Portion of I-94 to be dedicated in honor of fallen state trooper from Antioch
A half-mile section of Interstate 94 in Green Oaks will be dedicated this month in honor of an Illinois State Police trooper who died there when an intoxicated driver slammed head-on into his patrol car.
The Trooper Gerald W. Ellis Memorial Highway will stretch from mile marker 16.5 to mile marker 17.0 along I-94 near Libertyville, in tribute to the 36-year-old Antioch resident.
State police, elected officials, family members and friends will gather Monday, Oct. 21, for a ceremony officially dedicating the highway to Ellis, a married father of two who had served as a state trooper for 11 years.
Authorities say Ellis had finished his shift and was heading home about 3:25 a.m. March 31 when a vehicle driving east in the westbound lanes of I-94 collided with the trooper's car.
Witness accounts on social media indicated Ellis may have driven intentionally into the path of the oncoming car to stop it from hitting other vehicles.
The wrong-way driver, Dan Davies, 44, of Calumet City, also died in the crash. Authorities reported he had alcohol in his system at the time, and state officials later said he did not hold a valid driver's license.
According to an Illinois Secretary of State spokesman, Davies had been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without a license, on top of four convictions for speeding, two convictions for driving without insurance and eight convictions for driving while his license was suspended or revoked.
Court records show Davies also was facing charges of aggravated DUI for a stop that was initiated in Chicago. During that same arrest, he was charged with driving an uninsured vehicle, possession of open alcohol and driving while his license suspended, records show.
The dedication ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 21, at Townline Community Park, 1555 Kennedy Road, Lake Forest. A procession to the dedication site will conclude the ceremony. The public may pay tribute near the dedication site on the Bradley Road Overpass.