Accident on Rt. 59 leaves Antioch woman in a coma

Two people were injured, one seriously, in a traffic accident Sunday night in Antioch.

Joyce Marsalek, 44, of Antioch was in a coma in critical condition Monday morning at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. An unidentified 13-year-old male passenger was in stable condition under observation, police said.

According to Antioch police Cmdr. Jim Ruth said Marsalek was the driver of a Ford Crown Victoria heading south on Route 59 when she lost control around 8:05 p.m. at Deer Ridge Lane.

The car crossed the center line and struck a northbound Ford F350 pickup truck driven by a 46-year-old man from Trevor, Wis. The man, who was the sole occupant, was not injured.

Marsalek and the passenger were the only two occupants of the Crown Victoria, police said. Neither was wearing a seat belt, Ruth said. Both were flown to by helicopter to the hospital.

The car was heavily damaged. Marsalek was ticketed for driving too fast for conditions, not wearing a seat belt and failure to secure a juvenile, police said.

Ruth said the roads were "starting to get a little bit slick" at the time and that conditions possibly contributed to the accident.