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One driver killed in I-88 crash had survived al-Qaida firing squad

Ali Erhaima once survived an al-Qaida firing squad in Baghdad, friends say, only to be killed with two others in a head-on crash early Friday morning in Naperville.

Erhaima, 32, a driver for Uber, died when a man speeding the wrong way on I-88 smashed into his vehicle near Mill Street.

Authorities said Domenic Andreoni of Elgin was driving a 2012 Toyota east in the westbound lanes at 12:56 a.m. when he struck the 2008 Chrysler 300 driven by Erhaima.

Andreoni, Erhaima and a passenger in the Chrysler, Shiva Inampudi, 40, of Naperville, all were pronounced dead at the scene.

A family friend, Moe Garmyani, said Erhaima, a Shia Muslim from Iraq who most recently lived in Aurora, was a guard at a Baghdad hotel in 2005 when he was kidnapped and held for ransom by insurgent fighters.

"His family paid the ransom, but negotiations still broke down somewhere and Erhaima was put before a firing squad where he was shot eight times and left for dead," Garmyani said. "The police found him alive in the freezing morgue the next morning."

Garmyani said Erhaima escaped to Syria where he later applied for refugee status. He came to the United States in 2012 and drove a taxi after undergoing several surgeries.

"God had a plan for him to be safe in America and have a future with his beautiful family," Garmyani said. "That plan was cut tragically short this morning and we are all in mourning for our friend."

ABC 7 Chicago reported that Erhaima is survived by his wife, daughter and son.

Andreoni's Facebook page, meanwhile, identifies him as a U.S. Marine Corps recruiter in Oak Lawn. And the Marine was honored by the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in 2014.

Capt. James Stenger, public affairs officer for the 9th Marines Corps District headquartered at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, said he couldn't provide any information pending notification of next of kin.

"We are aware of a traffic accident involving a Marine, and our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this tragedy," he said. "We will work with local law enforcement during the course of their investigation. More information will be released following official notification of his next of kin."

Inampudi's longtime friend, Madhukar Chintalapudi, said Erhaima was a ride-share driver and Inampudi was a passenger on his way home from the airport.

Inampudi traveled frequently to San Francisco for his job as a software engineer and was about 10 minutes from home on his most recent trip when the crash occurred, Chintalapudi said.

"It's very sad," he said. "I'm still digesting the news. We had been very close. He's very calm, very nice, very gentle, always smiling. We miss him a lot."

Chintalapudi and Inampudi helped start a cricket team through the Naperville Park District. He said members of the cricket team went to Inampudi's home Friday to offer support to his wife and preteen son.

He said he heard Inampudi's family is coming to Chicago from India and services likely will be held Sunday morning.

Westbound I-88 was shut down in the early morning hours while police investigated the crash, authorities said. State police said all lanes reopened around 6 a.m.

According to Will County circuit court records, Andreoni had a lengthy list of traffic offenses from 2002 to 2007.

In March 2007, he was fined $175 for failing to reduce speed. In May 2006, he was assigned to traffic school and was fined $115 for driving 15 to 20 miles over the speed limit.

In July 2005, he was cited for underage possession and consumption of alcohol, and carrying liquor as a passenger.

• Daily Herald staff writers Lee Filas and Elena Ferrarin contributed to this report.

It appears a wrong-way driver triggered a crash Friday morning on I-88 that killed three people. Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago
Portions of I-88 near Naperville were closed for several hours Friday morning as police investigated a crash that killed three people. Courtesy of ABC 7 Chicago
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