Burlington-Central student's death ruled an accident

The parents of a Burlington-Central student killed in a head-on crash in St. Charles took the stand at an inquest Wednesday to describe the "big holes in our hearts" left by their son's death.

"I miss my boy every second of the day," Jerry Martinez wept after describing his 16-year-old son, who went by the same name, as having "so much life and energy."

"My happiest moment was finding out my wife was pregnant with a boy," he said. "(We) have big holes in our hearts that will never go away."

Police said the younger Martinez was driving north on Randall Road about 12:11 p.m. on Sept. 25 when his Toyota Camry collided with a Lincoln Navigator at Red Gate Road.

Kane County Sheriff's Detective Jerry Krawczyk testified that the crash happened when Martinez drove through a yellow light at the same time the Navigator's driver, Victoria Marie Biniak, 35, of South Elgin, tried to turn left onto Red Gate through the same yellow light.

Krawczyk said several motorists waiting at the intersection heard the crash, but no one actually saw it. "They stated they were preoccupied with other things," he said.

Martinez suffered a skull fracture and massive blood loss in the crash, which Wednesday's jury ruled an accident. Biniak was treated for minor injuries.

Deputy Kane County Coroner Eric West testified that neither alcohol nor drugs appeared to be factors in the crash.

"It's very safe to say during the time of the accident he was not under the influence," West said.

Krawczyk said no tickets were issued but the investigation is ongoing, and police still do not know how fast either driver was going.

The victim's mother, Mary Martinez, said her the teen was driving home to Elgin so he could take his sister to cross-country practice, as he often did. She said he spent his summer helping take his sister to and from practice and driver's education classes.

"He was a very responsible driver, a very responsible 16-year-old. He would never drive without his glasses or his seat belt," she said, sobbing. "I miss my son terribly. My heart is broken."

A third-year defender for his high school's hockey club, Jerry Martinez "made friends everywhere he went," his father said.

"Not two weeks before the accident, he told me he wanted to be a teacher," he said. "I was so proud of him."