DUI. Shortly after the crash, Patch took photos of the pile. At least five orange piles surrounded it. A few days later, a neighbor alerted Patch that the pile had been removed. It was unclear whether this was done in the normal course of business or because of the crash. This is a recent photo of the block of Van Auken Street in Elmhurst, where a gravel pile was in August. It was removed not long after a fatal crash. (David Giuliani/Patch) On Aug. 30, Patch filed a request for correspondence related to the pile, which was on Van Auken, just north of North End Avenue. The request covered emails going back to Aug. 21, the date of the crash. Under state law, the city was supposed to provide records within five business days or seek an extension. It did neither. The matter apparently got stuck in the city's attorney's office. On Tuesday, more than two months later, the city replied to Patch's request, stating, "After attorney review and limited global search capabilities, we have found that the City of Elmhurst has no records responsive to your request." The city has noted before the limits of its search abilities. In many computer systems, emails about a subject can be obtained through use of search terms. But the city says it has no such capability. Its system requires officials to go manually through their emails. In this case, they would have had to review 10 days of emails, four of them weekend days. City Manager Jim Grabowski couldn't be reached for immediate comment Wednesday. After the crash, Alibet Mendoza, 33, of Cicero, was arrested, with her blood-alcohol level at more than twice the legal limit, police said. Her fiancé, Andrew Lewis, also 33, died in the crash. In early September, Patch published a story about the details of the accident, based on a public records request. It included Mendoza's statements to officers.