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BY DEBORAH LAVERTY
dlaverty@nwitimes.com
219.762.1397, ext. 2223 | Sunday, June 24, 2007 | (12 comment(s))
A fun-filled Fourth of July celebration wasn't an option last year for Eric Chancellor, but then neither was it for Cheryl Warren.
In the predawn hours of July 4, the two drivers were involved in a head-on crash in Center Township so severe their mangled vehicles had to be towed away for scrap metal and both individuals eventually had to be airlifted to an Illinois trauma hospital, according to police and fire officials' reports.
Warren, then 18, tested at .20 percent blood alcohol concentration, more than twice the legal limit. Chancellor, then 33, who was heading home to Lakes of the Four Seasons after jamming with fellow musicians in Schererville, tested negative for alcohol, according to police reports.
Warren, who had a previous alcohol charge, was cited by Lake County Police at the scene because she was legally intoxicated, according to police spokesman Mike Higgins.
Nearly a year later, Chancellor, still unable to work due to his painful injuries, is frustrated that Warren has yet to be charged.
Charges against Warren are still pending, Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter said.
Brian Kersey, the county officer assigned to investigate the accident, filed paperwork in January but additional information has been requested by the prosecutor's office prior to the filing of any charges, Carter said.
He said he is aware Warren also had an Oct. 15, 2005 charge of minor in possession, consumption or transportation of alcoholic beverages from the Tippecanoe County Police Department.
"My inclination is that charges will be filed against her," Carter said.
On the night of the crash, Warren was heading home to Lowell after leaving the home of a male friend who lives outside Lakes of the Four Seasons. The pair had parted ways after he had driven her to a party in Valparaiso, according to Merrillville attorney David Novak, who filed a civil lawsuit on Chancellor's behalf late last year.
Warren was driving her Toyota Camry west on 109th Avenue near Iowa Street when she apparently veered into the eastbound lane, striking Chancellor's pickup head-on.
"I didn't see her until she was crested over the hill. I tried to get off the road, to the right, but she followed. There was no getting away. I remember everything vividly," Chancellor recalls.
Because of internal injuries after being thrown from her car, Warren was unable to speak to police the morning of the crash, police reports indicate.
Heidi Warren, her mother, declined to comment on the case regarding her daughter when reached at their Lowell home.
Chancellor, who sustained multiple injuries including broken ribs and femur and a crushed foot.
"I was told by doctors that they might have to amputate my husband's foot," said Jill Chancellor, tears filling her eyes.
Doctors were able to save his foot but it was six months before Chancellor could walk again and he has had to undergo numerous surgeries and hours of rehabilitation.
"I'm still not back to work. I can't go back to my former position," he said.
Chancellor, the father of 5-year-old Jax, said prior to the accident he was employed at Continental/Midland, where screws are manufactured.
Now he and his wife, who works full-time, remain frustrated because of some $300,000 in medical costs and the fact that Warren has not yet been charged in connection with the accident.
They've contacted the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and even the governor in order to receive. Kitty Greene, a MADD state spokeswoman, said Friday she will look into the accident.
In the meantime, it is his understanding that Warren's life has gone on, including her going back to college and even traveling with her boyfriend to the Bahamas.
"Her life is doing great. ... I'd love to see her charged. I can't let that go. She ruined my life," he said.
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shocked wrote on Jul 21, 2007 5:48 AM:
one year later wrote on Jul 4, 2007 9:08 AM:
mickey from illinois wrote on Jul 3, 2007 6:38 AM:
??? wrote on Jun 28, 2007 8:33 AM:
Porter County Resident wrote on Jun 27, 2007 10:04 PM:
Amazed wrote on Jun 26, 2007 5:36 PM:
karaasch wrote on Jun 25, 2007 7:43 AM:
Neighbor wrote on Jun 24, 2007 10:08 PM:
HMM wrote on Jun 24, 2007 12:57 PM:
Ruben Hinojosa wrote on Jun 24, 2007 10:23 AM:
the "waiter" wrote on Jun 24, 2007 9:29 AM:
A.R,Swanson wrote on Jun 24, 2007 2:39 AM: