Tollway overpass dedicated to state trooper killed in 1995
State officials and the greater law enforcement community honored the memory of Illinois State Trooper Chong Soo Lim of Hoffman Estates Friday by dedicating the Route 59 overpass above the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway 21½ years after he was killed in the line of duty.
Just before midnight on June 5, 1995, the 29-year-old trooper was in his squad car completing citations for a traffic stop on I-90 when a pickup truck operated by a drunken driver struck the back of his vehicle, causing the gas tank to explode.
“I find it ironic because part of his job was to prevent drunk drivers and protect the lives of others, and he was killed by one,” said the fallen officer's brother, Christopher Lim of Hoffman Estates.
Several members of the Lim family joined with numerous Illinois state troopers and other police officers at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates for the memorial's dedication ceremony.
Christopher Lim said he wasn't sure exactly how far from the overpass his brother was killed, but it was certainly the closest one to the tragedy.
The Lim family immigrated to Chicago from South Korea while the siblings were young children. Chong Lim attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his service in the ROTC there led to his interest in law enforcement.
“He loved being in uniform,” Chris Lim said. “At one point, he wanted to be a fighter pilot.”
Their mother, Nam Soon Lim, also attended Friday's dedication ceremony. Though she does not speak English, her son translated her words on how she initially questioned Chong's choice of such a dangerous profession until he convinced her that it was what he really wanted to do.
“For today, it's bittersweet,” Chris Lim translated. “She's so honored that they can have a dedication for my brother 21 years later.”
But Republican state Rep. John Cabello of Rockford — who along with Democratic state Sen. Tony Munoz sponsored the legislation for the memorial — apologized to the family and state troopers that it took so long.
“When I look at the men and women sitting in front of me, I realize we as lawmakers do nothing and you do everything,” Cabello said. He added that if politicians acted with just a little more of the selflessness of police officers, everything might work better.
“He gave his life to help people he never met,” Illinois State Police Director Leo Schmitz said. “We owe him and the others like him to never forget. Ever.”
Chris Lim thanked the Illinois State Police for helping keep his brother's legacy alive.
“I think everyone would agree he was an exceptional human being,” he said. “He was an ambassador for the Korean community who taught his fellow troopers things they never knew. ... It breaks my heart to see my mother cry as she stares at my brother's picture, even 21 years later.”