Published: June 10, 2009 10:55 pm      

Crash claims life of toddler

HOOPESTON — A toddler was killed in a two-vehicle head-on crash near Hoopeston on Wednesday.

The child was pronounced dead at 5:25 p.m. Wednesday at Hoopeston Community Hospital. At press time, officials had not disclosed the name of the deceased.

Coroner Peggy Johnson could not say whether more than one death had resulted from the collision that occurred at 4:30 p.m. at Illinois Route 1 and County Road 38600, just south of Red Top Cemetery.

The accident, which is still under investigation, involved six people in the two vehicles.

The first vehicle, a 1997 Ford Explorer was driven by Denise Goodrum, 44, of Hoopeston. Goodrum was driving southbound on Route 1. She was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

The second vehicle, a 1990 Chevrolet pick-up truck, was driven by John Schwartz, 23. Traveling northbound, he was carrying four passengers in his truck — two in the cab and two in the truck bed, according to Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department Captain Dennis Wood.

The names of the passengers have not been released. Both drivers and two passengers from the pick-up truck were airlifted to an Urbana hospital.

Just after 9 p.m., a Carle Foundation Hospital spokeswoman said Schwartz was listed in critical condition and Goodrum was listed in fair condition.

The other two passengers from the truck were taken to the Hoopeston hospital.

Wood said preliminary reports indicate that Schwartz drove into oncoming southbound traffic presumably to go around another vehicle turning west into a driveway. Schwartz hit the Explorer head-on when it was in the southbound lane.

The narrative of the incident is still under investigation, Wood added.