Elderly Batavia man's death ruled an accident

The death of a Batavia man whose car was broadsided as it crossed Route 38 in Elburn was accidental, a coroner's jury ruled Wednesday.

Robert Schipp, 74, was returning home from a family reunion about 5:17 p.m. July 12 when, according to police, he failed to yield to traffic on Anderson Road and was struck by a van traveling west about 55 mph on Route 38.

Elburn police officer Steve Mueller said the impact pushed in the driver's side door of Schipp's vehicle "2 or 3 feet," and Schipp and his wife had to be extricated from the wreckage.

Schipp died a short time later in the emergency room at Delnor Hospital in Geneva; his wife survived.

At an inquest Wednesday, authorities testified there was no evidence of a medical emergency or other impairment that might have contributed to the death, which jurors declared an accident.

"The road was clear, it was dry," Mueller said. "It was a sunny day."

A military veteran, Schipp was born in Evanston and worked as a technical writer in the electronics industry, according to the Kane County coroner's office. He and his wife had spent July 12 at a family reunion, officials said, and were on their way home at the time of the crash.

No charges were filed.