A Woodlawn family is grappling with anguish after a six-month-old baby girl, Josette Williams, tragically died following a series of calamitous events that culminated in a hit-and-run crash as they frantically drove her to the hospital for severe breathing difficulties.
The ordeal began Friday night when the infant showed signs of respiratory distress soon after being put to bed, a normal evening turned nightmarish for Joberta Williams, 24, who later experienced a mother's agonizing worst-case scenario; after discovering her daughter's plight, she attempted life-saving CPR as directed by the 911 operator while waiting for an ambulance, but a decision by a friend present at the time to drive Josette to the hospital in hopes of quicker help led to the fatal sequence of events, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
En route to Comer Children’s Hospital, at approximately 9:40 p.m. at the intersection of 63rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, their vehicle was struck by a westbound driver who ran a red light, this impact followed by two successive collisions; the culprits, a man and woman driving the Chevy SUV, fled the scene by foot, and they have eluded capture as of the latest reports, according to Hoodline.
In the chaos, a witness's well-intentioned but ultimately misguided attempt to drive the family to the hospital resulted in further delays – a hapless detour that circled them back to the crash site where they finally encountered an ambulance, Joberta Williams recounted the terrifying moments, "He didn’t know where he was going. Everyone was panicking," she says, reliving the ordeal wherein a bystander's confusion compounded an already frantic situation, with precious minutes slipping away as the chance to save Josette's life grew ever slimmer.
Josette was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the hospital at 10:29 p.m., and while the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office is yet to determine the exact cause of death, the sorrow-stricken family awaits answers, and a GoFundMe has been set up to support them through these harrowing times, Joberta Williams shared her fond memories of her daughter, "She was my best friend. She hardly cried. She just laughed and smiled all the time," a quote from an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times reflected on the joy Josette brought into her life.
The Chicago Police Department's Major Accidents unit continues its investigation into the fatal crash, and anyone with information on the whereabouts of the suspects who fled is urged to contact the authorities, as the family seeks justice for the loss of their baby girl.
