Daily Herald editorial: Out of sorrow, maybe something good I-90 ramp worth a look after Wisconsin man’s death in Rosemont
Turning grief into action is a beautiful way to honor someone you’ve lost.
We see it over and over and again here in the suburbs: A tragedy inspires a new social service agency, plants the seeds for a new law or triggers a change designed to protect others from meeting the same fate.
That’s what Laura Leatherberry is hoping to accomplish.
The Wisconsin woman lost her husband, Benjamin Oberto, last month in a car accident in Rosemont. And while she might never fully know how the last moments of his life unfolded, Leatherberry is lobbying federal and state officials to make the spot where he died safer.
Leatherberry last spoke with Oberto, a 45-year-old salesman for a wine distributor, at about 6 p.m. Nov. 13 as he was attending a business dinner in Crystal Lake. When she reached out a few hours later, the call went straight to voicemail.
Police determined that Oberto had left the restaurant just before 9. His cellphone data put him in the Rosemont area at 9:47 p.m.
Two days later, divers searching Willow Creek found Oberto’s body inside his partially submerged car. Somehow, Oberto had landed at the bottom of an embankment near the busy curve of the Interstate 90 eastbound ramp to northbound Interstate 294.
Questions linger. But Leatherberry has turned her attention to one that has implications for all who use the ramp: Would a guardrail or better signage at the site have saved Oberto’s life?
“I think it might have,” Leatherberry told reporter Chris Placek for a story that ran in Tuesday’s Daily Herald. “I’ll never know that for sure. But I know I can help save other people’s lives.”
In the days since she learned of Oberto’s death, Leatherberry did some research on the area and learned that others have crashed after running off the edge of the ramp — including an SUV carrying nine people that landed upright in the creek in June. And she’s made it her mission to push for safety changes that could prevent another tragedy.
Rosemont officials confirm there have been other crashes in the past. Now, family and friends — as well as Rosemont Mayor Brad Stephens — have joined Leatherberry in a letter-writing campaign, reaching out to public officials and the Illinois Tollway, the agency that has jurisdiction over that portion of the roadway.
We’re grateful that Leatherberry has taken the lead in advocating for a fresh look at this heavily traveled site.
Tollway officials have agreed to follow up, and various factors will be weighed before a decision is made.
Leatherberry’s idea merits careful study, and we hope the tollway considers options to make the area safer.
Leatherberry has lost her husband, and two children have lost their dad. But with Leatherberry’s passion, perhaps something good will spring from sorrow.