Attorney: Highland Park teen suffering from PTSD after fatal crash
A Highland Park woman accused of huffing cleaning products while driving before hitting and killing a 5-year-old girl has checked herself into a Chicago-area hospital for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, a defense attorney said.
Carly Rousso, 19, was unable to attend a mandatory court hearing Tuesday because she was hospitalized, defense attorney Douglas Zeit said. He couldn’t say how long Rousso is expected to receive treatment, but said Lake County Judge James Booras has delayed court proceedings until Aug. 29.
Zeit said he is still “hopeful to resolve this case by a negotiated plea,” and continues to meet with prosecutors regarding the case.
Rousso faces four counts of aggravated driving under the influence of an intoxicating compound and reckless homicide for her role in the accident that killed Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento in September 2012.
Authorities accuse Rousso of sniffing computer dust cleaner moments before crashing a family-owned Lexus coupe into Santos-Sacramento and her family as they walked in the 700 block of Central Avenue.
The girl’s mother and two brothers also were injured.
Rousso could spend 26 years in prison if found guilty of the most serious charges.
Rousso’s trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 27.