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Gurnee mom, daughter recognized for safety belt use in serious crash

Two Gurnee residents were recently recognized for doing the right thing by wearing their seat belts in a serious vehicle crash.

Gurnee Police Chief Kevin Woodside said Anna Della Posta and her daughter, Jasmine Washington, were in a sport-utility vehicle last Sept. 24 when they escaped serious injury, or possibly death, by being buckled in when another driver crashed into them.

Della Posta and Washington were headed southbound on Hunt Club Road at Grand Avenue when the collision occurred.

Mayor Kristina Kovarik and Woodside presided over a ceremony at the Gurnee village hall to present certificates to Della Posta and Washington as part of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Saved by the Safety Belt program. It is meant to boost awareness of the lifesaving value of seat belts.

“I want to thank you for having fabulous (paramedics) and police officers,” said Della Posta, 39.

To qualify, survivors must be an Illinois resident and may not have been found to have used drugs or alcohol in the crash. Officials said a crash must be more than a fender bender and that nominees submitted by police agencies may not have been cited for a willful or intentional violation of the law and their actions must not have caused the wreck.

Woodside said the vehicle Della Posta and Washington were riding in was hit by a car that pulled in front of them. He said the impact caused Della Posta to lose control of the SUV, which then rolled over several times.

After the ceremony, Washington, 19, praised the assistance that several bystanders provided to her and her mother before authorities arrived at the crash site.

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