Snow cited in deadly wreck

Driving in a snowstorm was cited as a key factor in a three-vehicle crash on Randall Road that killed a South Elgin couple and injured two others, a Kane County coroner's jury ruled today.

Ruben and Elisa Lacsam died from internal injuries suffered after their sedan veered into oncoming traffic about 9 p.m. Jan. 21 on a snow-covered stretch of the thoroughfare, about a half-mile south of Main Street in Batavia.

Witnesses said the couple's Toyota Camry was headed north when it crossed into the southbound lane and was hit on the passenger side by a Chrysler Sebring, which was rear-ended by a Dodge Ram pick-up truck, according to testimony at an inquest into the deaths.

Elisa Lacsam, 70, was driving the Toyota and died at the scene, despite the use of her seat belt. Ruben, 71, died about an hour later at Provena Mercy Center in Aurora. He was not wearing his seat belt.

"Due to the force of the impact, I don't know if it really would have mattered," Eric West, a deputy coroner, testified.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

The couple's daughter told investigators her parents had visited with her earlier that night and planned to eat dinner at a riverboat casino before heading home, despite the heavy snowfall and icy roads.

The driver of the Chrysler, 29-year-old Felix Velazquez of North Aurora, was cited for driving with a suspended license, West said. Velazquez and an unidentified female passenger were taken to Delnor-Community Hospital in Geneva for treatment.

The occupants of the Dodge were treated at the scene and released.