Dec 16, 2008 3:43 pm US/Central
Cabbie Killed When Car Jumps Curb
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
A 45-year-old taxi driver was killed Monday evening when his car jumped a curb, went through a fence and struck a tree in a west suburban cemetery, police said.
The accident happened about 5:20 p.m. at Hillside Road and Main Street in Naperville, according to a release from Naperville police.
Officers responding to a report of the single-vehicle crash inside the Naperville Cemetery found the driver, Phillip A. Smith of Downers Grove, unconscious. Smith, the only person in the 1993 Ford Crown Victoria 4-door taxi, was transported to Edward Hospital in Naperville where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The initial investigation found that Smith was southbound on Main and failed to stop at the intersection with Hillside. The car continued over the curb and through the fence into the cemetery, where it struck a tree before coming to rest.
The cab was owned by Alliance Taxi of Plainfield.
Coroner Pete Siekmann said the driver, Phillip A. Smith, apparently died at the wheel of his cab from "a heart-related condition."
Smith's death "was caused by a natural event, rather than being a result" of his cab striking either the fence or tree, Siekmann said. Autopsy-related laboratory test results are pending in the case, he said.
Members of the police traffic unit are continuing their investigation into the crash.
Witnesses or others who believe they have information about the incident were asked to call police at (630) 305-5285.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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